The Clearly Podcast
Developer and Architecture Challenges
Summary
Today's episode is about venting frustrations related to development and architecture challenges. By the end, we aim to feel better after discussing these issues.
One major frustration is unexpected updates from Microsoft that change settings, like multi-factor authentication, making management difficult. Another key issue is developing without a proper design, where people jump into projects without fully understanding the requirements, leading to significant problems and setting unrealistic expectations for clients.
Additionally, developers often change or delete fields without informing anyone, causing breaks in reports and processes. Proper communication and discipline are crucial, especially when source systems change unexpectedly. Consistent naming of fields is essential to avoid time-consuming debugging, and using outdated file versions can lead to mapping issues and outdated models.
Source control in Power BI is another critical issue. Better lifecycle management and DevOps integration are needed to prevent inconsistencies. Power BI files should not be shared loosely, and proper licensing is worth the cost for effective management.
Clients often underestimate the complexity and time required for proper reporting, especially after implementing ERP solutions. Reporting should be considered earlier in ERP implementations to avoid issues later. The cost of reporting as part of total project costs has likely increased due to higher expectations for data analytics.
Many projects fail to embed analytics properly, focusing too much on the ERP system itself. Salespeople often oversell ERP capabilities, creating unrealistic expectations. This disconnect between sales promises and actual implementation causes many issues. ITTs for ERP should emphasize analytics from the start, driven by executives rather than accountants.
Different teams demonstrating various capabilities without a cohesive integration plan is a recurring problem. ERP and BI systems need to be architected together for better overall functionality. Ultimately, the focus needs to shift to integrating analytics into the core of ERP projects from the beginning.
The podcast ends with the plan to discuss source control in the next episode, emphasizing its importance and providing final thoughts on avoiding premature solutions and ensuring solid design before starting development.
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Transcript
Andy: Today feels like a Saturday morning with a hangover where we need to vent about development and architecture challenges. By the end, we'll feel better.
Tom: Sounds good.
Shailan: Or like a Friday night drink after a long week.
Andy: Yes, this podcast is our therapy. Let's talk about the top things that go wrong in development and architecture. For example, Microsoft updates that change settings unexpectedly can be frustrating.
Tom: Exactly, managing multi-factor authentication should be easier.
Shailan: Another major issue is developing without a proper design. People jump in without fully understanding requirements, leading to problems.
Andy: Yes, and it sets unrealistic expectations for clients.
Shailan: We need to pause, understand requirements fully, and if possible, prototype to avoid issues later.
Andy: Developers often change or delete fields without informing anyone, causing breaks in reports and processes.
Tom: When source systems change unexpectedly, it disrupts everything downstream. Proper communication and discipline are crucial.
Shailan: And we often face pressure because our work is client-facing. When something breaks, it’s on us to fix it quickly.
Andy: Inconsistent naming of fields can also cause huge headaches.
Tom: Misspellings or slight variations in field names can be incredibly time-consuming to debug.
Shailan: Even an older version of a file being used can lead to mapping issues and outdated models.
Tom: Source control in Power BI is another issue. We need better lifecycle management and DevOps integration.
Andy: Power BI files should not be shared loosely to avoid inconsistencies. Licensing costs are worth it for proper management.
Shailan: Clients often underappreciate the complexity and time required for proper reporting, especially after implementing ERP solutions.
Andy: Overall, the cost of reporting as part of total project costs has likely increased because of higher expectations for data analytics.
Shailan: When planning ERP implementations, reporting should be considered earlier to avoid issues later.
Tom: Many projects fail to embed analytics properly, focusing too much on the ERP system itself.
Andy: Salespeople often oversell ERP capabilities, creating unrealistic expectations.
Tom: This disconnect between sales promises and actual implementation causes many issues.
Shailan: We need to change how ITTs for ERP are structured, emphasizing analytics from the start.
Tom: ITTs often lack a focus on strategic, top-level analytics, driven by accountants rather than executives.
Andy: Sales tactics often obscure the real capabilities and integrations of ERP systems.
Shailan: Different teams demonstrating various capabilities without a cohesive integration plan is a recurring issue.
Tom: ERP and BI systems need to be architected together for better overall functionality.
Andy: The disjointed nature of ERP and BI systems still exists, though they are improving.
Shailan: Ultimately, the focus needs to shift to integrating analytics into the core of ERP projects from the beginning.
Andy: We've covered a lot. Next week, we'll discuss source control and why it's essential.
Tom: Yes, including why source control is critical.
Shailan: Final thoughts: avoid jumping to solutions too quickly. Understand requirements first.
Tom: Don't start development without a solid design to avoid cornering yourself.
Andy: Thank you all. See you next week for a discussion on source control.