Build a Solution before you know if it will solve a challenge - Agree or Disagree?
Most of us will probably disagree...however is this the reality of most orgs?
Andy Budd explains why there is an opportunity in this Reverse Double Diamond image we see and in a solution-first approach.
Teams start with the solution-first approach because ideas are already handed by stakeholders who already determined what they believe customers or employees need. (research and validation need not apply)
Teams will create this solution and wait to report the results to stakeholders.
Usually, the solutions fall flat - however, this is where Andy believes there is an opportunity...
That opportunity comes from focusing on the second part of the reverse diamond he has presented - the part that he calls "Improve the Thing"
I can see value in this, as evaluating and re-evaluating solutions is something we are asked to do in some projects.
This is what we would call evaluating backward - now to do this, your team needs to have worked systematically - capturing exactly what the solution's active ingredients are and helping us answer the following questions:
Q1) What is the overall solution we built? Q2 )What features and behavior change techniques does the solution have? Q3) What are the drivers (barriers/ or enablers) we have addressed for the behavior, actor, and context?
Q4) What were the initial needs, behaviors/actions, and context we were targeting? Q5) How do the needs and behaviors connect to the outcomes we are looking for? (for our business and our customers/employees)
As you go through the questions you will find areas that may have not been addressed in the right way, and here you can quickly iterate and test your new assumptions.
Does this solution-first approach reflect more the reality of organizations?
Can we use it to still get great outcomes?