"From Services to Solutions" Stories from a hazardous journey. Sometimes we have to recognize our solutions aren’t working, and it’s time to start again.

1. ITEM Kiev
2018
From Services to Solutions

2. Fred Henry Williams
Writer, Teacher, Troublemaker...since 1966

3. The 6 W’s
Who? Why? Where?
When?
What? Weird?

4. What do we mean by Services?
● Offering ( intangible, unique)
● Funding Mechanism
● Employee Management
● Customer Management

5. Big and Small Services
● Freelancers
● Headhunters
● Bespoke Developers
● Outsourcing
● Testing
● Back Office, and so on...

6. ...what’s the problem?
The Services Pyramid
<1 year experience
1-3 years
3+
Owners
Project Leaders
Senior
Developers
Junior
Developers

7. ...but over time Services collapse
Owners
Customer
Management
Project
Management
Senior
Developers
Junior
Developers
Illustration by Santosh Matala

8. Solutions solve Problems
● Tangible
● Valuable
● Specific and Understandable
● Grows Organically
● Grows Exponentially
● PRODUCTS are not always SOLUTIONS

9. The problem with Structural products
Structures
Functions
Users

10. The problem with Functional products
Functions
Structures
Users

11. ...so what’s a Solution?
● Products = Solutions? Maybe...
● Solutions require Problems
● Only PEOPLE have Problems
● Solutions can Replicate
● From 1 to Many

12. Putting Users on Top
Users
Functions
Structures

13. READ, RATT, AART
● Who has a problem?
● How can I help?
● Empathy and Agile
● Tangible Process with instructions

14. Ask “Who” as your first step
What problem will you solve? What is the RESULT?
What is the user’s Environment
What is Acceptable to the user?
What are your users’ Demographics?

15. Always ask “WHY?” before you begin
Why should someone use this?
Who is the Actor? (Only people have motivations.)
What Action will they take within the system?
What is the Test of User Value?
What is the Test of Business Value?

16. Focus on User Problems to find Solutions
● Put users first
● What do they want OUTSIDE the system?
● Is your solution Valuable?
● Is your system Weird?
● Never build a structure until you know its users and
functions

17. Questions?
● fred@williamstechnical.com
● In Kiev all weekend
● We can talk informally
● Questions are more valuable than Answers