Building scalable digital solutions is a central aspect of MonoSpear’s approach to engineering for its clients. Scalability is a quality that challenging to introduce to a system after the fact, and frequently the drive to deliver on time and within budget can lead to technical solutions that serve the business needs at launch, but are unable to adequately respond to future requirements.
Architecture First, Features Second
MonoSpear’s engineering process is focused on delivering solutions that are able to scale without incurring significant technical debt. While intuitive, this approach often requires significant investment in the technical architecture of the solution before delivering on business features that can be seen and measured by stakeholders. The challenge with this approach is that frequently, stakeholders have limited patience for this investment and want to see features being delivered, in order to achieve a sense of progress and to realize value as soon as possible.
The issue with delivering on features before investing in the technical architecture is that it can lead to significant technical debt down the road. The more features and functionality are added on to a technical architecture, the more difficult it is to modify that architecture. An example of this can be seen in the design of a data model for a solution. If the data model is not designed in a way that anticipates future business needs, it can become exponentially more expensive to make changes to it as new requirements emerge. Another example can be seen in the way a technical solution is integrated with external services or platforms. If the approach taken is adequate for low volumes, but not designed to scale, it can result in significant technical debt as the integration point becomes a bottleneck at higher volumes.
In all cases, MonoSpear’s approach is to be transparent with the client about what architectural investments need to be made in order to avoid technical debt, and what architectural investments can be deferred in favor of realizing business value sooner. This approach requires a careful assessment of each client’s specific future business needs, and it is not always true that more investment in the technical architecture is better.
Built With the Business, Not Just for It
MonoSpear’s approach to building solutions is focused on working with the client to realize a solution that fits their specific business needs, rather than using generic best practice as a starting point. This approach is informed by the belief that the risk of building something that does not fit a business’s specific needs is greater than the risk of building something generic that is technically correct, but ultimately not right for the business.
The use of generic best practice as a starting point for building solutions is actually a good approach, because it allows us to benefit from the experience of others who have successfully delivered solutions to similar businesses. At the same time, however, every business has unique requirements and considerations that need to be taken into account in order to build something that fits their specific needs. This requires working closely with the client to understand their business in detail and incorporate those considerations into the design of the solution.
This close collaboration is necessary in order to ensure that the nuances of the client’s business are taken into account when building the solution, rather than trying to retrofit changes to a generic solution after the fact, which can be much more expensive and time consuming.
Designed to Evolve
MonoSpear favors designing solutions with the ability to evolve, rather than building systems that are focused on a specific set of requirements for the long-term. This approach is informed by the understanding that requirements are often subject to change, and can be difficult to anticipate at the time of design. This is especially true for enterprise software solutions, where the requirements for such solutions can change dramatically as a result of shifts in the business environment, new regulatory requirements, or simply the natural evolution of the business itself.
A system that was built as a monolithic stack to serve a specific set of requirements may be perfectly adequate when those requirements are known and stable, but it can become a liability when those requirements change, since such systems are notoriously difficult to modify. A more flexible but potentially less efficient architecture that allows individual components of the system to be replaced or upgraded independently can be much more cost effective in the long run, especially for enterprise software solutions that are designed to evolve over time.
The MonoSpear Perspective
The approach outlined above is informed by MonoSpear’s perspective on building scalable digital solutions. In particular, MonoSpear believes that building scalable digital solutions requires a combination of disciplined engineering and a deep understanding of the client’s business needs. Neither of these aspects can be compromised in favor of the other, since both are required to build a solution that actually works for the client.
This perspective informs MonoSpear’s approach to engineering, which favors disciplined engineering practices that are applied contextually, rather than universally, in order to deliver solutions that are actually fit for purpose. It also informs MonoSpear’s collaborative approach to working with clients in order to understand their business needs and incorporate them into the engineering process, rather than relying on generic best practice that may not take those needs into account.
FAQs
1. What is MonoSpear’s approach to digital engineering?
MonoSpear favors an engineering-first approach to digital solutions, in which technical architecture is prioritized over features in order to maximize long-term scalability, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary complexity that can lead to technical debt.
2. How does MonoSpear ensure that solutions fit a client’s business needs?
MonoSpear works closely with clients to design solutions that take their considerations and requirements into account, rather than relying on generic best practice.
3. Why does MonoSpear design solutions to evolve?
MonoSpear designs solutions to evolve in order to reduce the cost and complexity of making changes to a solution once it has been built.
4. What services does MonoSpear offer in relation to digital solutions?
MonoSpear offers Digital Engineering and end-to-end product development services, which are focused on delivering scalable and flexible digital solutions.