Building the future of Livestock Protection with Dean Button

Can you share some insights about your role? What are your key responsibilities, and what does a typical day look like for you at Livetec?

My official role is Digital Product Owner, which is essentially about bridging the gap between the business and the development team. This means ensuring clear communication and alignment between both sides. If the development team has questions or needs clarity, I’m the one who sources the information, which sometimes overlaps with the responsibilities of a Scrum Master.

In reality, it’s like “herding kittens” on both sides – balancing the development team’s need for time with the business team’s demand for functionality. A big part of my role is managing these competing priorities and ensuring both sides are aligned and working toward the same goals.

It’s an incredibly dynamic role because no two days are the same. While there are repeat tasks, most days bring something new. I could be presenting to a potential customer, processing feedback from existing customers, or tackling unexpected challenges.

Unlike roles that can become monotonous, mine constantly evolves. It’s engaging, fast-paced, and keeps me on my toes. For me, that variety is what makes the role so enjoyable – it’s never just about routine but about adapting and solving problems in real time.

What do you find most challenging about your role?

From a personal perspective, the biggest challenge is understanding new requirements both from the business side and the technical side, and how the solutions fit together. I’m a very concrete thinker, so while some people can immediately grasp abstract concepts and see the “big picture,” I need to break things down step by step. If you tell me 1 + 1 = 2, I’m perfectly happy. But if you ask me to figure it out or explain it, I really have to think it through. Often, someone will explain a solution to me, and they’ll have a clear understanding of how it works, but when they walk away, I’m left trying to fully wrap my head around it. That’s when I push myself to figure it out, which is a great learning opportunity. Sometimes, I’ll take the question to the developers and hit another wall, then they mention something new, and it’s back to figuring that out, too. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s also one of the things I appreciate about the role.

Every day brings something new to learn, and that dynamic nature keeps it exciting.

Our ability to adapt and move quickly gives us a significant edge for growth.

It sounds like the challenges are also part of what makes the job rewarding. Would you say that’s the most rewarding aspect, or are there other factors that stand out for you?

The most rewarding part for me, as strange as it sounds, is seeing the progress from start to finish, especially during demos.

Knowing that the platform works, that I’ve put in the effort, received feedback and made adjustments to get it right is incredibly satisfying. The process of getting reeled back in by the developers when something’s off, then refining it again and again until it all balances out, is really fulfilling.

Interestingly, developers often feel the same way. If they don’t see their work being used, it can feel pointless. I’ve seen this happen before when something a developer builds doesn’t get released, it’s demotivating. So, seeing the product come to life, knowing it works, and watching people engage with it is so rewarding.

The ultimate cherry on top, though, will be when we see significant uptake and engagement. Right now, we’re working with a smaller group of users, getting feedback from a few customers, internal teams, and the development team. Once the platform is out there and adopted widely, the feedback we’ll receive will be on another level, and that’s something I’m really looking forward to.

That segues nicely into teamwork and collaboration. How do you find the way we work here at Livetec, especially across different teams?

It’s an interesting dynamic because digital operates at a very different pace compared to other departments. Digital tends to embrace principles like “fail fast” and values transparency, you can see exactly what someone has worked on, what stage a task is at, and what comments or updates have been made.  

On the other hand, departments like Knowledge Hub follow a more traditional approach, and Operations has very established procedures that work well for them. Engaging with these teams requires some give and take, but we’ve found a good balance. Each business unit maintains its domain expertise, but collaboration across departments has been solid. 

One of the things that stands out is how dependent we are on the input and groundwork laid by other teams.

Whether it’s the Operations team rolling out an app in just six weeks or the Knowledge Hub refining processes for each new project, every team contributes in a way that enables us to deliver effectively. 

Working with marketing has also been critical. No matter how great a product we develop, if we can’t communicate its value to the right audience, it won’t succeed. I personally rely on them to help share our story because I’m not the best at “selling.” 

What’s exciting is seeing how we’re learning and improving.

For instance, each new project we take on has a shorter development timeline, thanks to lessons learned. We’re finding ways to adapt and align our different workflows to keep moving forward efficiently. It’s been rewarding to see the synergy between teams, even though we all operate a bit differently. 

 

It’s amazing what we’ve achieved so far. So, what would you say has been your most memorable day at Livetec?

The most memorable days for me have been visiting sites.

Spending most of my time behind a computer, I don’t often get to see the operations in person, so those site visits stand out.

At Livetec, seeing the scale and industrial nature of the farms we work with has been eye-opening.

These aren’t small operations, they’re massive, highly efficient systems, and being on-site really drives home the importance of what we do. One visit in particular was unforgettable. We walked through a farm full of turkeys, and they gobbled constantly, it was impossible to talk over them!

Those moments of seeing the scale, meeting the people, and experiencing the environment first hand are what stick with me the most.

Let’s talk a bit about life outside of work. What do you do to relax and balance a busy schedule?

I have a four-year-old daughter, and while I love her dearly, finding time to relax can be a challenge, especially when she’s off school.

When I do get some time to myself,

I love cycling. It’s my happy place.

There’s a canal near my house that leads into the foothills, they call them mountains, but they’re not really mountains. I’ll spend 5-6 hours riding up and down, completely unplugged, and it’s such a great way to reset. You come back absolutely exhausted, but in the best way possible.

I also enjoy running and photography. Photography used to be a big passion of mine, I’d take a photo, edit it in Lightroom, polish it in Photoshop, and really immerse myself in the process. These days, I still take photos, but I’ve got a huge backlog I need to go through someday.

Otherwise, it’s the usual stuff, reading and, of course, spending time with my daughter when she’s not keeping me on my toes!

 

If someone was starting out in the tech industry, what advice would you give them?

The biggest piece of advice I’d give is this: remember, you’re the only person who will be with you 10 years from now. Don’t sell your soul to a job or company because, in the end, nobody else will care as much as you do about your own well-being.

Be good at your job, but don’t let it consume your life, your job is not your entire identity. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about mistakes, but don’t let them weigh on you unnecessarily. If you make a mistake, learn from it, move on, and make sure you don’t repeat it.

At the end of the day, focus on doing your best, but don’t let work define you.

Balance is key.

How do you see your role evolving in the future, and what excites you most about what’s ahead?

The exciting part is that I really don’t know where it’s going, and that’s what makes it interesting.

As my role evolves, it seems to be shifting more towards a customer-focused approach, which is a new and exciting challenge. What gets me excited is the traction we’re gaining. Once something gains momentum, the question becomes: how do we maintain and grow that traction?

Working with the dev team is a huge part of this because they’re always thinking about scalability and the future. They help me keep my focus not just on the immediate tasks but also on what happens next. For example, we’re building scalable platforms, and we need to think long term about things like database management.

I’m excited by the prospect of expanding beyond the UK and breaking into markets. With our digital product, we bypass the logistical challenges of physical exports, especially post-Brexit.