I get a buzz if handed a blank piece of paper and asked to write a software solution. To be given license to let leash my creativity thought flow into a new project is just the ultimate in personal gratification!
- The challenge of interrogation and understanding what the customer requirements are.
- The opportunity to include the latest IT technologies.
My profession is an architect, engineer and developer of web sites, software applications & database repositories.
I work on Contract.
You can liken the process of software development to building a new home. It involves architects, builders, new home owners and their immediate and extended family.
Like any fine home you need a good strong foundation and this is the task for the architect, with the help for some engineers.
The architect’s immediate concerns will be to get a clear understanding of what the owner wants . This can only be achieved by asking questions. Questions that not only are directed at the owner but also put to the family. Involving the family ensures the architect that everyone is on board with where the project is going. The family members also feel good having given their input into the plan.
Lateral thinking is also required by the architect. He most probably will not be communicating to the extended family, but suggesting ideas to those he is involved with can be very beneficial. For example “should we put a lift in, so that the mother in law can get upstairs when she comes to stay?”
Knowledge of modern day building materials is an attribute that all architects and engineers need to process. The owner is well aware of the thousands of leaky homes out in the market place right now. Buying into the same is not an option! Proposed materials [technologies] brought to the table must by justifiably endorsed to endure the passage of time.
In the end we will have a plan that everyone understands and approves. The Owner [business owner] knows what to expect. The family [staff / end users] are on board and the extended family [customers to the business] has been considered in the final proposal.
The builder can now start. But one cannot just fire ahead without again being aware of the owner and the family. There has to be constant communication as to progress. The owner needs (and should expect) to be involved in the building process also. There will be questions from both sides
- Why there is so much concrete and steel going into the foundation?
- Can the front door be hinged on the other side?
- Where will the television aerial be installed?
I could most probably fill a couple of pages with examples, but I’m sure you get the picture. The builder has to keep the new home owners well informed of progress, and be sure that both parties are clear as to the end result of each phase of the building process.
Having been a traveller on the information highway for over three decades has given me the knowledge and background incite of the architect, engineer and builder. Not only do I process the skill set, but as I began saying at the beginning of the resume I also process the enthusiasm and the passion to get the job done!
You may also have observed that it was a home we likened the software development process with – not a house!
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