This 4-part series provides a useful primer on how to approach technology and manage its integration into a business, with the aim of avoiding unexpected costs and issues.
How to avoid trouble
I’m not an absolutist when it comes to technology. Everything works some of the time. However, some legacy systems are held together by code that is between 10 to 25 years old, (63 years in one exceptional case). Given some of the ‘kludged’ together code, the market seems pretty OK with a significant slice of ‘broken’.
That’s not to be arrogant. It’s remarkable that anything works at all. It’s a testament to the hard work, creativity, and market forces that have driven development forward.
All software platforms have their own unique set of challenges that can arise from years of development. This is an unavoidable consequence of the debt that accumulates over time. This is part of a phenomenon known as Tech Debt.
It’s all how you look at it. All software platforms can, and do have flaws. Legacy bugs and issues introduced over years of development.
When you use a particular platform for development (e.g WordPress), you can either accept the associated tech debt or plan for it. On the other hand, the platform may save you time by providing features that would otherwise need to be built from scratch. Depending on your project, you can live with it, and/or plan for tech debt.
At other times, the lack of a feature, or its failure to function properly, can be the downfall of a business venture.
All code languages are abstractions of the binary (01010101) or assembly language that a computer chip uses to process instructions. No matter how much effort you put into building your project with a particular language or framework, it will still have tech debt associated with it.
Many online articles are absolutist and present a world of ‘this’ vs ‘that’. They present a development universe where picking a particular platform (e.g. WordPress) or supplier, is the first step. Without the right planning, this is a poor choice.
Sometimes there are developers who like a particular product because they know how to use it. Thus, even if an article contains a lot of great information about a platform, it has an undercurrent of shilling for that platform.
There may be a temptation to dive in and use the software platform without any forethought, believing that the software platform will be enough to get the desired outcome.
Sometimes there are developers who like a particular product because they know how to use it. Thus, even if an article contains a lot of great information about a platform, it has an undercurrent of shilling for that platform.
When considering the implementation of a new platform, it is important to consider its impact on the business beyond just the technical aspects. This includes evaluating how the work will be consumed, what changes may need to be made to existing business processes and resources, and any potential effects on revenue.
When it comes to starting your project, there will be both positive and negative aspects to consider. Planning how you are going to ‘consume’ the project (integrating it into a business), navigating the pros and cons of different platforms, and strategies for managing tech debt will be essential for success.
In the next article we’ll talk about what it means to ‘consume’ a project and what ‘tech debt’ is.