Driven by Design | Engineered to Last

In the familiar rush to deliver a capability, projects get framed with all eyes on budget, timelines and (sometimes) a business case with promising ROI. Vendors are primed to go, and resources are prioritized with all eyes on getting across the finish line at the earliest.

Often, what gets underplayed in pursuit of outcome is the ‘what’ that will be delivered. The KPIs occupying mind space are cost & timeline. While everyone is looking on and waiting for the Go Live, not many are vocal about the substance of the capability being delivered.

And the question that is heard melodiously during the project remains…

To the captain of the delivery team, pressure on timelines and costs may well represent the trade-off between catering to the ask versus the need — or, put differently, building for now versus building for the future.

Wise counsel often suggests bringing immediately required asks to life and dealing with the rest ‘later’. But when it comes to design, “later” is not a luxury you have.

🚧 Design Isn’t Additive

You’ll agree with me that you can’t quite:

– add 30 floors on top of the Burj Khalifa.

– shift the Golden Gate Bridge a few hundred meters south

– just insert a new pier under the Millau Viaduct

Good design is meant to accommodate change within boundaries, but it can’t be bolted on after the fact. And technology is no different. And so, the Burj will be able to accommodate a restaurant where a ballroom used to be, but you wouldn’t be able to sneak in an amphitheater there instead.

🔍 Why Design Deserves Respect

Design decisions have lasting consequences. And since the costs of short-termism aren’t always obvious, a commitment to robustness in design is invaluable.

Projects delivering business solutions over technology platforms have an even more pronounced challenge when it comes to design. Applications and tech products are seen as esoteric and in the realm of digital ninjas only.

And so, unboxing the project delivery phases becomes essential. Unsurprisingly, Design and Engineering are the hidden layers that hold inordinate influence in determining the longevity and value of enterprise digital programs.

It is important to invest adequately in these phases as there is much at stake.

🎯 What Makes Good Design?

What, then, constitutes good design? While there isn’t a universal answer (and different domains have different solves), the following guiding elements can be well be considered:

Construct
Choose the right build model. It should be ‘low resistance’ and natural to the solution. Avoid technology debt. Think in first principles

Modularity
Make the solution componentized and scalable. Design for flex, not for finality. Componentize logically. Go for ‘Pluggability’ as no capability exists in isolation.

No / Low Touch
Automate. Reduce human-machine handoffs to improve stability and reduce effort

Adequate
Don’t leave out edge cases — even if you can’t solve for them yet, the design should allow for them to be incorporated.

User Experience
If users don’t feel good using the system, it’s a poor design. Measure that emotion. See a frown? You’ve got your answer right there.

I find the best way to find my answers towards a good design by approaching a whiteboard with markers in my hand. Iterations help as well as designing is a layered topic. Co-creation is the bedrock as nobody has all the answers

A capability isn’t built twice.
After the first time, you’re not building – you’re repairing