While working in the trenches on a programming project, it is natural to be drawn to our peers for advice and consultation—whether discussing design issues, programming problems, or cracking the next level of the Xbox game in the lobby. This proclivity is understandable. There is a connection with our peers. We speak from the same dictionary. However, it is sometimes nice to communicate with others. No, this is not a social experiment about the interaction of technical and non-technical people. The advantage is a different perspective. Your peers are likely to have the same or similar perspective as you from being in the trenches together. Whether reviewing customer usability or a software problem, a fresh perspective can be helpful.
My fresh perspective comes from Andrea, who is not a computer person. However, Andrea is intelligent and can understand almost any concept. When I need a fresh perspective, I can talk with her about the project. Just having to explain a programming problem to her makes me think differently. Quite often, in mid-sentence of the explanation, there is a revelation. I am glad that she doesn’t charge commissions for each revelation. Andrea would be a rich woman by now.
If in doubt, talk to the customer. Consider customers an equal partner on the project. Customers are a great resource for a fresh perspective. Importantly, they probably know the problem domain better than you. Not every customer is assessable for this type of conversation or wants to be involved at this level. However, if they are, you should take advantage of that. When I started programming years ago, developers never talked to customers. A them versus us mentality prevailed at that time. Sure the software products derived from that approach eventually worked. I wrote plenty of those applications. However, those products would have benefited from customer participation. Who knows customer expectation more than the customer? No one. Most important, this is a free resource—the best kind of resource. If managed correctly, a close relationship with a customer can be invaluable.
