Appstem – Best Practices: Define the problem
As we kick off the new year, many organizations are looking to begin new projects designed to meet their 2021 goals. Our team of experts have their own new year’s resolution to help businesses set up those projects for success. Through a series of blog posts, discuss the process for creating a strategic vision for your project that is essential before our team begins design and development. Ideally, you’ll end up with a roadmap to achieving your project goals and ready to step into the next phase with us.
A good starting point may seem obvious – what is the problem you are actually trying to solve for your customers? You may know they need to invest in mobile technology, but don’t necessarily know why or how. You may see what other businesses are doing and want to get in the game, but the idea isn’t bespoke to your needs. Often, what you think you want is a rehash of an app that is already in the marketplace. Or the idea could become bloated as you try to incorporate all the latest technical bells and whistles with no cohesive strategy.
Albert Einstein said, “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.” In other words, a project isn’t going to go anywhere without homing in on the problem first. You have to start by asking the right questions and use those answers to move forward.
Start by asking what you are trying to solve in the simplest terms: What is the essential challenge for you or your customers? What would the ideal outcome be? Who will benefit from the solution? Then consider if this idea aligns with your overall strategy. If the project doesn’t fit with your organizational priorities, perhaps the money and time could be allocated to something that better reflects your goals.
If you determine that a problem needs to be solved and aligns with the overall mission, it’s also wise to look at what the organization has already tried to solve the issue. A critical look at past efforts – what did and didn’t work and why – will save time (and money) as you approach a new solution. When it comes to mobile apps, there is a huge marketplace already. Does something already exist that would meet your needs? If not, how would your solution be better than what already exists.
It does seem counterproductive for a company like Appstem to ask its clients to think about all of these things before even approaching the team. However, we can work with our clients to identify the right questions to ask. We want to be long-term partners with you. We want to build relationships and provide long-term guidance and support in addition to creating best-in-class apps for your business.
“We don’t want to take on a project that isn’t going to benefit the client,” said Appstem CEO Robert Armstrong. “We don’t want to spend a client’s resources reinventing the proverbial wheel. Our goal is to guide our clients toward a solution that will be a game changer for them – and perhaps the industry as a whole.”
Once that clear strategic vision is established, Appstem can take your project to the next level. We have established a Discovery Workshop process that will refine the idea and make sure our teams are completely aligned on every step of the process. Contact us at hello@appstem.com to get started.
