Is a lack of translation/understanding between marketers and Developers holding back your projects?

We’ve all been there. Someone is talking in one language and we are listening in another. Meetings where one side are talking Targon* (technical jargon) and the other Margon* (marketing jargon) are never going to have an outcome that satisfies either side.

There is another way to do this – and it doesn’t involve a Babel fish or Google translate.

Bring on the specialists

If you’ve ever seen Grand Designs, you’ll know that the customer being the architect/project manager and who deals directly with builders very rarely makes a build run smoothly. Translating the ideas from inside your head into a design capable of being made of bricks and mortar is not a task to be undertaken lightly, let alone project managing the builders in the most efficient way without them slacking off for too many cups of tea.

In software and systems development there is a layer that exists between customer and developer that is of the utmost importance for a project to run smoothly. Skilled Business Analysts and Project Managers are the magicians that take the ideas and package them in a way that makes them easier to understand and build, and ensure they stay on track and on brief. For example, our BAs worked with Fred Perry and one of their technology providers to scope out the integration of their e-receipt system data in to dotmailer. This involved not only data analysis but a holistic overview of the client’s requirements to ensure the data is in the right format to meet their requirements moving forward.

Let us help you

Here at dotmailer, our Custom Technical Solutions (CTS) team often sit in on meetings and calls with a foot in both camps of business and technology. Our Business Analysts will work with the customer to find out what they want, whilst checking with IT/Developers the best way to access their systems or supply data to help achieve this. It helps that they are bilingual in Nerdish* and Marketingese*.

When we build projects for our customers, our Business Analysts are responsible for not only writing up the Scope or Statement of Works (SOW) but also for later turning this in to a Developer Brief. This magical document turns what is currently a vision of a project in to a detailed plan with all the information a developer could desire. It’s where we outline the journey users or data will take, and covers all eventualities and edge cases. It is not only used by developers to build the project but also by the project manager to set up the development, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and production infrastructures.

Luckily, we don’t keep this kind of experience and knowledge to ourselves. Using our Kickstarter Packages, you can bring one of our experienced Business Analysts on board to provide API consultancy to reduce the learning curve for your developers. Or they can work with your BAs and technology partners to help scope out your project. This brings together a wonderful mix of your industry and business knowledge with our in-depth experience of multi-channel marketing. Our Kickstarter packages come in the form of prepaid Business Analyst hours, which can be used in whatever way suits you, your team and the project.

So let us strive together to build a harmonious world where marketers live happily alongside developers one project at a time. Find out more about our Custom Integrations team and how to get in touch.

*Made up words with no place in life purely here to help me make my point.