Pako Dattolo’s Reflection – Visualization & Prototyping - May 23rd, 2020

Challenge

While finishing my current project at A-1 Fence Products, with the customer we already started conversations  about the next project. It was already defined back in September but every time we talk about it, I have  the feeling that the customer is asking for something different. This next project has an explicit name,  Weekly Optimization, but while the goal is clear the deliverables were not documented that much.

In this reflection I will describe the exercise of how I am aligning the scope and deliverables of this new  project.

Selection

Visualization has one goal:

1. Making an idea more perceptible by other people by creating an artifact.

Prototyping shares the previous goal and incorporates the following one:

2. Testing a hypothesis through an experiment. Hence, the design of the artifact must be aligned

with the hypothesis to test.

Application & Insights

Exercise #1: if you do not do it somebody else will.

Visualization goal: Check if my proposal is what the customer wants.

Visualization: A project timeline describing the different stages of the project and the deliverables at each  stage.

Support: Microsoft Office Excel.

I organized a meeting with the customer titled “project plan presentation”. To the meeting I went with a  concrete proposal for the project in terms of scope and timeline to give the message that we have been  ideating for a long time and now it is time to start building it. After presenting the proposal the customer  did not like it. It had passed some time since the last talk he had the feeling that he did not cocreate that  solution. Hence, that the solution was not satisfying his needs. We agreed to have another meeting to  review the scope of the project.

Exercise #2: a little less conversation, a little more action please.

Visualization goal: Check if there is consensus on what do I have to deliver and how the customer´s goal  will be achieved.

Visualization: A list (edited in real time and available anytime by all the assistants) of the deliverables, how  the customer is going to use the deliverables to achieve the goal, and a commitment to deliver a mockup  of the interface delivering the results.

Support: Microsoft Office Teams meeting notes editable and shared in real time and available anytime by  all the assistants.

The second meeting was very productive. We reviewed the current process that I must substitute, and we  cocreated how the solution should be to improve the performance of his team. By the end of the  conversation I shared my screen and listed down the following:

“Outputs of the model to generate:

•  predicted success rate & predicted clearing ratio for the next (7) days

•  spot price for the next (7) days

•  sensitivity analysis or even a scenario generator

•  In a rolling basis (target 7 days)

With this model outputs the customer’s team expects to optimize the profit generation for the next (7)  days with a "solver" tool.

Produce an output prototype to visualize how the output form the model will look like.”

After writing it I read it out loud and asked the customer if it was correct. He said yes.

Exercise #3: what you see is what you get

Hypothesis to test: Is the idea of the solution useful for the customer?

Prototype: A mockup of the dashboard that will appear inside the customer’s software application with  the results of the calculations.

Support: Microsoft Office PowerPoint.

In the third meeting I showed the prototype to the customer and I asked him to explain me what he  thought what he was seeing was. He was able to understand the functionality of the tool prototyped.  Hence, I did a good job in terms of displaying the functionalities of the tool. He also commented on what  was he lacking in that picture and how should it be. So, we rearranged in real time the distribution of the  elements and added an additional one that was indeed very easy to do. The next step was to generate a  more elaborated prototype taking care also about the aesthetics of the development.

Approach

One of the problems that I faced was willingness by the other part to engage on this visual documentation.  For those not acquainted with Design Thinking or innovation, these techniques may sound irrelevant or  childish. Unfortunately, I observe too often that in my customers a very wrong mindset about innovation.  Such as expecting to succeed in 100% of the innovation initiatives.

But I also must take part of the responsibility. My goal for the future is to evangelize or explain better the  innovation landscape and the set of tools we must tackle our challenges.


Pako Dattolo ’s Reflection – Visualization & Prototyping - May 23rd , 2020 Challenge While finishing my current project at A-1 Fence Products , with the customer we already started conversations about the next project . It was already defined back in September but every time we talk about it , I have the feeling that the customer is asking for something different . This next project has an explicit name , Weekly Optimization , but while the goal is clear the deliverables were not documented that much . In this reflection I will describe the exercise of how I am aligning the scope and deliverables of this new project . Selection Visualization has one goal : 1 . Making an idea more perceptible by other people by creating an artifact . Prototyping shares the previous goal and incorporates the following one : 2 . Testing a hypothesis through an experiment . Hence , the design of the artifact must be aligned with the hypothesis to test . Application & Insights Exercise # 1 : if you do not do it somebody else will . Visualization goal : Check if my proposal is what the customer wants . Visualization : A project timeline describing the different stages of the project and the deliverables at each stage . Support : Microsoft Office Excel . I organized a meeting with the customer titled “ project plan presentation ” . To the meeting I went with a concrete proposal for the project in terms of scope and timeline to give the message that we have been ideating for a long time and now it is time to start building it . After presenting the proposal the customer did not like it . It had passed some time since the last talk he had the feeling that he did not cocreate that solution . Hence , that the solution was not satisfying his needs . We agreed to have another meeting to review the scope of the project . Exercise # 2 : a little less conversation , a little more action please . Visualization goal : Check if there is consensus on what do I have to deliver and how the customer´s goal will be achieved . Visualization : A list ( edited in real time and available anytime by all the assistants ) of the deliverables , how the customer is going to use the deliverables to achieve the goal , and a commitment to deliver a mockup of the interface delivering the results . Support : Microsoft Office Teams meeting notes editable and shared in real time and available anytime by all the assistants . The second meeting was very productive . We reviewed the current process that I must substitute , and we cocreated how the solution should be to improve the performance of his team . By the end of the conversation I shared my screen and listed down the following : “ Outputs of the model to generate : • predicted success rate & predicted clearing ratio for the next ( 7 ) days • spot price for the next ( 7 ) days • sensitivity analysis or even a scenario generator • In a rolling basis ( target 7 days ) With this model outputs the customer ’s team expects to optimize the profit generation for the next ( 7 ) days with a " solver " tool . Produce an output prototype to visualize how the output form the model will look like . ” After writing it I read it out loud and asked the customer if it was correct . He said yes . Exercise # 3 : what you see is what you get Hypothesis to test : Is the idea of the solution useful for the customer ? Prototype : A mockup of the dashboard that will appear inside the customer ’s software application with the results of the calculations . Support : Microsoft Office PowerPoint . In the third meeting I showed the prototype to the customer and I asked him to explain me what he thought what he was seeing was . He was able to understand the functionality of the tool prototyped . Hence , I did a good job in terms of displaying the functionalities of the tool . He also commented on what was he lacking in that picture and how should it be . So , we rearranged in real time the distribution of the elements and added an additional one that was indeed very easy to do . The next step was to generate a more elaborated prototype taking care also about the aesthetics of the development . Approach One of the problems that I faced was willingness by the other part to engage on this visual documentation . For those not acquainted with Design Thinking or innovation , these techniques may sound irrelevant or childish . Unfortunately , I observe too often that in my customers a very wrong mindset about innovation . Such as expecting to succeed in 100 % of the innovation initiatives . But I also must take part of the responsibility . My goal for the future is to evangelize or explain better the innovation landscape and the set of tools we must tackle our challenges .