3Q3M Episode 6 - "What is a Craftsman?" with John Calvin Young

In the sixth episode of our video series 3 Questions in 3 Minutes (or 3Q3M), RoleModel Software's marketing director, Jamey Meeker, and RoleModel's Software Craftsman John Calvin Young discuss what it means to be declared a Craftsman and how it affects our projects.

Watch now:

Join John and Jamey as they answer three questions that will help you understand more about how RoleModel operates and how we are dedicated to high-quality craftsmanship in every aspect of our business.


What is the difference between a developer and a Craftsman?

A Craftsman is more than a developer; it is more than a team lead. 

It's about more than just: 

  • experience 
  • expert-level technical skills 
  • leadership
  • ability to manage a project 

In addition to each of these, Craftsmen are expected to be true business consultants. That means that RoleModel Software Craftsmen have the ability to:

  • connect with a client to discover how software will meet their needs
  • validate the client's beliefs about their customers and help them establish vision
  • understand the client's business and advocate on their behalf.

In short, being a craftsman means delivering a whole package of skills to manage a project and serve the customer in multiple dimensions.

How important is collaboration in custom software?

Software development, at its core, has a lot of unknowns. Craftsmen start with a thesis about what needs to be solved and how, but through daily standups and on-demand consultations, they're able to pin down the latest understandings and expectations with up-to-the-moment accuracy. 

As the client is learning more about their business and their workflow, so are we - RoleModel Craftsmen help the client address concerns that they may not have even thought of yet. 

With years of experience creating high-value software, a Craftsman knows how to ask the right questions to get the whole picture of what the project should accomplish at its end.

Can give a real-world example of learning a client's business?

John's favorite example of learning a client's business came on a project for a high-end dental lab. 

The client had developed an extremely complicated system for designing surgical guides for reconstructive dental surgery - ten major steps, with dozens of substeps for each.

John chuckles as he remembers being handed a full binder with the company's standard operating procedures for their CAD technicians. 

John and his team jumped in and started studying that process to understand where the client's pain points were and how the steps worked together to achieve the final product. 

As the project commenced and the first meeting rolled around, John pointed to the moment when an open-ended question was asked and he was quicker to the answer than the client's own team members.

"(That moment) increased their confidence that we were hearing them; that we understood what they were working through, and ultimately would be able to deliver the solution that we did in fact deliver."


Watch the full episode here!

Check out the last episode of 3Q3M where CPO Ken Auer breaks down what design price quote (DPQ) software is, why it is useful and how we implement it for our clients' success.