Software quality and development costs depend, to a large extent, on the competencies of the people involved in product architecture and design.
Large IT firms are mostly focussed on technology services and can afford senior resources. However, most innovative product development work is done by small and medium enterprises. The SME sector needs all the help money can buy. Good architects and designers seldom have the risk appetite to join smaller organisations.
Cost is not the only issue that muddies the paradigm. While most technocrats realise that good technical talent brings substantial value, they find quantifying this value difficult. They are also not sure what kind of talent should be included, and more importantly, how much to pay for what.
SME should consider involvement of subject matter specialists more than as a sounding board. They are best involved in two specific roles — to augment knowledge gaps and to review product estimates, architecture, design and cost implications. Most successful interventions start at the time of finalisation of product functional specifications. Senior industry experts and user groups can contribute to review specifications from utility perspective and to help the group segment the market. Technology experts are best consulted in two or three short meetings to evolve the product architecture at this stage. They help the product management evaluate technology alternatives and cost factors rationally. Every team I have worked with has its own rigid views on technology, and having outsiders come in with a different perspective has its own advantages. Companies look at using external consultants to fill in-house design deficiencies. That is a wonderful strategy. While friends and acquaintances can contribute in early stages, competent experts can reduce development and implementation risks to a large extent. My personal experience is that one can save months of effort if the architectural errors are ironed out efficiently.
The last stage where external consultants add value is in pre-sales and in actual selling to technology folks and decision-makers within the client organisation. While good salespersons can open doors and articulate need, I have seen that the most potent closures are done by those who can relate to the users and decision-makers and have the wisdom and the patience to articulate benefits. Many firms make the mistake of believing that their Chief Executive Officer is the best person for this task. His designation is the nemesis.
(The author is the CEO of Rezorce, a US-based staffing optimisation solutions provider headquartered in Bangalore)
