It’s #InternationalHamburgerDay! While people are huddling around the virtual braai, it is a good time to reflect on what a hamburger might mean to a technical team looking at product development. A business burger, if you will.
Let’s take a look at the recipe to the perfect hamburger.
The Bun
In essence, a burger is deliciousness wrapped in bread. At Obsidian, we see our people or our teams as the bread. Although the flavours, condiments, and toppings may vary greatly in a burger, the one constant is the bun. Buns are the foundation of every good technology stack. Just like an actual hamburger, the development tools and process, code, infrastructure, frameworks and outputs may differ, but the people are what pull it all together.
A great term is “breaking bread”. This is a term used to describe the experience of having a meal together and is symbolic of the importance of collaboration, sharing of ideas, and working together in a positive and constructive manner.
The Patty
The patty can be described as the product or service that is delivered or shipped. This is usually, excuse the pun, the “meat” of the project. While this can be referred to as the development process/tools or the product itself, there is no hamburger without the patty. The product is what makes a business and is therefore integral to the success of the burger, regardless of whether this output is rare, medium or well-done. Just like a hamburger patty, homemade is always best.
The Sauce
Sauces are used to enhance the flavour and consistency of a burger. Some people feel that they do not add any perceivable value, however, without these extras, it just won’t be as enjoyable an experience. These extras could be product features, custom tweaks, and value adds that differentiate a business’s burger. The sauce can sometimes define a burger and can give it a competitive advantage over more plain options. Let’s think of this as a company’s “secret sauce” which aids in a feature-rich experience.
The Toppings
In our burger recipe, the toppings can refer to the tooling of a project. It is what underlays the product or service. There is a smorgasbord of toppings available depending on personal preference (or perhaps only limited options available depending on the establishment). These topping tools are combinations of infrastructure, development language, frameworks, databases, pipelines and workflows. Some may prefer pickled Python while others may opt for jalapeno Java options.
The right combination of these toppings will make a winning burger and will increase the speed of delivery and efficiency.
In conclusion: Celebrating #hamburgerday should not only be sharing a meal but considering the different components that make up such a timeless and predictable recipe.
One business burger, coming up…would you like fries with that?
by Karl Fischer and Derryn Askham