Dan Edwards, Cascade’s software development director talks to us about his career and shares with us his inspiration behind the launch of Cascade’s latest software development…

“It all began in 1992 when I earned my stripes with the company as a university placement student. I found a great environment in which to develop my skills, and after graduating I returned as a software developer.

In the early years of my career, one of the things I loved most was talking to customers. At client meetings I would listen to the challenges that our clients faced, and then come back to the office brimming with ideas of how to make their lives easier. I got a real buzz finding solutions to their problems and then developing the software that could make these solutions a reality. For me, it’s just like Lego for grown-ups.

This passion for analysing clients’ requirements has stayed with me throughout my career. As software development director I now head up a 17 strong team, but talking to customers remains a large part of my job.

I – very much like the wider Cascade team – never like to stand still. The challenges that our clients face evolve constantly, so it is essential that we continue to cultivate new solutions to meet their changing requirements. That’s why I’m really proud to be one of the ‘brains’ behind the newest Cascade software solution – version 4.0.

I particularly like the fact that the new functionality within version 4.0 wasn’t driven by a bunch of ‘techies’. Instead the inspiration was our customers – the people who are going to be using it. After all, there’s no point introducing clever functionality if clients don’t need it, or don’t know how to make it work.

By analysing our product road map – a catalogue of customer feedback and suggestions – it became apparent that we could upgrade our software so that the enhancements would be relevant to everyone and would ‘future-proof’ them as technological advances continue apace elsewhere.

Some of my favourite features within version 4.0 include the enhanced office reports which allow complex management analysis with just a few clicks. We have extended our popular ‘Query Builder’ tool and allowed for data integration with clients’ intranet. Our training manager tool has been extended to centre upon a wider and more in-depth selection of features, and we’ve introduced a streamlined user interface that is incredibly easy to navigate.”