UNTANGLING
TECH SYSTEMS
We find the shortest path from the systems you have to the results you want. Fixing, streamlining and optimizing until you can focus on the job to be done rather than the tech that’s doing it.
That’s what we do, but this is how we do it. Our manifesto sets out the beliefs we work to, even when it seems like everyone around us is doing the opposite.
Agile principles tell us not to try to solve tomorrow’s problem today. The idea is to keep us on target to deliver on time by doing what’s needed today without trying to bring things forward that aren’t priorities right now.
However, it’s rarely that simple.
We’ve all heard (and probably rolled our eyes at) the saying: “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”. As well as being annoying, the phrase is so overused it’s lost all impact.
In sales, avoiding the long, slow no is an effective strategy. We know that for every yes, there will be countless nos. It’s beyond frustrating to invest time and effort in a sale that won’t go our way. We want to get to the nos as quickly as possible so we can focus on the maybes and the yeses.
Complexity is everywhere in our lives. Take driving, for example. It’s hugely complex, mechanically, technologically and cognitively. But we still do it every day. And when we try to oversimplify it, bad things happen. The task’s complexity is why we’re still so far from fully autonomous driving.
We’re sold the idea that human and technological progress is linear. Where we are now is always an advance on where we were before. As a result, it’s easy to write the past off as being intellectually or developmentally inferior.
In any organization, myths spread about what systems do and how they work. At the start, when the system is new, everyone gets it. But over the years, as a procession of different people work on and with the systems, the original knowledge, that detailed understanding is lost.
Your systems will fail at some point. Not because you’re bad at your job, but because the world has a habit of throwing curveballs at us. And there are only so many we can prepare for.
Explaining the ins and outs of how something works to a room full of techies is fun, we’re in our element. But what about when we’re presenting to the sales team? HR? Senior leaders? Before we dive into the detailed explanation packed with obscure jargon and industry in-jokes, let’s read the room.
A business that relies on favours is not a viable business. This applies to everyone at every level. If you make yourself indispensable, you can never move on. Never switch off. And that puts the business at risk. What if you’re ill? What if you decide to leave? What if you need a holiday?
It’s easy to say, “Under these circumstances, this works perfectly.” But if those circumstances rarely occur in reality, what’s the point? If you’re not solving problems under the important circumstances, you’re risking credibility and trust.
