The Key to Effective Business and Tech Consulting 

Talking to clients and people at other companies, I see that the IT industry has fallen into a trap. We’ve become so wrapped up in coding languages and tech stacks that we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture – the business side. The result? Stagnation: organizations spend years on projects that change little and don’t bring the expected results. 

Let’s face it: without a clear understanding of business needs, no amount of technological wizardry will drive real value. If businesses want to break this cycle and succeed in the world of new technologies, it’s time for a serious rethink. 

Many of us started out as “basement software nerds,” focused solely on the code. That’s essentially what IT looked like back in the early days. But over time, tech consulting has matured, and we’ve realized that understanding the business side is just as crucial as mastering the technical aspects.  

This 360-degree perspective—where we could juggle both technology and business—really changed the rules of the game and allowed IT to bring real value. 

Tech was indeed much simpler in the past. There were fewer services, fewer technologies to choose from, and fewer moving parts in general. A small, tight-knit team of skilled professionals could manage entire projects from start to finish. 

Since there weren’t as many complex systems, it was easier to have a deep understanding of the whole process—both from a technical and business perspective. 

This simplicity also meant greater productivity and flexibility. With fewer options to weigh and interdependencies to manage, we could make decisions quickly and implement solutions without the layers and layers of bureaucracy we often see today. 

Projects were generally small, making it easier to pivot and adapt to changing business needs, which meant faster delivery. You didn’t need an army of specialists or a mountain of approvals to get things done—just a handful of people who understood both the technology and the business. 

As the industry evolved, so did its complexity. Teams became highly specialized. Today, you’ve got your code people, your network people, your infrastructure people, your DevOps people, your cybersecurity people… and so many others. 

It all sounds great on paper, right? And yet, in practice, I often see that it’s not all that helpful. Because of these specializations, everyone is so focused on their little slice of the pie that they forget to look at the big picture. Even simple tasks expand into large, complex projects because no one manages everything end-to-end. 

Without that holistic view, coordination breaks down, causing delays, inefficiencies, and complexities we were supposed to solve. So, what was once a method for streamlining work has now, ironically, made things more difficult. 

And if people can no longer see, let alone understand, the overall business objective, how can they create software development solutions that provide real value?  

Without that broader perspective, IT becomes a self-contained bubble, focused on tech for tech’s sake rather than solving real-world business problems. 

Many people in the industry have lost sight of the purpose behind their work. They do not think from the client’s or user’s perspective or address actual business challenges. Instead, they simply complete tasks without considering the bigger goal. Unsurprisingly, IT has become stuck in its own loop, unable to simplify processes or streamline workflows. 

The pandemic only made things worse. Massive and rapid offshoring has led to a decline in project quality. Companies began hiring less experienced staff simply to fill positions and to get things done fast but without a plan. The impact is clear—projects are taking longer, and the solutions often fall short in terms of quality. 

This trend has turned into a race to the bottom.  

We need to be honest with ourselves: successful projects aren’t the result of the work of massive teams with hundreds of people. They’re built by small, focused groups – typically just a few individuals. What makes these teams effective is leadership that understands both technology and business.  

It’s not enough to have someone good at project management, though; they need to speak the language of business and understand the client’s goals. Without that connection, even the best technology expertise won’t make a difference. 

To do IT right, we must do more than implement software. We have to ensure that the solutions we provide address the users’ real challenges. This requires a balance of practical thinking and a deep understanding of business needs. You can’t just deploy technical fixes and hope for the best. 

Overcomplicating things is the quickest way to fail. Tech consulting shouldn’t be about making things more complex than necessary—it’s about finding the most straightforward, most effective path to success. 

Too often, IT teams fall into the trap of building overly complex systems, thinking that bigger equals better. But that’s not how it works. Simple solutions are easier to implement and maintain, which means faster results, better outcomes, and higher profitability. The less you complicate things, the more flexibility you have to adapt and improve. 

So, to succeed, we need to simplify. Instead of building more silos, we should collaborate. Business departments understand the pain points and requirements, and IT’s role is to support them by delivering teams that grasp those challenges and solve them with straightforward, efficient solutions. 

This is precisely how we operate at Scalo. As the client, you are the subject matter expert who knows what needs to be done. Our teams work alongside you, solving problems fast and iteratively—delivering results in weeks, not dragging out engagements for months. 

We work for you, but more importantly, we work with you. We make sure that every team member we place in your project understands the business need, no matter their role. This way, they know how their actions contribute to solving the problem. Consequently, we can get straight to the point and address your needs directly without unnecessary complexity. 

This ‘back to basics’ approach works best. We’re not just delivering technology—we solve real problems. I’ll dive deeper into this approach in future articles, but if you want to discuss it sooner, just reach out.