By Rob Steadman, Digital Solutions
18 years in building services engineering shaped the way I look at a software project. I am interested in what someone is trying to achieve, how the different parts connect and what needs to happen for the whole thing to work.
A client might arrive with a simple sentence: “We still use paper. Can you help?” Another might want an app that brings local businesses and events to local people. They do not have to arrive with technical drawings, a database plan or a list of programming languages. Understanding and developing the solution is my job.
Seeing the complete project
When someone explains an idea, I can start to picture the project in my mind. That does not mean every detail is settled in the first conversation. It gives us something to work through: who will use it, what they need to do and how the information should flow.
Depending on the size of the business, that conversation may involve the owner, different departments and the staff doing the work. Where their descriptions differ, I sit down with them and look at the most practical flow. A good system needs to fit the people using it.
Making an idea visible
We create the proposed screens so clients can see the buttons, follow the journey and understand how the app or software will be used. That is often when an idea becomes much easier to discuss. People can point to something and explain what they need.
My development experience then helps turn that agreed flow into a working product. The connection with engineering is the satisfaction of building: taking something from inception through to completion, with the details joined together.
You can explore our software development and mobile app development services. A consultation can start with an idea or an everyday problem; you do not need to know how to build the answer.