Your code does not matter anymore (for others)

Are you proud of your code? Are you satisfied with the elegant solutions in your frameworks? 

That’s great… I hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t matter one bit...

I have almost twelve years of experience, most of it as a software developer, and it took me most of that time to realize this. I know how easy it is to focus on code, and not the real purpose of our software.

But why it is becoming more crucial?

Today companies are faced with a choice between Innovation and Extinction. Technology is moving from a support role to becoming the backbone of the entire company, often changing the entire business model.

That is important for you for two reasons. First, IT will not be just one of the departments among many others anymore. It will be the core department. As more and more companies are selling technology solutions rather than just products, your role is also becoming even more crucial. A great software developer that will be able to think in business and code terms at once is worth his weight in gold. 

Secondly, in Digital Transformation, we’re moving from delegation model - in which your superior tells you what to do, to autonomy and empowerment - superior tells you what outcome is expected and in what boundaries you can move around. The rest is up to you. That means a lot of freedom, but also more responsibility. In a properly managed company, the expected outcome will not be a great code (which should be obvious), but software that meets real customer needs.

What’s interesting, most of the Digital Transformation ways of working you will already know as a developer. Every modern IT department already moved away from old-fashioned waterfall management to agile techniques. We’ve done that because IT projects are often hard to define, they change their definition with time, and our development process must reflect that. DT is more or less about the same, but for the entire company.

No matter how high is the quality of the code, if the software doesn't solve business issues, it's simply useless. During my entire career, I’ve had endless meetings with developers, and I’m happy that recently I hear more and more important questions, like “What is the REAL customer problem?” instead of “What technology do you want?

It’s easy to take the position of a contractor and say “Bring me documentation and I’ll make an app for you” - you don’t take any responsibility for the final solution other than if it’s working the way documentation described it. But it’s much more challenging to be the business partner - to understand the customer needs and issues, to talk with them, and develop the strategy. To take a fresh look at the organization, its processes, and find the optimal solutions.

Yes, it means taking up a whole lot more responsibility, but it also means that you’ll be sure that the software is actually a solution to customer needs, not just another tool that requires maintaining. It’s up to you whom you will choose to be. The contractor who only cares about his part of the equation or the partner who knows how to get the job done.

Cezary Bielecki is the CEO of Digital Forms, Mobile Software House specializing in delivering Digital Transformation solutions.