DevReady Podcast E46 - Why Innovation Depends on Process Improvement with Yuriy Tyurin

On this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Andrew and Anthony have a conversation with Yuriy Tyurin, founder and senior consultant at ConceptAngle Consulting. Yuriy is an expert in automation and process improvement, which his firm, ConceptAngle, was founded to help businesses achieve. A tried and true software developer, Yuriy made his way into automation and consulting when he realized he could apply his knowledge and experience to a wider set than just construction and army engineering. Yuriy suggests that awareness is the first step to improving processes. “I don’t need to tell people what their problems are,” he says. You only need to ask more questions. Once someone in leadership becomes aware of a problem, they can then be more susceptible to discussions around process improvement. Beyond asking questions of his clients, Yuriy urges founders and team members in leadership to question themselves. The only way to really grow and tackle innovation is to keep improving, which is the opposite of settling for “what we’ve always done.” The businesses that fail to recognize this—that fail to see how to address their own problems and innovate in a breakneck world—will ultimately not be successful. ConceptAngle wants to empower businesses to improve their processes and keep a knife’s edge on the competition. Topics Covered: ● The language barrier Yuriy encountered as a Russian living in Australia. ● Software is merely a tool, and it should be treated as such. ● Purpose is the only intrinsic motivator that can drive people. ● The importance of meaningful impact. ● The value that people bring to business. ● Coaching, coaching, coaching. ● Process improvement through problem solving. ● Questions matter--that’s where innovation happens. ● The danger of building “solutions” that have no problems. ● Why you need to diversify your organization’s knowledge store. ● Keep asking “why” to get a better handle on value. Key Quotes ❏ “When you come from a management position, it’s very difficult to get back.” (7:20) ❏ “Software by itself doesn’t improve anything.” (9:40) ❏ “Technology is a multiplier. If there are problems in the organization, technology will only multiply them.” (11:00) ❏ “Money is a good goal, but it cannot be a purpose.” (13:30) ❏ “Every activity contributes to something meaningful.” (17:45) ❏ “We’re not human doings, we’re human beings.” (21:00) ❏ “Ideating on a new technology is where innovation sits.” (25:00) ❏ “You cannot deliberately solve a problem you don’t know about.” (26:00) ❏ “We should be questioning the way we operate.” (30:00) ❏ “You need to be adding value.” (32:30) ❏ “If you’re not making a profit, you can’t help your next customer.” (35:15)