The purpose of a software development company is not just to develop great software, but to use technology to solve customers' problems and create value for them. Software quality and good practices are required to best use resources and develop solutions, but software development is meaningless without understanding the business context. A software developer needs to understand the client's business, goals, and motivations in order to make decisions that serve the client's higher needs and create value, rather than just developing technology for its own sake.

1. Creating value for customers
Lukasz Karwacki
Managing Director at Sunscrapers

2. “Few companies that installed computers to reduce the
employment of clerks have realized their expectations...
They now need more, and more expensive clerks even
though they call them operators or programmers.”
- Peter Drucker

3. Question:
What is the purpose
of a software development company?

4. Common answer:
To develop great software

5. “We’re software experts”

6. “We’ve got 100 iOS developers”

7. “We never compromise quality”

8. …but is that really the purpose?

9. purpose
develop great software
use technology to solve problems

10. it’s not about
developing a patentable
recommendation algorithm
but rather
enabling customers to make better
purchasing decisions

11. it’s not about
using the latest framework
but rather
finding ways to increase
application’s speed or reliability

12. it’s not about
us
but rather
them

13. Conclusion:
software development is not an end in itself
but a means to an end

14. Lesson 1:
software quality is a required necessity

15. Good practices help us:
• make the best use of available resources
• develop better solutions
• embrace the change

16. Lesson 2:
software development is meaningless
when detached from the business context

17. Lack of business layer
results in the popular notion
of offshore companies, and…

18. …dead projects

19. If tech comes together with business
the quality of code matters

20. If developer and entrepreneur work together
the process matters

21. if tech companies egolessly realise
they exist to serve higher needs
great projects are accomplished

22. A software developer needs to understand
client’s business, goals and motivation
in order to make the right decisions

23. Only then he shall not be called a clerk

24. but an engineer

25. Thank you
@cadzik