Identify value, offload the rest

Distill the things that generate value and use existing tools to let others solve generic problems

My first job out of school I worked on a massive system that built code and delivered software updates for IBM servers.  There were a lot of specialized requirements across teams that justified having a whole team managing those tools and looking for ways to improve software updates. When I joined ArchiveSocial, we had two people developing software and a document of step-by-step deployment instructions.  This worked perfectly fine until we hired another developer and started tripping over each other.  We needed some automation.

At this point, I knew the benefits of having an automated system to build and ship our code but having only seen the industrialized effort undertaken at a 300 thousand person company achieving this seemed a bit daunting.  Fortunately, as a small company, we had much smaller requirements. Rather than build our own, we found a free/open source solution that provided all of the functionality that we needed.  This allowed us to build a robust build and deploy system that served us well for the next ten years.

Software build systems, especially at that time, were a problem you could spend a lot of time working on.  It was also a problem that much larger companies were spending time solving.  This was not a problem that we were going to bring any direct value to because we had a very generic use case.  However, leaning on the tools other people built we were able to bring a ton of benefits to our process by having a one-click build and deploy system that was easy for everyone to use.  We were then able to focus on a mission where our team could add value, empowering and protecting open dialog.

Distill

Most companies have a set of generic problems.  There are a whole set of standard functions you need to run a business like payroll and email.  Unless you’re selling a payroll or email product, don’t spend time reinventing those wheels.

Underneath that set of tools are a set of problems that are unique to your industry but still fairly generic.  Investing time and effort into this work is the biggest trap most businesses fall into.  There may be clear emerging problems that need better tools which can fool you into thinking you should build them.  Other companies may be better positioned to execute and sell the same thing before you pick up any traction.

A good example of this is the build system tool.  We were never going to be in the business of selling build tools to software developers so it was best to utilize an ok solution that met our needs and receive the benefits of upgrades as the tool got better and that industry matured.  Solving build problems in our bubble would never add real value and would have been a distraction.

Finally there are the set of problems that are unique to your customers that no one else solves as well as you.  This might be a sales process where you’re able to close faster, it might be the training you give your customer experience team that boosts client happiness, it might be a more reliable tool that you build.  This value is the premium that people are willing to pay for.  Identifying the actual value your business is providing allows your team to be purposeful when deciding the best way to grow.

Communicate

Distilling the parts that generate value is important because it allows us to discuss what we should invest time in.  Clearly communicating these priorities are one of the few things people in leadership positions can do to impact actual momentum.  When individuals can look at problems they’re tackling and figure out for themselves how the work they're doing relates to these goals, they can make decisions without meetings or being micromanaged.

One reason I continually emphasize user-centric framing is it gives everyone on a team a way to ask themselves if the thing they’re working on is driving value.  By putting the focus on user problems we can break out of our personal bubbles and empathize when we're prioritizing.  Continually training the people in an organization about user problems will pay dividends by encouraging ground up decision making.