There\u2019s a generation of software experts who co-create tools with their final users and are obsessed with offering relevant products which make operations nimbler. I am very lucky to know one of them, Gerard Plans. He masters .NET, the Microsoft platform to develop solutions to allow agile integrations amongst companies and globalize access to information. Gerard is also a staunch advocate of freelancing and he is used to work in a wide variety of industries, from retail to pharma. He is focused on fast-developing tools which help users to let legacy behind, so that IT becomes a real ally of real time operations.<\/p>\n
Nowadays that companies need to innovate and streamline their structures and procedures not only to thrive, but to survive, what can we learn from the logical thinking process of a software engineer?<\/p>\n
1.What\u2019s the path you follow when starting a project?<\/strong><\/p>\n As a first step, it is crucial to know what\u2019s the global way of working throughout the company: clients, goals, culture. Once I have the general perspective, it is time to know how IT works and its methodology. From there, the next steps depend on what type of company is this and its size. In big, complex organisations, the focus is more conservative when talking about change: if the system works, what is the point in changing it? Most of the times, my mission consists on introducing some improvements in a platform that can be up to 20 years old (legacy). IT teams of such companies are bigger and one does not interact with the final user, but with managers. As a result, the process is not that creative, but focused on maintenance and improvement. 2.How do you involve the final user in your projects? <\/strong><\/p>\n I personally prefer to work 1 to 1 with the person who is making a petition. I like to be with the user and see his\/her daily work, spend time with them to see how can I be useful … In this way, I am able to create a solution which goes beyond the user\u2019s expectations. When approaching me for the first time for a petition, people are often shy because of previous bad experiences. On the other hand, since they are not programming experts, they do not know the potential of the software. So, I always ask them to write a wish list and set some maximums. From there, I start to work on a solution to be delivered the sooner the better.<\/p>\n Such direct relationship with the user is only possible in flat, flexible organisations. When the company is a hierarchical one, it is almost impossible to work in this way. In that case, I co-work with managers or project managers, which unfortunately is not the same.<\/p>\n 3.What\u2019s the relation between the organisation\u2019s structure and the tools it demands?<\/strong><\/p>\n A company\u2019s software is an expression of its culture and pace. Big companies think about big platforms. They have plenty of internal customers, very different from each other, with different necessities. So, it is crucial for them to set limits and to cluster solutions. Each department has been using their own systems and IT looks for a global solution that can work for everyone. There are plenty of famous tools in the market having this goal, but, the truth to be told, those platforms are useless in scenarios where flexibility and quickness are a must, since they are not real time: they need permissions, confirmations, checkings, etc which are a burden operationally speaking. On the other hand, the high investment of time and money that such tools represents not always pays off in terms of efficiency.<\/p>\n Smaller, more flexible organisations are just the opposite case. They look for platforms which offer real time solutions, nimble tools that do not represent conceptual or bureaucratic barriers. They demand for a simple, dynamic software to keep them agile. They often work either with a custom-made solution or with a mix of tools which are perfectly integrated and adapted to the specific needs of each user.<\/p>\n 4.Which are the main points to take into account to leave a legacy system behind?<\/strong><\/p>\n We have to bear in mind that, when wanting to evolve beyond the legacy software, it has been running for years, even decades. No doubt, the system has plenty of room for improvement and it brakes the operations, but the users are used to this and, in spite of its limitations, they trust the system. It is then a must to find a way we can start to show the organisation the advantages of a different style of software without causing much commotion.<\/p>\n It is a gradual work in progress process, which means that we are not evolving from legacy to a new system in one day. To achieve this, I like to work with a Proof of Concept (POC): in a parallel way, totally separated from the running system, we work on a new proposal which represents a solution for an existing functional limitation of the legacy platform. Of course, it calls for a global perspective and a deep understanding of the organisation and its necessities. In this way, we are able to create a sexy POC exceeding the expectations of the most reticent sectors. Creativity and systemic vision are key to develop a good POC. If we have been able to create a convincing POC, it becomes a MVP (Minimum Viable Product), a prototype that becomes an operational function we can introduce and evolve once it is up and running. Step by step, in a natural way and without disrupting the operations, we gradually introduce the new functions until 100% of the new software is running and shadows the legacy one.<\/p>\n 5.Which IT tools or methodologies can be useful to other disciplines when streamlining and simplifying roles, structures, procedures, …?<\/strong><\/p>\n Nowadays, companies are aware of the positive global impact that the Agile mindset, which is very related to software development, has upon the organisation. However, we must take into account that Agile exists even before we named it: it\u2019s all about applying logical, practical sense to everything we do and to avoid excessive levels and structures which, at the end, make our main goal more difficult: to create useful, relevant solutions for the final user.<\/p>\n To name a few concepts, tools and ceremonies easy to apply to all areas of an organisation, besides the Proof Of Concept I mentioned above, scrum<\/em> or kanban<\/em> can be very effective to quickly develop products and tools co-created with their final user. I also believe pair programming can be a big inspiration. There, two people having different roles work together in the same station to develop a solution, exchanging roles during the process. It is a very interesting exercise to achieve better, more complete solutions, since you use different visions to develop them. At the same time, the ones creating the tool do not work in a unique limited role, so they become more flexible and productive.<\/p>\n Many thanks for sharing your vision with us, Gerard!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s a generation of software experts who co-create tools with their final users and are obsessed with offering relevant products which make operations nimbler. I am very lucky to know one of them, Gerard Plans. He masters .NET, the Microsoft platform<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[446,595,1258,1259,463],"class_list":["post-25350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-agileisagile-en","tag-creativity","tag-creativity-2-ca-en","tag-finaluser-2-ca-en","tag-finaluser"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nSmaller businesses are much more audacious. They are the perfect scenario for direct interaction with final users. There it is possible to be creative and program without intermediaries.<\/p>\n