When we developed our consultancy services at Godel, it became clear that having Product Management and Product Owner expertise is essential for nearly all the requests we currently receive. It all started with the involvement in technical requests and has evolved into a separate service under Product expertise. Let’s have a closer look at how it works and why it’s necessary.
Assisting with Technical Requests
We started mainly with technical requests and top-tier tech experts. But when dealing with technical aspects such as legacy architecture transformation, data warehouse strategies, and IT maturity assessments, we quickly realised the importance of product-related insights and having product experts on board. When tackling architecture, infrastructure, and data-related queries, our initial step is still to understand the business motivations behind such changes.
For example, during digital transformations, our partners may be tempted to implement a high-tech spacecraft with all cutting-edge solutions, when a simple 4-wheel car could effectively meet their short-term business needs. Therefore, our journey always begins with the examination of the problem statement and aligning it with the company’s strategic goals, mapping changes to the broader plan of corporate development.
In these more technical requests, thinking about the product and business needs is crucial. It helps us to frame the technical work and gives our partners a clear picture of what’s needed and why.
Moving to Strategy and Business Consultancy
Over time, we noticed a growing need for dedicated product vision and strategy guidance for our partners. You might wonder how an external service provider can contribute to Business Consultancy for our partners.
A few years back, we took a chance and tried it out, and today, we’re confident that the service fulfils the demand. When partners seek an external perspective on business strategy, we assist with resolving the questions like:
- How to formulate clear goals among various options?
- How to define the major focus amidst competing stakeholders?
- How to define success so that we can evaluate further effort?
- How to optimise the resources and define which teams and skillsets will be needed?
- What is the outlined vision and scope of the future products?
- What is the competitive advantage and product positioning?
- How can we prognose investment and craft a persuasive narrative for investors?
In Strategy and Business Consultancy, we address all these matters. We try not to provide definitive answers like ‘invest or not’ – that’s always up to the business owners. Instead, we help to make those tough decisions, putting all the puzzle pieces together for a clear plan.
Taking the Initial Steps
But what about more straightforward situations? Even when business goals and focus are clear, kicking off a project can still be tricky. Partners might be uncertain about the necessity of an initiative, the associated costs, required skill sets, and the ideal team setup. That’s where we step in with dedicated Initiative Discovery. In such cases, we gather the needed information and clear away doubts.
A Changing Trend
In conclusion, we’re witnessing a change – businesses are looking deeper before investing in development, being more critical about the selection of technologies and solutions and carrying out a really prudent analysis of strategic goals. In this evolving environment, Product expertise has become a must for any product development or technical transformation.