Practical Engineering

A few weeks ago, we explored our unique approach to development, Agile Dependability, and how this purpose-developed design methodology has propelled 6B from a small website development agency to the leading complex website, CRM, and integration agency in the North.

For 6B, Agile Dependability encompasses every significant consideration in digital development, including dynamism and versatility, transparency of communication, and the openness to change, adapt, and learn.

As part of Agile Dependability, we briefly touched on our approach to Practical Engineering, a philosophy of honest software development that forms the core of our engineering practices. Today, we’d like to take a look at Practical Engineering and how we employ this pragmatic philosophy as the foundation of every project.

What is Practical Engineering?

In essence, Practical Engineering is an approach or methodology framework for software development and engineering. It’s the way that our teams handle coding in large-scale and complex projects, and it forms everything from the way our teams are composed, to the frequency of our communication, and how we break up and stitch together individual programming components that make a project.

6B is built on the premise of developing good quality and sustainable code to allow room for continuous flexibility and buildability. This way, both 6B and our client’s remain technology forward, adaptable, and competitive; able to operate robustly without compromising on the ability to change in-line with our growing business and volatile change in market demand.

To make it digestible for our teams, we broke our philosophy down into 11 easy defined parts that compose our development mechanism. However, as we continue to grow and mature along-side our projects, clients, and own demand in business development, these parts are not concrete, and will change as we do.

How Do We Employ it?

Let’s break down a few parts of our Practical Engineering philosophy (we can’t give all of our secrets away) and how it supports 6B in developing dynamic and agile solutions for a variety of situations and client environments:

• Simple is (Usually) Best – Perhaps a slight oversimplification of Occam’s Razor actually proves as one of the greatest oversights in designing solutions. When solving design and function riddles, it’s easy to stack ideas on top of ideas until the solution is far more complex and opaque than the brief required. Stripping away unnecessary operations, functions, and distractions will make for a smoother and more intuitive design that lends itself better to ongoing management and future development.
• Moving Parts – Building on our first part, reducing the amount of moving components within a project will ultimately yield an easier maintainable product. This requires foresight and strategic planning. Introducing new libraries may seem the easier solution at first, it can introduce bugs, errors, and other challenges later on. Reduce the amount of dependencies by putting in the work initially, you’ll thank your past self!
• Research and Discovery – The importance of research prior to build is nothing new and will ultimately have a significant in the long-term success of your project and your relationship with your client. Put yourself in their shoes and connect with key stakeholders to better understand how your solution will help them achieve their aim.
• Be Pragmatic – Every project is important, especially those that you spend hours on hours working on making as best as possible. For this reason, compromise can be difficult to hear but it’s important not to waste time debating the superficial.
• Time and Quality – Digital development is increasingly competitive and this is only going to increase as the world moves further online. This means that you have to take every project as it comes and give it the time and effort that it requires. Quality is always important, but not every client is looking for next-generation AI and intelligent functions. Don’t get bogged down developing the best every time as simple projects are better kept simple and delivered on time and in budget.
• Strategic Development – Developers aren’t computers and the client doesn’t want you to be either. Designing intuitive and innovation solutions that meet every criteria requires creativity and product knowledge. Be researched and ask questions, it’ll only render a better outcome.

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What to join the 6B team and dive into our Practical Engineering philosophy yourself? We’re always looking for dynamic and talented developers to join us. Check out our career opportunities here or email us at info@6bdigital.com.

Need a solution? 6B is a creative digital agency, with a unique team of diverse individuals widely regarded as industry leaders. Specialising in bespoke development, integration and design, we deliver exceptional digital solutions on time and in budget.

Whether looking for a new website, mobile app, or CRM, contact us now or drop us an email via info@6bdigital.com.