INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Software for Business
As any development project
unfolds and progresses,
there is a continually shifting
dynamic – whereby the
demands of the customer,
the technical teams, and the
development and quality
assurance managers have
to be constantly balanced.
While a perfect balance
may never be achieved, it
is the process of navigating
these shifting dynamics
that ultimately determines
the success or failure of the
finished product (bespoke
enterprise software).
To ensure that this process
Gareth Hawkey, CEO, redPanda Software
unfolds in a way that both
mitigates risk and supports
innovation, we have four
roles or ‘guardians’ that together
Balancing technical perfection
guide each development project: the
and enterprise efficiency
Product Owner, Senior Development
Manager, Head Architect and Quality
• The Product Owner is primarily there
Assurance Specialist.
to ‘fight’ for the customer. This person
has a deep understanding of the
customer’s business and domain, and
is also able to promote innovation
and idea generation within that
business. The Product Owner not only
ensures that the customer’s needs and
expectations are met, but he/she also
plays a major role in developing the
initial specs of the project. Their role is
far removed from the technical aspects,
and entirely focused on the business
and its objectives/desired outcomes.
• Moving from the customer to the
software development team, the
Senior Development Manager ensures
that the internal team delivers on the
outcomes/specs that it committed to.
This role requires a close relationship
with the development team and a
clear understanding of what makes
it tick, i.e. which positions/roles are
required, managing the workload,
managing personal growth and
development, checking that the team
has the right tools and support, and
ensuring that there is visibility and
transparency across processes. The
experienced Senior Development
Manager allows for autonomy within
the teams, while ensuring that
deliverables and expectations are met
(internally and externally).
“As any
development
project unfolds and
progresses, there
is a continually
shifting dynamic
– whereby the
demands of
the customer,
the technical
teams, and the
development and
quality assurance
managers have
to be constantly
balanced.”
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INTELLIGENTCIO
• The Head Architect is entirely focused
on the technical elements of the
process. This leader is the chief
guardian of the software, and he/
she works on creating best practices
and blueprints to achieve the most
impactful technical outcomes. The
main focus, within this realm, is to
develop software that has flexibility,
extensibility and maintainability. Here,
technical excellence is everything.
• Finally, we come to the chief
gatekeeper – the Quality Assurance
Specialist. This person wields the final
stamp of approval for any software
that goes out, and he/she scrutinises
every aspect (technical elements,
usability, business impact, etc). The
QA assesses the deliverables from a
macro viewpoint, and ensures that it
meets the brief and expectations of
the customer as closely as possible.
In addition, the QA makes sure
that there is a standardised way of
automating tests – which confirm
that the quality of the finished
product is world-class and ready for
the enterprise.
Sustainable, impactful
These four chief guardians of the
process, so to speak, work very closely
and engage daily to guide the software
development process. Each of these role
players sits at an executive level within
the company, and work together to
manage the inevitable ebbs and flows
of each design sprint.
With this structure in place, we can
effectively mitigate risks – while
delivering on customer expectations
within the enterprise software
environment. Such a structure is
designed to enable agility and
adaptability, so that we can meet
customer expectations in a way that is
efficient and sustainable.
For any business today, it is critical to
have a technology partner that can
balance the enterprise need for speed
and efficiency, with the technical need
for agility and adaptability. Only when
all these needs are met or balanced,
do you get a finished product that can
truly fuel growth and development
within the enterprise. n
www.intelligentcio.com