In every conversation I have with others regarding LightSwitch, the question of value comes up. People want to know what the value is in using LightSwitch relative to using some other tools. Most coversations end up with the other person drawing comparisions to what they are familiar with using today. Well, here is what I commonly express to others when this context of how LightSwitch compares to their favourite tool comes up… 

My Story…

I have many years of business analysis experience, including some years with an official title of Business Analyst (BA). In fact, the last 20 or so years have included roles and responsibilities that, if not directly titled and scoped as a BA, have crossed many of the roles and domains that a BA would typically be assigned to.

Interestingly, however, is how my career path has taken me from roles that are more analytical in nature, to roles that are more technical. It seems that most people go in the opposite direction; starting out as a lower level software developer and then progressing into more high-level roles as a business analyst, for example. The path I am on is a hilly one; analytical, then technical, and now more analytical but with a very technical context.

The route I have taken, I believe, has conditioned me to view problems at many different perspectives. As a BA I would take a top down approach and look at the big picture when analyzing a problem. As a software developer I would analyse something by breaking it down into small logical chunks and then assembling them to solve the problem – a bottom up approach. As a BA I would ensure that my deliverables were measurable at the macro level. As technologist I would make sure that my deliverables achieved very specific and granular expectations and requirements.

It is that multi-domain breadth of knowledge and experience that provides me the insight in to things that some technologists may not have. Problem solving has become a much more intuitive approach for me, as opposed to a methodical approach – at first anyway. I take in as much information as I can and then let the information stew in my brain for a little bit. Then, I listen to what my gut is telling me (but usually not after eating something greasy). It is usually that instinctive approach that tells me where a root cause exists. That been-there-and-done-that past has absolutely contributed to that instinctive conditioning.

Money Talks!

So why am I telling you this? Well, because I think it is important to understand why I have taken a keen interest in LightSwitch. When I first started learning about LightSwitch, it was my gut that was telling me that this product will be something to keep an eye on. The value proposition that LightSwitch offers is that makes complete sense – build professional quality software quickly for the desktop or the cloud. My gut instinct was saying, “Hey, I can create a software solution for someone in less time that what I have done in the past. That should be an easy sell – and I can make more money, more quickly.”

Here is an argument for you subjective techno-monkeys out there…

Let’s say you are a technology professional who is very experienced and proficient at creating line of business software solutions. For argument sake, let’s say that you are one of those professionals who are at the top 10% of the scale of your industry. You can create a solution that exceeds all industry best practice expectations, and can deliver a solution well with budget and time constraints.

A customer has asked you to submit a proposal for a solution that you have estimated to cost around $200,000, and delivered in 6 months. You’ve taken a good look at the RFP and you have carefully estimated your costs based on the required function points. You even have an “in” with the CIO, of the publicly traded organization whose daughter goes to the same pre-school as yours. Your proposal gets submitted to the organization.

Now let’s say I come along and with a proposed solution that utilizes LightSwitch as the technology used for the solution development. Understanding that all the same requirements can be met with LightSwitch, I determine that the solution can be delivered in 2 months, at a cost of $45,000.

Interesting. That high-level executive you know may be the one to champion your cause, but how would you realistically expect that person to objectively argue that the organization would have to spend more money and more time to deliver a solution that would take longer to provide an ROI? Come on, really? I have experienced situations where people have tried to champion a subjective “favourite”, only to fall flat on their faces when being accountable for making the “investment” – and seen some lose their jobs because of it!

No Favouritism Here

It is certainly hard not to be objective when considering the value proposition of LightSwitch. We all have favourites, but when it comes down to making those business investment decisions, like in the scenario above; money talks! With LightSwitch, my object thinking is telling me that LightSwitch will give me that competitive advantage that most of my competitors will not have.  

Since following the evolution of LightSwitch, from pre-beta to the official release this year, my objective arguments bin has been filling up. And with my experience at actually using the product, my subjective favouritism for the tool has also increased. I enjoy how easy it is to use, and how quickly I can get things done.

Notwithstanding, I still believe in using the right tools for the job. I still use other tools where necessary, but only if necessary. Again, I want to get things done as quickly and cheaply as possible while still meeting and exceeding customer expectations. So far, LightSwitch has enabled me to achieve that.

My current role is one of a solution architect. My most recent solution is a simple Windows Forms one. I could have easily met most of the requirements with LightSwitch, but not all requirements. LightSwitch fell a little short of solving just a few of the functional requirements. However, give it a couple of years and I am sure that the evolution of the tool could have solved those requirements.

Acceptance

Even at its early stage of evolution, LightSwitch has already provided a tremendous value proposition. The next couple of years will be very interesting though. The already huge community of people developing for LightSwitch suggests that the LightSwitch ecosystem is quickly growing and evolving. Extensions are being created every day and before long just about any kind of requirement scenario may be solved by simply enabling something that someone else has already created.

I am not saying that you should get on yet another bandwagon. I am, however, saying that this product should not be lightly perceived nor thought of us just another developer tool. I anticipate that this product will have a relatively big impact on the development industry. How can I tell? Well, I have presented LightSwitch to a number of groups of professional developers. Most often I see looks of wide eyed bewilderment and “…this is the first I have heard of this…” reactions. Even more surprising is the look of “…holy crap! I think I missed the boat on something…”. Some people even look like they are threatened by it!

Regardless of the reaction to hearing about LightSwitch, I always ask people to keep an open mind when reviewing LightSwitch. Again, it is about the value proposition that the tool provides now, and in the near future. I am certainly not going to miss the boat on this one, and I think that if you look at all things objectively, your gut will tell you the same.

What say you?

Cheers!