My Stream of Thoughts

All creations start from a problem. Finding the perfect solution isn't about pulling a rabbit out of a hat right away! Nope, it's more like being a detective. Before I even think about fixing something, my absolute first move – and honestly, it's pretty common sense, like knowing which end of the spoon to use – is to dig for the root cause of the problem. It's all about understanding why things went sideways before trying to un-sideways them!

Rallying the Troops: Engaging Stakeholders. Once I find the root cause, I gather all the key stakeholders—those who caused, were affected by, or can solve the problem. I put them in a room to present the issue and, most importantly, brainstorm solutions together. It's all about teamwork!

They say every road leads to Rome, but when tackling a problem, the real skill is picking the perfect-fit solution from all the brilliant ideas. For me, that means finding the sweet spot: something reasonable for all stakeholders that also satisfies our users and genuinely benefits the company. It's about selecting the most resource-saving yet highly impactful option. This perfectly balances our timeline, budget, and ensures everyone involved walks away happy!

Finding a solution is just step one; making it real is next. I gather the implementation team, briefing them on the challenge and our approach for timely delivery. We keep stakeholders informed of progress and any snags. This transparency helps us adapt, pivot, or adjust timelines as needed. Teamwork and open communication are key for success.

Think we're done after implementation? Not a chance! After delivering a solution, we dive into continuous monitoring to see if it's hitting the mark. If results aren't as expected, we identify the root cause again, restarting the cycle to fix it. We keep stakeholders updated on efficiency, constantly looking to enhance the solution for better outcomes. It's a never-ending journey of improvement!

Our golden rule: "Listen, listen, and listen!" We let users present their problems, asking clarifying questions only to help them articulate exact needs. Early clarity avoids unnecessary changes down the line. Mid-development shifts mean re-identifying, redesigning, and restarting, impacting timelines, effort, and budget. Getting it right upfront is key!

After initial requirement gathering, I analyze to gently challenge users. Not all ideas are immediately feasible due to resources. As a Product Owner, I ensure users feel heard, guiding them to prioritize or defer some ideas. We then delve deeper, clarifying rules and logic by exploring requirements further with them, ensuring alignment and clear understanding before development.

After analyzing requirements, prioritization is key. My method, especially for sales tools, weighs volume, revenue, cost efficiency, and rate-of-return. Similar requirements are grouped into "Epics" (e.g., "Sales-flow for Bancas"), with user stories prioritized within, then Epics against each other. This structured approach clarifies next steps and handles new requirements smoothly.

Post-prioritization, development begins – from documentation to going live. Crucially, we keep users informed throughout, updating them on logic and delivery. We delve deep into their wants, suggesting solutions that fit our system. This is a continuous loop of questioning, developing, suggesting, and enhancing.

Not done yet! Post-development, we truly listen to users in UAT, getting direct feedback on the end-to-end solution. Users test with provided scripts but can add/challenge cases, ensuring full coverage. We log all results, using this feedback for vital enhancements or bug fixes. It's where the solution truly proves its worth!

UAT isn't the end! Before launch, we deploy a pre-production version to new users for real-world testing from scratch. After initial go-live, a final healthcheck ensures robustness for mass launch. This crucial last control gathers feedback to iron out any missed errors, ensuring a perfect real-life product.

After spotting all our stakeholders, we group them strategically – like organizing a party! We categorize them by impact, problem-solving ability, legal roles, or decision power. This helps design custom scenarios and chat scripts, so we can analyze the problem's impact and tackle it effectively with each unique group.

After grouping stakeholders, we uncover their desires through dedicated sessions and deep questioning. Based on these insights, I design tailored solutions for each group. The final step is combining these into one big picture, crafting the perfect-fit solution that satisfies all and brings harmony.

Resolving stakeholder conflicts is crucial. When meeting one group's needs displeases another, we bring them together. Our aim is to find fair solutions that minimize dissatisfaction, ensuring everyone feels heard and the outcome is equitable for all parties involved.

To ideate, I scan the global landscape, seeing how others tackle similar challenges. This broadens my perspective and uncovers fresh approaches. Through research and comparisons (pros/cons of existing solutions), I customize and craft the perfect-fit solution uniquely for our needs. It's about learning from the best to build our best!

Beyond market research, I "hear it out" directly from users to understand their reactions to problems. This helps us design the best-fit solution. Whether it's focus groups or online listening, the method isn't key; getting authentic user reactions is everything.

With diverse views in hand, it's time for experiments! Mixing and matching ideas helps find the best-fit solution, always aiming to resolve the user's core problem. Combinations must be logical and suit our current capabilities.

With all materials gathered, it's time for mixology! We combine approaches to create the perfect solution, perhaps using Solution A for Stage 1 and Solution B for Stage 2. We ensure approaches blend well, gradually revealing the full, ideal solution as stages progress.

After building plans, we test them out, seeking feedback via A/B tests, pilots, surveys, etc. Don't fear "negative" insights; they drive updates. This "rapid iteration" cycle means continuous enhancement, testing, and upgrading, helping us evolve fast.

After feedback, we target rapid iteration to streamline our product, making it "usable" or perfect. Our mantra is "customer-centric," evolving the product around users. The challenge lies in real-world constraints like time, resources, or management directives. We navigate these to solve problems respecting each unique situation.

Life isn't always roses; sometimes ideas get rejected or projects paused. It's crucial to keep a clear mind, accept the reality, and understand why. Maintain a positive mindset to fix things for the future.

After a setback, we analyze the failure to dig out the exact root cause(s). Pinpointing these issues is vital for defining the right fix. Without understanding why it failed, any solution is just a band-aid. This deep dive ensures our next efforts are targeted, efficient, and lead to success.

The most crucial lesson: never give up! After a setback, understand its reason, analyze resolutions, and restart from scratch. Failure isn't an endpoint; it's fuel for innovation. We might fail, but we get back up, grasp our mistakes, and relentlessly fix them to deliver a better version next time.