Why? Why? Why? Dilemma!

Why do we so often fail to connect the delivery with the actual dilemma that our organisation is trying to solve? Why? Ask Delilah.

If you have worked with me before you will know I ask "The Dumb Questions" - the questions we all assume we know the answers to.

My favourite question being, "Why?".

I have found that a lot of the dilemmas we face in our transformation delivery can be traced back to assumed Whys - why we are doing it in the first place. Technology assumed the reason we were doing this was to save cost, Project Management assumed the reason was to deliver a level of ill-defined quality, and what Business wanted was something fast and good enough. You know the old adage around when we assume!

The Six-Sigma practice has been using Why as a means to troubleshoot root cause in their delivery methodology for a while now.

I use it to test the assumed solutions that we are choosing to deliver and the dilemma that they are targeted to solve.

Why this and why now? Is it the only solution, or the right solution - cannot tell if we do not understand the real dilemma we are wanting to resolve? Is it the right time - cannot tell this either without understanding the bigger picture of where things are and where they need to be?

A key challenge is when we don't identify the real dilemma and see a "solution" as the Why.

I'll explain.

Let me introduce you to our Business Owner - for some reason I want to call her Delilah. In this scenario, Technology is starting the transformation process well by creating converged conversations with our business customer and her clients. Delilah says, "My dilemma is I need a Mobile App." Hallelujah, we have the Business Why and can work together to develop the solution.

Wrong, what has happened here is that Delilah - consciously, or unconsciously - has been struggling with the real Why and decided that a mobile app will be the right solution. So we are seeing one of her solutions as the Business Why and the actual dilemma is hidden from us. If we proceed with delivering this mobile app - we may well fix the problem, but probably not really deliver fully to the Business Why. Most importantly, Technology has not been able to add strategic business value to the conversation.

Here is where the Dumb Questions come in. Instead of accepting the Business Why, at face value, ask "Why?" Let's continue our conversation with Delilah.

"Delilah, why do you need a mobile app?" What dilemma is the mobile app a solution to?

"Because people are mobile and don't use our website." So, do we have the Business Why, or is there another level to unpick?

"Why don't they use the website?"

"Because it is too hard to use on their mobile." Closer.

"Why is it too hard?"

"We're getting a lot of abandoned applications; customers are telling us that the forms are hard to view and navigate, and don't display well. " That's more like it.

"Ahh, I see. Thanks, Delilah. I think I can suggest some options to help with that." Now I am addressing a real Business Dilemma.

Yes, absolutely a potentially drawn-out and expensive mobile app development project will likely deliver a working solution for Delilah, but so would a much smaller, cheaper, and faster redesign of the site to make the forms dynamic and workable on mobile browser platforms. There are more options and no one locked-in answer.

Yay for the "Dumb Questions"!

All of a sudden the assumptions and the trap of a single solution lock-in are gone. We have options. Technology is not solely a delivery function but has the opportunity to have a useful and converged conversation with the Business on what their options are and what value each can offer to resolve the Business's real dilemma is.

Delilah now knows Why and is a more focused and happy partner with us.

Technology is the Business Enabler by asking "Why" - I like the sound of that.

What about you? Tell me about your experiences in the comments below.

Image by Arek Socha (qimono): Pixabay