Shaking Up the Concept of the Software Dev Shop

Welcome back to Dev Shop 101! 

In our last blog, we broke down the software development industry.  While there are plenty of issues with freelancers, consultants, and firms, we believe that the most room for improvement lies in the category of “dev shop.”  

As this is the category that best applies to Steadfast, we think about the evolution of the small to midsize dev firm quite a bit.  Being the meddlesome millennials we are, we decided to share our unsolicited opinion with the world.  

Let’s Start from the Beginning

Dev shops get a bad name because nobody really knows what they are.  

A dev shop can be anything from a couple college students in a dorm to seasoned professionals working from an office (why is it that most dev shop offices feel like they were designed by that one firm that all law offices use?).  

Just as the structure varies, the quality of product and service these shops provide also varies widely. 

One common factor that seems to tie them all together, however is that dev shop is an apt name.  

These businesses tend to act as machine shops of the technology industry, taking orders and producing custom work based on those orders.  The elements around those orders are mostly irrelevant, as it is the deliverable itself that matters.  

Fill up the hours.  Get the deliverable out the door.  Get paid. Repeat. 

The soft areas beyond actual engineering are left to others: in-house product leads, design firms, UX consultants or freelancers, and others.  This allows the dev shop to focus on what it is good at, turn out work quickly, and move on to the next, hopefully lucrative, project. 

But therein lies the problem.  The soft areas tend to be where the true value lives for most businesses.  Most businesses are trying to solve problems, take their businesses digital or mobile, and provide better experiences for their employees or customers.  Too often, we leave the question of how the technology solves the problem for the client to answer, which they may not be equipped for. 

So What Needs to Change?

With this in mind, we believe that the dev shop needs to evolve in 2021, with a focus on a few key areas that are underserved in today’s landscape.  Here are a few of the things we believe are most important: 

Problems and Solutions

Too often, dev shops start with specs and budget, and then go and produce a widget.  The dev shop is only concerned with the widget and what it does, and not why it exists.  Consultants and firms that understand the value of the why can and do charge for that expertise.  

The next evolution requires an understanding of the why of each project. 

Dev shops must get better at digging into the problems the technology is trying to solve, and the users it affects.  Whether through partnering with user experience or design firms, or by doing the work ourselves, we need to be able to take in end user feedback and make efficient and effective iterations on our products.  Doing this will provide our clients with better outcomes, and their customers with better experiences.   

Trusted Partners

Technology is no longer a one and done endeavor.  Customer facing products and applications in particular are constantly shifting and updating.  “Build this spec and get it out the door” is no longer a viable strategy for our clients.  Businesses are constantly iterating to please customers, and they need trusted technology partners to help optimize this process. 

We need to begin structuring our client relationships with the long term in mind, not just for support, but for ongoing development, upgrades, new features, iterations based on feedback, and more.  We need to be the CTOs, directors of engineering, and the base of knowledge, education, and insight that our clients need as they move into a new world.  

Leaders and Educators

The software development industry has largely stayed behind the scenes, building and moving on to the next project.  It is time to show up on the big stage.  

Software development is not always sexy, but it is more important than ever before.  Showing what is possible and displaying the incredible work being done behind the scenes is important. We need more publications, more podcasts, more youtube channels, more social media accounts devoted to educating the public, and especially the small and midsize business owners, of all of the things that having a good tech firm behind you can provide.  

In short, 2020 has been a rough year, but it has highlighted more than ever before why our industry exists, why small firms are thriving, and why software is a worthwhile endeavor for our society. In 2021, we need to understand the shifts that are happening, not just for us, but for our clients.  We need to be more present and more involved, both on an individual client level and publicly.  

At Steadfast, we’re incredibly excited to see this shift continue to occur.