I’ve been working in Navision… Attain… NAV… Business Central (whatever they called themselves) since 1998. It’s been a ride.

From the Beginning

When I first joined the community as a green (but certified) CA/L developer, I was told by the Solution Center owner how the partners ran their successful businesses. (This was long before Microsoft bought NAV, so don’t lay this at Redmond’s feet.)

Sell the box at a discount and make it up by over-customizing.

It’s 2022 and that’s not how they work. They don’t overestimate the customizations anymore.

One, there are no more customizations. Two, they invented something far more lucrative: The Hours Relay.

The Hours Relay

In the Hours Relay, nobody gets to the developer directly, and the developer never gets to the end-user directly.

Imagine this simplistic relay expanded with two or three intervening steps between the end-user and the developer. The hours total can bloom to 32 or 40 hours, just to get eight hours of a developer’s time.

Sell the box at a discount and over-customize to make up the loss.

That’s what I was told. That’s what they did.

And then imagine how much (or little) value each step adds. Then remember the party game of Telephone. That was hours of laughs. But in a business with money and time at risk, nobody’s laughing.

In streamlined work, where the client is respected and the developer has years of experience, the following image shows a trusted relationship between end-users and developers.

And I will never say that Functional Consultants or project managers offer no value. I’m saying that the way they’re engaged means the difference between value and waste.

This is not to imply that management and consultants aren’t involved. In fact, the consultant would and should be engaged by the developer in pursuit of the best design for the solution.

Nobody’s an Island

Without a doubt, even the most senior developer can use help understanding the industry or finding the right solution. We all need help with complex problems. But let’s move the pieces around on the board and see how we can find real value.

When a developer surrounds him or herself with the decision-makers and problem domain help, he can come to the solution must faster and much better. And consider just how many unnecessary middlemen can be eliminated from the relay.

To Be Fair

To be fair, some solution centers do this. The ones who advertise Agile™ aren’t the ones doing this, though. Just look for solution centers who trust the customer and who trust their developers.

I will only work for solution centers who trust their customers and trust their developers.

And I will never say that Functional Consultants or project managers offer no value. I’m saying that the way they’re engaged means the difference between value and waste.

Trust is Earned; Value Shows

Solution Centers and their clients exist in a close working relationship. Each depends on the other to bring their best to the table at every exchange. Especially in this climate where we watch every penny, and we’re still very unsure what developers do for a living, this may sound risky.

Professional developers, though, love to engage with the end-user and the customer. And they like showing the outcome of their work. (Be wary of the ones who want to show the code!)

Developers want to know the client’s concerns. Developers want to engage the client directly, with no middlemen. It streamlines understanding and communication and will render a superior product.

And it just might be less expensive and more valuable.

One Note of Caution

This isn’t free. It requires the customer’s time. Those who won’t engage with the developer will fail, even if they might engage with a functional go-between. Step out of your books and try something different this time.