The concept of a digital world means different things to different people, depending on how and where they experience it.
The experience of the digital world in South Africa is different from what it could be in the USA, for example. The digital world, while connecting us to the rest of the planet, is very much also a factor of our local environment.
Leading in the Digital World was the theme of the recent 2013 Gartner IT Expo held in South Africa. One of the speakers at the event was Richard Oates, executive at BBD, a local software developer, who spoke on shaping the digital world in a South African context.
Oates believes that tailoring the expectations and activities in the digital world to local conditions is the only way to expand the country’s role as well as its people’s activities – and the number of jobs available – in the digital world. And while there are innumerable technical solutions that make our lives easier and more productive, Oates notes that most people’s definition of the digital world is lacking because it is void of people.
“The place where the digital world makes an impact is where it meets and interacts with people,” states Oates. “More importantly, while we all have the ability to delve into this world and consume vast amounts of knowledge, simply consuming data is inefficient. We need to do something with that knowledge that creates and delivers value.”
We must also understand that in the digital world, people are both the makers and consumers of digital products. Like watching a magician, the digital consumer wants the magic to happen, but doesn’t want to know how it happens. And this is where the software developer comes into the picture.
With the whole digital world available to them, developers are the ones who make the magic happen – at least they do if they want to be successful.
This means that development is not only an engineering process, but also requires “wild flights of imagination and creativity” – in the words of Robert Martin, a leader in the Agile development movement.
Development therefore requires imagination in order to create the magic, but strict engineering discipline to ensure the hard work and complexity behind the magic is invisible – and that it works. Apple’s products are good examples of this. Consumers love the simplicity of their products, but are unaware of what happens behind the scenes.
Oates says this is the heart of software development, finding or creating an opportunity and focusing on delivering value to the user. The amalgamation of all the models of software development and business process analysis can be broken down into the formula of finding a person (or
company) with a need, creating a way to add value in solving that need, embracing the opportunity to put together a team and build the solution.
The point of a software system is to add value. Developers who fail to heed the needs of their clients and focus on delivering value to all parties are in for a tough time.
This is why BBD uses a user-centric design for all of the systems it produces. The company makes its software easy to use and interesting for the end users, but also efficient and reliable in back-end processing.
Oates says this is a message BBD is spreading by investing in networking, analysis and development learning opportunities at conferences and so forth. “If we want the digital world to spread throughout South Africa and for everyone to benefit from it, we need to focus on adding value. This value is not only in the systems we develop, but also in the way we develop people, because great software is developed by great teams.”
BBD has a tried and tested method of taking local talent and training and mentoring young people to assist them to become great developers working in great teams. The company respects and supports its people’s passion for the development environment and is determined to seed the industry with skilled developers capable of succeeding globally.
“Solutions don’t just happen,” Oates says, “they require people, passion and commitment by local people to local solutions. When you combine this with imagination, careful planning and engineering expertise, you can’t help but make the magic happen.”