The Network Garden

“If you want to see how it Ends, look at how it Begins.” – Keith Cox

When I was starting out in tech back in the mid-90s, there was an Agile software development methodology known as Extreme Programming (XP).

XP emphasized building better software through frequent, iterative releases, test-driven development, continuous integration and strong customer collaboration.

Flash forward to the present, and companies are realizing that their core data is one of their great strategic assets, enabling intelligent automation, actionable reporting and assistive intelligence.

Towards this end. designing your data into the software experience from the very beginning offers exciting new ways to elevate your people, processes and productivity, while evolving your product or service level capabilities.

This presents three questions that every company is grabbling with:

1. Is my data ready?
2. How long will it take to integrate and go live?
3. Will my people actually use it?

While system vendors generally have a selling process that attempts to assuage these concerns with product demos, technical sessions and even guided access to canned system environments, the reality is NONE of these endeavors satisfactorily answer the above questions.

Enter the Test Drive, which builds upon the XP model, combining structured data analysis and iterative data integration with tailored workflow instrumentation to enable system trials that are next level (aka Test Drives).

The goodness of the Test Drive is that because it’s live, active, holistic and specific, it compellingly answers the data readiness, data integration, user engagement & utility questions.

In doing so, it enables vendor and client to establish a deeper relationship from the get go, based on specific, delivered promises and tangible, realized value.

Your mileage may vary, but as a system builder (Datex Property Solutions), who has embraced this approach for over a decade, it’s been the gift that keeps on giving.