The case for "Understanding our business" training

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The case for "Understanding our business" training

David.Poole

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November 19, 2025 at 12:00 am

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Comments posted to this topic are about the item The case for "Understanding our business" training
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November 24, 2025 at 3:48 am

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David.Poole SSC Guru Points: 76311 More actions · Answer 1

Since I wrote the original draft, I put the idea to our COO. They have started to build a program of "Understanding our business" training. I wasn't expecting such a positive reaction, nor such a rapid one.

Some of us have volunteered to be guinea pigs to ensure that the material for the courses conveys what it is supposed to, and in the form that is easily understood. Yesterday, I had my 1st guinea pig session that covered the following

Risk/reward for different project types (Time & Materials, Equity Share, Fixed Cost, etc)
What are the margins and costs for those project types
The implications and opportunities when a budget is underspent

The session showed me a completely different perspective of what, how and why we do things.

We technical people are not just going to be passive recipients. Seniors, principals and architects are expected to contribute back too.

It's going to be hard work, but I am looking forward to it.

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cgumprich Ten Centuries Points: 1142 More actions · Answer 2

This needs to be preached from the mountaintop.

After years in the technical trenches I have finally advanced to a manager role, and I am truly shocked at how much I don't yet understand about how the business operates. It wasn't from a lack of knowledge so much as a lack of opportunity -- nobody ever thinks that a DBA needs to understand what a front-line person deals with, or a call centre manager, or a marketing specialist.

And yet we still sigh, "[they] need to understand databases, then we won't have to deal with unreasonable demands."

I'm going to prioritize organizational acumen with my team. There's no way we can do our jobs properly without some understanding of how others do theirs.

Chris Wooding SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4611 More actions · Answer 3

As well as the items mentioned in your article, I think it would be useful if the training could include input from people at the coal-face in various departments so that we learn their pain points. A while ago, our data science team was pitching a dashboard to client-facing colleagues that would let them know which of their clients were looking likely to leave in the next few months. It took into account numerous data dimensions to come up with a prioritised list based on likelihood of leaving. One of the potential users of this dashboard pointed out that she already knew her clients very well and would be aware if they were unhappy. What actually concerned her was that she had to fill out a 14 page document to switch a client from one produce to another; and could we develop something that would help with that?

Rod at work SSC-Dedicated Points: 34102 More actions · Answer 4

Good article, David. I'll point out one thing and that is it depends upon the business environment as to how much someone in an individual contributor role can learn about other parts of the business. I work at a place where the prevailing message to individual contributors is, "Stay in your own lane". And if you don't, there are serious repercussions to trying to learn from outside your area. But I think where I work is the exception, not the rule, so what you've written applies to most people.

Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.