For executives and product managers building Cloud based products for diverse customer bases; most value propositions are distinct; and the software being delivered to one or multiple customers is normally composed of a unique mix of bespoke software, open source, cloud native services, AI services, devops and associated third party SaaS bought in from best of breed suppliers.
These technologies normally fall into the following competitive categories:
- Revenue Generation
- Cost optimisation
- Proposition Filler
- Ticket to the game
- Non competitive essential
These can be thought of as a portfolio of different classes of raw materials that are inputs to value generation for your customers. The unique blend of ingredients to your unique product.
Though the huge possibilities of choice and constraints inherently represent complex challenges for product managers, this is compounded as elements of volatility surface: designs are made and then switched, essential providers are changed or duplicated, legislation shifts and even technological fashion in the software industry alters the course of the product; and in turn the price performance profile of your offering changes .
Cost can be multivariate
Cost per: user, authentication, event, query, virtual machine, GB, container represent a subset. These costs do not even have consistent units of measure. Moreover, each behaves differently depending on the system loads that are applied.
Seasonal loads, peak loads, the onboarding of new customers, changing supplier pricing, special industry events,
To add to this, executives require forecasts and the lineage of decision making is demanded with surety and proof linking to actionable metrics. These demands have to also be balanced with customer demand predictions and capacity planning.
That multi million dollar contract you are about to land for a new customer could sink you and your career. Yes, it’s possible to be a victim of your own sales success.
The days of ordering physical servers to overcapacity are gone. CTOs, product managers and engineers are being measured directly and indirectly on their ability to secure, improve and out compete through creating observable, measurable and demonstrable Return on Investment through the optimized and informed selection and application of technologies to meet customer needs.
For the software engineers out there, applying trendy, fad or cargo cult like techniques are no longer yardsticks for your performance. Software architecture and engineering decisions can either be a huge multi million dollar rational financial success that garner further investor appreciation; or they are misinformed, foolhardy and can represent an existential threat to your organization.
Each selected technology in each competitive category is price performance sensitive to the different aspects of demand that are placed on them and the blend of each technology is unique. Using outdated vernacular, trial and error, intuitional and traditional design for high yielding high investment systems is like committing a ship’s navigation in a maelstrom to have a go hero.
You need a proper cost and performance navigation system.