3 Benefits of Collaborative Application Development

At Brivo, we’ve invested in an open-source API. We believe that better solutions result when we work together. We aren’t alone in that belief; IBM’s Director of Strategy and Development Jim Brennan says that information is power. When it’s shared, both the giver and the broader community benefit.

We’ve seen those benefits firsthand with partners like Appirio as well as customers. Through collaboration, we produce products that benefit everyone—and that includes the smallest business to the largest enterprise.

Here, we’ll cover just three of the benefits found with collaborative appdev:

Communication. This benefit is both personal and technical. On the personal side, we develop strong relationships. Everyone gains something from the experience. And we’re not just talking about the end product. We mean the process itself. Rodney Mullen may put the collaborative spirit best: “Take what other people do, make it better, and give it back so we all rise further.”

The technical side is the integration piece. Open-source APIs communicate with third-party devices, platforms, and software. All the components gel together in a single platform, leading to a seamless and convenient experience for the end user. As that occurs, we can observe how the integration operates and use the findings to refine future iterations.

Feedback. By working with other developers, we fail and succeed faster. Potential applications are shared in an open lab environment, much like a workshop, and feedback is given. Ideas with no potential are scratched immediately. Hours of agonizing and futile labor are avoided. Other people’s experience and wisdom propel us forward. 

David Daxenbichler, president and CEO of Network Harbor, says, “…working together while competing is in the safety and security industry’s own best interest. The more it happens, the greater the opportunities will be for everyone.”

Flexibility. Working with others keeps us flexible. We don’t get stuck on a single idea. Instead, our ideas form from what’s going on around us. Inspiration comes through that conversation.

Similarly, APIs retain flexibility. They can be updated when the need arises, generally without disrupting the end users’ experience. New integrations and mash ups can be posed and tested. The ability is crucial; APIs need to act more like organisms than rigid robots. They should breathe in tech trends and business needs and grow in response.

If “adapt or die” is today’s business mantra, it’s just as much an API one. It’s the concept that will keep our application developments and us in good stead as we move into a future filled with possibility. 

A version of this post appeared on the Brivo Labs blog on November 5, 2014