subject: Application Development: Nothing So Useless? [print this page] A while ago, I proved helpful carefully with a application company who offered modeling application. I assisted the organization's clients create their company designs. Custom modeling rendering tasks necessary two significant aspects: Major groups to find and determine relationships; and developing information from customer techniques into the modeling atmosphere. Business modeling uses a lot of information to determine and communicate important connections. Both factors are value such as and individually fulfilling.
Leading the consumer groups was always different as each customer was different.
But my affiliates and I found we were using similar information incorporation procedures over and over again. A common term for this perform is "Extract, Convert, and Load" or ETL. Each of my affiliates and I designed almost a collection of conventional workouts and techniques to deal with information so it could be used in designs. It seemed like the best chance of the application organization's team to standardize.
I contacted the application technical engineers with the problem and the benefits to our clients. It seemed like the best chance to help clients, add value, and decrease the attempt necessary to style their companies.
I was stunned by the engineers' reaction. "If we did this, then you and the others would not have as much perform to do." "It would decrease customer talking to income."
While both claims are at first true, they forget the level. It would decrease the perform we did in information adjustment. It would decrease talking to income.
However, information adjustment was a significant challenge for clients to get over. Continuous information control and its expenditure triggered many clients to stop their modeling initiatives. If this attempt could be reduced and be achieved by less expensive employees, how much more income from new clients and continuing support could have been realized? How much more customer service could have been realized? How much more time could we as professionals then spend assisting clients benefit more from the style, include good priced at concepts, create better choices, and create more money?
From my own perspective, while I experienced the information adjustment, leading groups to find connections and use style results was much more individually rewarding. I would be willing to abandon ETL income to order to grow attempt in these more value-adding areas.
Our initiatives were not ineffective. But paraphrasing Chris Drucker, there may be nothing so ineffective as generating income where we should not be generating at all. What is best for the provider should also be what is best for the consumer.
There is a big difference between examining and actually doing. Mike Stratton has real experience handling and modeling cost techniques in wide range of companies and has discussed with many others on process, cost and earnings issues such as Activity-Based Price. Knowing cost and procedures is crucial to understanding earnings and to control selection.
