Four steps from a messy problem to a clear plan.
Most technology projects go wrong before anyone writes code: they jump from a problem nobody has checked to a solution nobody has tested. These four steps stop that from happening.
Open up, then narrow down. Twice.
First we explore the problem widely and narrow it down to the one worth solving. Only then do we explore solutions and narrow them down to the one worth building.
PROBLEM
I don’t start with feature requests. I start with how the work really happens: the constraints, the bottlenecks, the workarounds and the business goals that decide what is worth building.
What is really causing the problem?
Is this a software problem, or a process problem?
What happens if we do nothing?
VALUE
A feature nobody can put a value on is a cost, not an asset. I work out how solving the problem will pay off: saved time, lower cost, reduced risk, more revenue or better adoption. This becomes the Value Impact Map.
How does fixing this affect revenue or cost?
How quickly should it pay for itself?
Which numbers will show it worked?
SOLUTION
The best answer is rarely just new screens. I find the smallest change that delivers the value, whether that’s a process redesign, a workflow change or a new digital product.
What is the smallest change that delivers most of the value?
What should we deliberately not build?
How does it fit with the systems you already have?
MEASURE
Delivery isn’t the finish line. Before anything is built, we agree which numbers will show it worked and how to track them, so your team can measure the result long after my part is done.
Will people actually choose to use it?
Will the process really get faster?
What should we watch for once it’s live?
DEFINE: from idea to plan in two weeks
Think of it as a Sprint 0 that focuses on business value, not on starting the build. Six steps, each building on the last.
Know your users
Interviews and a persona workshop: who your users are, what they need and what they don’t want.
Map the ideas
Everything you could build, written as user stories and laid out along the user journey.
Value Impact Map
Business goals linked to measurable outcomes: the North Star that drives every priority.
Scope the MVP
The least you can build for the most impact, plus a clear list of what not to build yet.
Flows and mockups
The key workflows mapped and made visible, so risks show up before anyone writes code.
Roadmap
Features placed in order, with dependencies mapped and a success metric on each.
Nothing exotic. Just the right tools, used together.
The method draws on established product and design practices, combined so that every step stays tied to business value.
Double Diamond
Explore widely, then narrow down: first on the problem, then on the solution.
Continuous Discovery
Start from outcomes, learn from real user stories, and test the riskiest assumptions early.
Impact Mapping
Link business goals to the people whose behaviour must change, and only then to features.
User Story Mapping
Lay out the whole user journey, then slice the smallest release that works end to end.
Agile
Short cycles, and a plan the delivery team can pick up straight away.
“Good product design isn’t just designing screens. It’s designing the path from problem to value.”