Companies that subscribe to this myth tend to be sceptical about incorporating specialised software in their repertoire, relying on generic or legacy solutions where needed. The prominence of this myth is a discussion in and of itself, but the mere existence of the myth begs the question: What is the value of software in business?
Let’s start off with a story from my days as an engineering surveyor, tasked with plotting the route of an electrical line on a map – seems simple, right? I’d start off opening the plotting software, then importing the data points, executing a script to convert the data points to the correct projection format, manually connecting them to each other, drawing a frame around the plotted data, converting the project into a different projection format, exporting the line and frame – separately, importing them into a mapping program – again separately, converting the result back into the original projection format, exporting an image of the result, importing that image back into the plotting software as a background, transforming the image until it fits the frame, and finally exporting it. Simple, right?
Some of you, dear readers, may already be wondering why such a seemingly simple task would require so much legwork – the map data is publicly available, the data points have fixed positions – it should only require a few clicks at most to get that result. In a perfect world, it would only take a few clicks, but that business sector, like so many others, subscribes to the limited value of software myth and, consequently, relies on legacy software that performs the basic required tasks perfectly, but requires a lot of tedious work to do much beyond that.
Yet many would consider this acceptable, and perhaps that is a valid point at the onset – when the tedious work is only needed on occasion and the time and effort needed to find or create a better solution is better spent elsewhere – but such tedious tasks, more often than not, become more regular, taking (read: wasting) more time that could be used for more productive work. Therein lies the counterpoint to the myth: productivity.
Throughput is the lifeblood of any business, whether it be a software development house, an accounting firm, or a construction company. Each relies on receiving a task, using the skills and resources available to them to complete the task, and delivering a quality product or service. Each relies on their employees to complete their respective tasks in a timely manner – to be productive in their positions. In rare cases a single employee may be able to attend to a task from start to end, but in most cases employees collaborate to complete tasks, each one a valuable cog in an efficient machine.
Until one of them stops.
If the surveyor has to spend 15 minutes plotting a map while the client is waiting to approve the route, the draughtsperson is idle, field assistants can’t continue with their task. If the accountant is busy manually entering data into a spreadsheet they can’t move to the new task, their assistant can’t verify the quality of work until said work is complete, new clients can’t be attained as their tasks can’t be attended to in a timely manner. If the foreman at a construction site has to grapple with a lack of materials the building can’t be built, workers are sitting around, consultants and clients are left waiting. Productivity ceases, the machine stops.
All these problems can be solved with software: An inventory management system that can warn the foreman before the site runs out of material and request quotes from local suppliers; a data management system that can gather and format accounting data for ease of use; a plotting software suite that can add georeferenced background images with a single click. Tedious tasks can be automated and productivity restored through the use of software. The cogs can keep turning, the machine will keep running. Productivity, throughput, and ultimately profit.
Another factor to consider in regards to keeping the cogs turning is the value of attaining and maintaining a state of maximum productivity. This state is of importance in all industries to varying degrees, but is particularly prominent in software development: a developer in a productive state, one that is ‘in the zone’, can often accomplish more in the span of 15 minutes than they would otherwise manage in hours. Consequently, anything that could disrupt this state will significantly hinder overall productivity, any unnecessary interruption or tedium may cost the business far more in terms of throughput than the duration of the interruption might suggest.
Moreover, software opens up new avenues for businesses to expand. The construction company could expand upon the quote request system and provide access to it as a service for other related industries, the accounting company can lease the use of their data management system for other data collection needs, the survey company can expand into the draughting market by automating parts of the data plotting process. The possibilities are near-endless, all due to the versatility of custom-made software.
In a 21st Century world, the value of software in any business cannot be underestimated – quality software can and does make the difference between a company leveraging their advantages to grow, and a company failing to keep pace with their competitors and going into decline. Quality software, especially software specifically built for a purpose that can have additional features added, is a necessity in the modern business world.
Any business can invest in general-purpose software solutions, and these most certainly have a positive impact of productivity; but just as the pickaxe was replaced by the jackhammer, stacks of books replaced by a calculator, and measuring chains replaced by laser ranging equipment, so too will certain software solutions show their age with time. Updating and upgrading legacy software to modern versions can be costly and time-consuming, but is nonetheless required to maintain a competitive edge. The business using modern general-purpose solutions will have an advantage over those that stick with the outdated solutions… and those with custom-made solutions will have an advantage over both.
Owning a license to a software solution enables greater productivity, but the addition of new features is subject to the whims of the software provider and may require a costly update process once said features are developed. Owning the software itself – the source code – gives a company full control over the solution’s features as well as how they can be used, it enables greater productivity that can be maintained indefinitely. The company just needs a development division to create and maintain the solution.
Well, not necessarily.
Bespoke software houses, such as Full Stack, create quality software solutions tailor-made to the client company’s business needs. By contracting a bespoke software company, a business can acquire the means to gain and maintain a competitive advantage, via quality software, in a timely manner without the need to dedicate internal resources to the task.
In a modern world, companies that eschew software as a solution will fall behind, those that rely on generic solutions will keep pace, but only those that invest in tailor-made solutions – developed either in-house or by reputable bespoke development companies – will be able to race ahead and soar above their competitors.
