05 Sep Keep Asking Why
DISCLAIMER - this article applies to mainly to Organizations without business analysts and programmers on staff.
A few years ago, we were asked to quote a small automation for an existing, repeat client. They wanted help streamlining a spreadsheet-based process that took about 1/2 day of a high-level employee's time each week.
Client: Can you help us save some time by writing some Excel macros?
Susco: Of course we can develop some Excel macros for you. But first, why do you need them?
I'm not sure if there's any consensus on the definition of an emergent workflow. It's a term that I use to describe a pattern I have witnessed in business software. To me, an emergent workflow is a workflow that was not designed explicitly into a piece of software, but slowly evolved via users' usage of the system, and the development of conventions to support workflows as they develop. If you have ever developed a piece of business software that manages any form of workflow, and that software has been in production for more than a year, you can be certain that there is an emergent workflow within that software – whether you realize it or not.
Let me take you back to the year 2011. This was a big year for us, as Susco had made a big name for itself as one of the first movers in mobile app development studios in the State of Louisiana.
We were growing revenue at 50% per year and collecting awards like they were going out of style.
At the time I was a babe at 33, not a grey haired 39 year old – so needless to say, the success started going to my head. I thought of myself as being very emotionally intelligent with how I dealt with people, but it’s very easy when growing a company to do a great job focusing on the way you treat your clients and referral sources but not apply the same effort with your staff. This blind-spot almost cost me one of my best employees at the time. In the interest of protecting the innocent, I’ll refer to them as “Bob”. So, here we go…
We get this question a lot from business owners in the middle of a growth phase. Often, they are already using systems for accounting and CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and they are not sure what processes could be improved, and if there is a business case to improve them.
Over the years, we've identified a number of clear indicators that it's time to invest in technology. This can be in the form of implementing a pre-existing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), implementing a platform solution, or developing a custom software solution. We'll elaborate in an upcoming post on which of the 3 solutions is the right fit for you, but for now let's focus on the "smell test" of determining if there is a need. Some are obvious, while others are more subtle.
How do you take your app to the next level?
The French Quarter Task Force app was created so that the same people living in and visiting the French Quarter could report a crime in progress. The first version of the app was a success and the new version named App Task Force tries to be more user friendly and expand its user base.