Vicki Mahi

Reflection - Storytelling for IT Solutions

Challenge I work in a division of new IT back office solutions, such as connectivity, data and application integration, quality and master data management platforms. My group works in parallel with a group that works front solutions, where the majority of the customers interlocutors are not technical, they are managers of customer facing applications, such as CRM, eCommerce, Marketing Campaigns Platforms, among others. Likewise, the sales team that offers the solutions to our clients have a non-technical profile, mainly oriented to profiles such as Sales Managers, Marketing Managers and Business areas leaders in general. When we offer solutions as an holistic portfolio, it does not seem that the part of data integration sounds interesting or indispensable in a project where the decision makers were not IT members, and the products were acquired without the integration components, which eventually, during the development of the project generated inconvenience and delays. My team and I had to find a way that from the first session with a potential client, with a brief pitch, they understood the importance of integrating and adopting a data integration solution, not from a technical point of view, but from a business point of view, that touched the fibers of their needs.

Selection & Application To meet this challenge we decided to work with the storytelling tool, looking to move away from traditional technical and product presentations and looking to give a different message about the impact that can be added or not to a data integration component. We created an official presentation deck of these integration products, through a 7-minute storytelling, during which the deck featured 4 characters of a typical company: a marketing manager, a BI manager, an Innovation manager and an IT manager. The story began by describing a company that urgently wanted to join a digital

transformation plan to modernize its processes, encompass more markets and be positioned as an agile and innovative company. Each character told their needs from a business point of view and non-technical terms. During the development of the story, the character of IT Manager was showing in his facial expressions, the growing concern about the risks of not having how to deal with so many requirements of the user areas, lack of centralised management to integrate new technologies with existing ones and the desperation of not being able to comply in time with the company’s digital innovation roadmap. The result was excellent, given that the interlocutors, all of business profiles and user areas were reflected in each of the characters and understood even at an emotional level the complexities requirements for an IT area, what opened them up to

Vicki Mahi

hearing more about these types of products and how they could contribute to the success of a customer facing project.

Insight & Approach Although I already knew the storytelling tool, this course opened my mind to putting it into practice on other occasions, not only in the sales discourse towards potential customers, but also thinking about the challenges we have within our own company, to make the different business units sensitive to each other, to always propose a comprehensive solution, and to raise even more awareness of the challenges that each unit has. The storytelling tool initially seemed to me a titanic task where I felt the need for graphic design experts to intervene for its execution, but I realize that anyone can draw a good story since it connects to the emotions and needs previously identified during the What Is process. By establishing the alternatives and considerations of a situation through the question What If, the storytelling tool allows us to create an increasingly complete and connected story, which is complemented with a visualization tool, makes the Design Thinking process closer to each person involved.


Vicki Mahi Reflection - Storytelling for IT Solutions Challenge I work in a division of new IT back office solutions , such as connectivity , data and application integration , quality and master data management platforms . My group works in parallel with a group that works front solutions , where the majority of the customers interlocutors are not technical , they are managers of customer facing applications , such as CRM , eCommerce , Marketing Campaigns Platforms , among others . Likewise , the sales team that offers the solutions to our clients have a non - technical profile , mainly oriented to profiles such as Sales Managers , Marketing Managers and Business areas leaders in general . When we offer solutions as an holistic portfolio , it does not seem that the part of data integration sounds interesting or indispensable in a project where the decision makers were not IT members , and the products were acquired without the integration components , which eventually , during the development of the project generated inconvenience and delays . My team and I had to find a way that from the first session with a potential client , with a brief pitch , they understood the importance of integrating and adopting a data integration solution , not from a technical point of view , but from a business point of view , that touched the fibers of their needs . Selection & Application To meet this challenge we decided to work with the storytelling tool , looking to move away from traditional technical and product presentations and looking to give a different message about the impact that can be added or not to a data integration component . We created an official presentation deck of these integration products , through a 7 - minute storytelling , during which the deck featured 4 characters of a typical company : a marketing manager , a BI manager , an Innovation manager and an IT manager . The story began by describing a company that urgently wanted to join a digital transformation plan to modernize its processes , encompass more markets and be positioned as an agile and innovative company . Each character told their needs from a business point of view and non - technical terms . During the development of the story , the character of IT Manager was showing in his facial expressions , the growing concern about the risks of not having how to deal with so many requirements of the user areas , lack of centralised management to integrate new technologies with existing ones and the desperation of not being able to comply in time with the company ’s digital innovation roadmap . The result was excellent , given that the interlocutors , all of business profiles and user areas were reflected in each of the characters and understood even at an emotional level the complexities requirements for an IT area , what opened them up to Vicki Mahi hearing more about these types of products and how they could contribute to the success of a customer facing project . Insight & Approach Although I already knew the storytelling tool , this course opened my mind to putting it into practice on other occasions , not only in the sales discourse towards potential customers , but also thinking about the challenges we have within our own company , to make the different business units sensitive to each other , to always propose a comprehensive solution , and to raise even more awareness of the challenges that each unit has . The storytelling tool initially seemed to me a titanic task where I felt the need for graphic design experts to intervene for its execution , but I realize that anyone can draw a good story since it connects to the emotions and needs previously identified during the What Is process . By establishing the alternatives and considerations of a situation through the question What If , the storytelling tool allows us to create an increasingly complete and connected story , which is complemented with a visualization tool , makes the Design Thinking process closer to each person involved .