Design & Build :: High Level Design
The Big Picture
This phase requires a creative and innovative culture and a willingness to listen and understand the business requirements and translate them into functional technical designs. It requires people with a deep understanding of both technology and business. A very rare personality indeed.
At this phase of your project, it is rather like retaining an architect to design your dream house. That architect needs to understand the client's drivers - why they want a particular design - why it's important to them, and to find a consensus between conflicting requirements and values, usually between husband and wife. The architect then also needs to totally understand the technical details to ensure that the home will stand the test of time. The architect's ability to achieve this emotional balance separates a good architect from a great one.
In the IT and Comms industry, we have a similar dichotomy; technology skills and business skills are more often than not, conflicting management styles. Now imagine both styles running around inside the same mind. It takes time and consciousness to resolve that conflict, and remain an effective and useful resource. Not many people are capable of it, but the resulting personality/style is then capable of producing breathtaking results. Unfortunately though, it doesn't make us good employees. That's why you need a specialist outside partner such as Qube Networks - to help you architect a better design. One that meets both business objectives, and one that your IT and Comms departments are 100% happy with.
