Sales/Marketing and Developers: Who should be running the show?
One of the blogs that I read on a regular basis, wrote about a beef he has with Sales running the projects and how unrealistic they can be. I had let my comment on his site which I also had to put down on my own blog. Here is what I wrote:
I have seen both sides of the coin and usually if one side has complete control over the other, you usually have a complete project failure.
More often than not I have seen software development projects fail because you get the “Academic Attitude” with developers who will spend every waking moment creating Use Cases, UML Diagrams, Unit Testing procedures and never really complete a damn thing. Yeah those couple of procedures are PERFECT, but guess what? Nothing else is done and you’ve run out of time and money.
Then I’ve also seen Sales/Marketing driving everything and software development is put together with band-aids because you don’t have time to go back and redesign a fatal flaw in the framework. (Can you say dot coms!!)
The only example I have seen where the first approach really works is if they have a TON of money and don’t really need software up and running because what they have is still making them tons of money. (Google comes to mind!)
Sometimes how I develop software drives certain types of “Academic” developers nuts because I’m not totally into on all the use cases and unit testing procedures. However, I have a hugely successful track record on getting projects completed on time.
I still have applications I wrote in 1993 still being used because it gets the job done still today! Plus, most of my development today is repeat business. The reason I have their additional business is that my clients don’t feel like I bleed them to death.
My previous two employer’s that I worked before starting my own business had that problem. Part of it with the first one is that we would do specifications that costs more than 2/3 of the budget. (Project Managers were getting the big pull at the end. Plus, don’t EVEN get me started on Project Managers, GAWD) The last company I worked for, I felt they did way too much in UML and Unit Testing. Yes you should have this but don’t go overboard. Projects of a certain size should do the full UML and Unit Testing. However something that really should only take you three weeks to develop don’t require it! The client wants you to solve a problem, not write him a novel! Trust me if your any good, you will solve their problem and you get more work from them later!