Technological agnosticism posits that there is no “one true tech”; there is no single system or one-size-fits-all approach that can claim to offer a perfect solution to every possible challenge that our clients may face. Taking time to understand the real world problem that the new system or tool is intended to solve - while remaining open-minded and unbiased - is the only way to ensure that the best possible solution can be identified and delivered.
No favouritism
Some developers are world leaders in a particular technology, coding language or platform. They might try to persuade you that with their expertise it can be applied to any problem your business might throw at it. Although they might be clever enough to manipulate your square peg into their preferred round hole, this tribal loyalty to one particular tech could result in an overly complex solution to your problem that may prove difficult to maintain and cost more than is necessary. Better to find those who are willing to think creatively and divergently; who are open to using multiple programming languages and different technologies, rather than prioritising a blind loyalty to their personal favourite(s).
The ask and the answer
Before you set out on a software project, it’s crucial that you really take time to communicate the details of the problem you are trying to address. Only then can your developers begin to work out how best to proceed in identifying the best possible solution. The more specific you can be, the more we are set free to approach the problem in a truly open-minded fashion, to assess the many available technological possibilities until we have found the right combination for you.
Latest does not automatically mean best
We work in an industry where bleeding edge tech is sometimes put on a pedestal, while old systems get rejected out of hand. At Ghyston we believe that solely focusing on forward momentum means you could risk leaving behind technologies that still have something unique and useful to offer. The other problem with skewing exclusively towards brand new solutions is that there are fewer people with the sort of expertise needed to deploy them effectively. In the future you could be left with a shiny piece of software that nobody on your team is qualified to maintain, the tech equivalent of a white elephant.
Ask the right questions of the right people
We sometimes encounter a disconnect between what a project management team is asking us to produce and the needs of the people who are going to use it day-to-day. We want to develop systems that work for everyone who will be interacting with them. A successful example of this has been our work with a chain of care homes who needed a system that would address the needs of both care workers on the ground and management organising their staff. As technological agnostics we quickly saw that there wasn’t going to be a ‘one size fits all’ solution and instead developed two distinct systems for mobile and desktop that would complement each other nicely.
Technology agnostics believe that a successful project comes about through real-life problem solving; we pride ourselves on quickly getting to grips with the needs of our clients and our commitment to encourage our developers to stray from the safe and familiar so that we can design the most robust, reliable and economical solution for your business.
