"We don’t need to have developers in our software company, we can outsource the function and keep only a product owner who would know the history of the project. Only the relationship with the paying clients is necessary the rest are expenses. Imagine yourself as a developer or graphic designer or system administrator in a company like this."
I don't have to imagine, it accurately describes about 90% of the technical companies I have ever worked for in the UK. That and silos, where they never hire more than one person per business function and working collaboratively with others is seen as a sign that you are not good enough to do the task on your own.
Oh yes the silos. PMs whose only function is to shield the client from "dev-speak" so that (1) nobody will complain when client asks for BS, (2) can help to subsidise dev with a cheaper one... Silos also help that if devs talk to each other, they might start talking about Emperor's clothes.
I remember showing one manager an article on 'extreme programming'. His view was that it was just a way for programmers to cheat him out of money and only do half the amount of work, given only one person types at a time.
> most British IT businesses end up becoming consultancies
> [programmers/designers/ops] marginalized as second class citizens
I think these trends were probably true in the past, and were driven by the investment environment in the UK.
10 years ago, early-stage investment was pretty hard to come by in the UK and investors were hyper-focussed on companies that could show early revenue. As a result, many entrepreneurs were forced to bootstrap, and consulting revenue was the only way to make ends meet.
However, things are clearly changing. We've had some breakout successes this year (Transferwise, Funding Circle) and some new entrants in the early-stage funding landscape (Entrepreneur First, Mosaic, Hoxton et al). Investors seem more willing back young, technical founders pursuing riskier projects.
We're in the U.S. (East Coast) and are bootstrapped, and the hardest thing to do is keep your eye on the ball and off of consulting. There's easy money there - we get asked to build software by other businesses, and most in our circle look at consulting as the thing you do to save a failing business while you figure out what's next.
That said, it's probably the thing that can be counted as the final nail in the coffin. While consulting can halt a failing business from total wipeout, in reality it's a softens the landing, but I've yet to see a business recover and hop back in to the product game.
"Looking inwards I have observed that what is considered important is not as much as it should be functions that are related with the end product or service such as programming or design, or generally what’s happening at the assembly line."
What?
I don't have to imagine, it accurately describes about 90% of the technical companies I have ever worked for in the UK. That and silos, where they never hire more than one person per business function and working collaboratively with others is seen as a sign that you are not good enough to do the task on your own.