The humble hamburger is a staple dish in the western world. It’s so popular that it made its way to the graphic-design lingo – “hamburger icon” is what designers call the menu button with three horizontal stripes. Spongebob Squarepants elevated the “Krabby patty” to divine status in pop-culture. Dedicated burger joints are popping out left and right competing for who will make the most exquisite version of this blue-collar dish.
No wonder that at some point every one of us got inspired to make their own perfect patty and I know for certain there are passionate hamburger enthusiasts out there.
What makes a burger taste the best? I have no idea because that’s mostly subjective, but I know what makes it a successful nutritional concept – two reasons: 1) they can be served without plates or silverware 2) they can be prepared very quickly – exactly what you need when you’re hungry and in a hurry.
When you’re at home, do you really want to forgo using cutlery for the benefit of the “secret sauce” (ketchup plus mayo) dripping down your elbows? Turns out, benefit 1) is not a benefit if you can sit down to have your meal. And the thing with benefit 2) is that you cannot replicate it at home.
Fast food joints have all the ingredients prepared for making a patty. Actually, multiple patties in a short amount of time. Hamburgers made it big because they’re a part of a successful production chain model whose selling point is quick meals (fast food, if you wish). You simply cannot replicate that production efficiency in your own kitchen because you can’t supply yourself with exactly one piece of lettuce, exactly two spoons of secret sauce, exactly 2 pickles… there will be redundant material (cost) after you’re done with your homemade patty.
Burger restaurants are organized around the hamburger – from the economic standpoint there is no doubt those guys are the only ones viable for serving you with patties. The same logic applies to software development. A development agency (like we at FarShore) already has everything in place for making an app – you don’t need to staff your crew, choose the right technology, choose the right methodology, document tasks, prioritize features…the only thing you need to do as our client is transfer your idea to us. That said, you’ll never be allowed to step in a burger joint kitchen just so you can be more involved in the making of your meal (trust me, I’ve asked), whereas you can be involved in the “how” of your app’s development as much as you wish. We wouldn’t call it a “partnership” if our apps would be ordered over a counter and developed behind closed doors.
Of course, not all is business. There is great pride in making your own bespoke culinary gem regardless of relative cost and time. Worst case scenario when making your own hamburger is you’ll spend 750% more time and 250% more money than ordering in a burger joint. This extra cost is no big deal because in absolute numbers it’s nowhere near, oh I don’t know, a mobile app.
Janko is the Project Management team lead at FarShore. He says that Project Management is just like riding a bicycle: it gets exciting once things start going downhill.
