Silver bullets are for shooting werewolves
Magical catch-all solutions that solve every business problem simply don’t exist. It’s time businesses lean into complexity instead of fearing it, says Dirk Ras, Architect at Dariel Software.
A lycanthrope, or werewolf, is a mythological creature that transforms from human to wolf during a full moon. Known for its supernatural strength and violent tendencies, it can be killed using a silver weapon, believed to possess mystical properties. In modern lore, a silver bullet is seen as a quick, permanent solution to stopping this dangerous predator.
Like in folklore, businesses have scary and monstrous beasts living in their basements. The terror of a tech estate. And, just like in folklore, business leaders are constantly seeking a simple, quick and 100% effective solution for a complex and often seemingly insurmountable problem. The 1986 essay by Fred Brooks discusses this topic, yet the concept still persists almost four decades later.
Shiny silver bullets include things like Web 2.0, Blockchain and now AI. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean these methodologies and technologies are insufficient or inadequate. Many of them have matured into vital parts of the technology landscape. They just weren’t the magic fix-all that people hoped they would be. AI is the current talk of the town, yet the first signs of disillusion are already starting to show.
So why are silver bullets still so alluring tech execs? Silver bullets are easy. They’re optimistic. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, hoping some technology will make everything better is certainly not a viable strategy.
The modern-day-tech silver bullet can take the form of a person. The mythical 10x full stack developer that is the personification of a jack of all trades and a master of all. Where this unicorn is to be found is however never well-articulated. While there are very talented and intelligent people in the world, no one person can have the skills of an entire development and IT department.
The next silver bullet is the perfect process – a harmonious blend of structure and flexibility, where every step is meticulously planned yet adaptable to change. It balances automation with human insight, ensuring efficiency without sacrificing creativity. Communication flows seamlessly across all levels, fostering collaboration and transparency. Metrics are clear and actionable, driving continuous improvement while keeping the team aligned with overarching goals. This process is neither rigid nor chaotic; it evolves organically, guided by both data and intuition, leading to consistently high-quality outcomes delivered on time. So many lovely words. Unfortunately, when the rubber hits the road, completely impossible. In the real world, there are time and resource constraints, a lack of communication, unclear and sometimes non-existent metrics and conflicting goals.
Finally, there’s the silver tech bullet. The perfect software system that is a seamless blend of elegance and functionality, offering a user experience that is intuitive and responsive. It is designed with scalability in mind, effortlessly handling increasing loads without compromising performance. However, in the real world, this never happens. The world of software engineering is one of compromise and trade-offs.
Unfortunately, the real answer is neither revolutionary nor particularly sexy. In fact, it is pretty boring and mundane. The super-secret special ingredient is good, consistent engineering practice. There is no perfect engineer who can do anything and everything. There are teams that must work together towards a common and achievable goal. There are no perfect processes. But there are processes that are fit for purpose that must be reviewed, refined and maintained to ensure that they stay fit for purpose. There are no single pieces of technology that will instantly transform dysfunctional technical estates into smooth-running, shiny, utopian data centres.
The closest thing we can get to a silver bullet is assembling talented and motivated teams led by effective leadership that empowers them to perform and innovate within the appropriate context. Technology must be carefully selected or developed to address well-defined problems, ensuring it effectively solves business challenges and enhances overall business operations.
All of this requires diligent hard work, constant monitoring and refinement. As the world-renowned chef Marco Pierre White says, ‘Perfection is a lot of little things done well’.