There is no “non-business” side
Posted on August 9th, 2007 in Management by siddharta ||
In an organisation you often hear about the “business side” and the “technical side.” The business side includes roles like management and business analysts, while the technical side includes development and testing. The terminology of the “business side” and “technology side” is the worst possible thing that can happen in a company because it deepens the divide between managers and developers and ends up creating an us vs them situation. [More about that here: Managers and developers: Are you two teams or one?]
As someone said in an email discussion, there is no “non-business” side. Everyone working in a company is on the business side in some form or the other. Developers are on the business side by developing products that help the business. Managers are on the business side too. Don’t get fooled into thinking that only a small group of people are on the business side. Everyone is on the business side — and if not everyone should be.
Does your company have a “non-business” side?
August 10th, 2007 at 2:09 am
I really think this depends on what is being built by the “technical side” (i.e. shrink-wrapped software they are selling versus in-house development) but there may be a valid need to abstract some aspect of the business out for the technical development (meaning not specific to the business).
In the concept I’ve experienced, business analysts are supposed to be the interface between development and the business. They identify what the business needs and translate that (to the best of their ability) to the technical details (hopefully some sort of requirements).
However, everyone in a company is in the business and should keep in their mind that the bottom line *is* the business. Development isn’t employed for the sake of themselves - their goal *is* the business. Some may have jobs where they are the front-line of the business, others (like development) usually are a little deeper, but EVERYONE is on the business side.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Exactly.
August 10th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Ah - the you say po-tay-toes I say po-tA-toes kind of thing…
I started to write about a project I’m working on that makes me think of this, but I instead just wrote it as a post –> http://conservativgeek.wordpress.com/2007/08/10/joy-of-business-requirements/
August 20th, 2007 at 4:28 am
I agree that the idea of a developer thinking on the “business side” is related to the type of company. Take the example of Google. Sure, there is a business side. But most of the software developers there are probably working in what you might call the “user” side.
Perhaps in the typicaly “Web 2.0 company”, keeping a healthy distance from the “business” side can be good for users. For example, the business side usually has a short-term outlook. By injecting some user-centric thought into this, the developer mindset can be indirectly better for the business long-term.