Decisions as a Barrier to Progress

Choosing the right software solution together is often a more challenging process than anticipated. Even if it is possible to clearly articulate the problem, how do we arrive at a solution direction collectively? The problem often lies not in finding a clever solution, but rather in the time it takes to reach a decision. Reaching a consensus where everyone agrees on the choice can be difficult. Opting for the unknown, where this solution has not yet been experienced, can be daunting. The greater the challenge, the more time is often required. However, when there is a pressing need for quick impact, this becomes counterproductive. Mark Your Progress aims to accelerate this process.

“Why does the greater challenge require more time? But why?”

That’s why we are constantly searching for new ways to address this. Mark Your Progress gladly utilizes Design Sprints to facilitate this process. By employing Design Sprints, we can arrive at the core more quickly and make fundamental choices with confidence.

More, More, More is not the solution!

In many software selections or roadmap choices, the list of requirements becomes enormous. Each department tends to add as many wishes as possible. After all, this is the opportunity! However, this often overlooks the essence and prevents progress. As a solution, you can certainly add a MOSCOW analysis or other forms of prioritization. This is also highly recommended. But even this takes time and discussion and does not help in making a faster decision.

“The key stakeholders themselves must contribute to the solution, that’s how we make the fastest progress.”

One of the underlying problems is that decision-makers are not always directly involved. Consultants or others within the organization take on this responsibility. This is logical as you cannot remove these roles from their work for months. But wouldn’t it be better if the most important stakeholders were involved in making the most fundamental choices for the organization? In that case, we need to ensure that the time they have to spend on this is short enough to make it feasible. A Design Sprint offers a solution!

Design Sprints as a Solution

Design Sprints are an innovative and efficient way to generate, test, and validate new ideas in a short period of time. The concept of the Design Sprint was first introduced in the book “Sprint” by Jake Knapp (highly recommended!). It was applied at Google Ventures to quickly put new initiatives into practice, giving startups a greater chance of success. By involving all key stakeholders, creating the right understanding, and making quick decisions, you can swiftly arrive at a well-supported choice.

“Making a tested and supported choice quickly, that’s what a Design Sprint brings.”

A Design Sprint lasts for 4 days, during which a multidisciplinary team collaborates intensely to solve a specific problem. It is crucial that the team has the mandate to make decisions. The goal of the sprint is to develop and test a prototype in a short time frame, gathering user feedback as quickly as possible. This way, you immediately know if you have a solution to your problem.

The Design Sprint process consists of four phases. In the first phase, the understanding phase, the problem is defined, and the objectives are established. In the second phase, the ideation phase, as many ideas as possible are generated. In the third phase, the decision-making phase, the best ideas are selected, and a prototype is created. In the fourth phase, the validation phase, the prototype is tested, and feedback is collected. After testing, it’s time to decide how to proceed!

When testing and developing your solution, opt for the approach that takes the least amount of time but still allows you to test whether your theory works. This can involve “faking” it with the goal of obtaining user feedback. Anything to avoid initiating an elaborate implementation and wasting time due to a wrong choice. In just four days, you obtain valuable information that would otherwise take months to gather.

“In just 4 days, you go from a problem to a tested solution. You can proceed immediately!”

As a result, a Design Sprint provides insights and likely a choice of a solution direction. It is ideal for defining requirements for software choices. This can be more easily communicated to potential vendors or incorporated directly into a roadmap.

Let’s Get Started!

Mark Your Progress guides Design Sprints. Through interviews, we prepare the sessions and bring the right expertise. The most important aspect is to involve the appropriate stakeholders. Together, we identify which stakeholders are decision-makers and which ones should participate. Contact us to shape this process together!