Developers’ cognitive load, how do we tackle it at NorthCode?
Embracing Digitalization: A Shift Towards Efficiency
No more papers, folders, and filing cabinets. Away with all manual routines and welcome automation. This is what many thought digitalization would do; make our lives easier and more efficient. And indeed, many things do run faster now. However, new routines have emerged because increased systems do not communicate with each other efficiently. Some help has been found for this in the everyday life of knowledge workers through software robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence, but these too are again new systems or applications that need to be maintained.
The Growing Cognitive Load: A Challenge for Software Development
The cognitive load on software developers and operations teams has grown immense. It's necessary to be familiar with countless different systems, understand where in their lifecycle they are, how these applications and systems are maintained, and what kinds of relations exist between these systems. This pain is almost tangible and surely a topic of discussion in all companies engaged in software development. And it doesn’t have to be a direct software company, but any business that utilizes numerous systems and has made integrations or automations between them.
NorthCode: Reducing Cognitive Load, Focusing on Core Activities
Our core mission at NorthCode is to reduce this cognitive load and help our clients focus on their core activities. Our Platform Engineering experts, who specialize in building internal development platforms in client organizations, implement best practices, and ease the pain with customized automation and AI solutions. And we specifically aim to reduce the load, not increase it with new standalone applications.
Supporting Our Experts: Minimizing Burdens, Maximizing Value
What about our own experts and their cognitive load? Who helps and supports them? Anyone who has ever done consulting knows that this job is not just about helping the client and implementing the best solutions. Side effects include making travel expenses, various device purchases and their logging and maintenance, training and certifications, contracts, and sales activities. Often, unclear expense budgets, travel rules, and device purchasing guidelines have been built around these, which are frustratingly unclear and burden the employees.
Our operational model is built from the ground up so that this burden is minimized. Every expert working on client projects is an owner in a NorthCode subsidiary. In turn, NorthCode's parent company is the "administrative block" that provides the subsidiary, the experts, with all these burdensome elements as a clear and equitable service. Thus, our experts have the interest and will to help our clients and commit to their long-term projects without having to worry and be burdened by unclear instructions and budgets. Our salary model is open to all, and by owning a part of the company, each expert also receives a share of the company's profits on top of their salary.
Commitment to Transparency and Value Creation
Transparency and openness are present in all our actions. This commitment materializes through minimal cognitive load and maximal value creation for our clients.