Solution discovery, where the innovation magic happens

I’ve already written a few articles about solution discovery:

• Discovery has two sides, problem discovery, which is when we understand the problem we want to solve, and solution discovery, which is when we test hypotheses for a solution to the problem.
• Discovery is not a process, it’s a toolbox that helps mitigate the risks of developing a product that may not work.
• The main reason why products fail is that we do problem discovery and from there, we go straight to delivery, that is, we don’t do solution discovery.

I hope these articles have helped you to understand the importance of solution discovery, of testing solution hypotheses before starting delivery, for delivering the product or functionality.

If these three articles weren’t enough to convince you of the importance of solution discovery, let me give you one more reason:

It is in solution discovery that we are most likely to create an innovation.

It is at this point that we begin to create and evaluate hypotheses for a solution. This is the best time for the team to find new and innovative solutions to the issues discovered during issue discovery.

McDonald’s kitchen layout

The example I’m going to give of innovation happening in a solution discovery is the example of creating a McDonald’s kitchen layout. Richard and Maurice McDonald, known as the McDonald Brothers, were American businessmen who founded the fast food company McDonald’s. Their story was told in the movie Hunger for Power, and there’s a very interesting scene where the McDonald brothers explain how they discovered the best kitchen layout to speed up order processing. A very interesting solution discovery process that generated an innovation, which they call “Speedee System”:

In-company Product Management Continuing Education Program

My newest product is the In-company Product Management Continuing Education Program, to help you and your team increase your knowledge about product management concepts, principles, and tools and, consequently, increase the success rate of your digital product endeavors.

This product is made up of 3 elements:

• Kick-off talk for the entire company, entitled Lessons Learned from a Digital Transformation, where I present practical examples of how product culture can enhance a company’s digitalization journey.
• Monthly training sessions on product management and digital transformation topics, to help company people learn about concepts, principles, and tools that help create successful digital products. There is a standard sequence, which can be revised to suit the company’s needs. All product and design people, technology leaders, and leaders from other company areas must participate in this training. For more details about the content, access this document.
• Mentoring, individual or group sessions, where we work on topics seen in training or other topics that are relevant.

Sessions can be in-person or remote! Check out what people are saying about my services.

Does it make sense for your company? Let’s talk! Feel free to contact me through email or WhatsApp, or schedule an appointment on my calendar.

Workshops, coaching, and advisory services

I’ve been helping companies and their leaders (CPOs, heads of product, CTOs, CEOs, tech founders, and heads of digital transformation) bridge the gap between business and technology through workshops, coaching, and advisory services on product management and digital transformation.

Newsletter

I write regularly about product management, product development, digital product leadership, and digital transformation. You can receive a notification whenever I publish a new article without depending on any social network algorithms to notify you! Just subscribe to my newsletter.

Digital Product Management Books

Do you work with digital products? Do you want to know more about managing a digital product to increase its chances of success, solve its user’s problems and achieve the company objectives? Check out my Digital Product Management bundle with my 3 books, where I share what I learned during my 30+ years of experience in creating and managing digital products:

• Startup Guide: How startups and established companies can create profitable digital products
• Product Management: How to increase the chances of success of your digital product
• Leading Product Development: The art and science of managing product teams

You can also acquire the books individually by clicking on their titles above.