We Sprint Like Usain

Design sprints, the Google Ventures wonder-child that has taken the tech world by storm. Why would you waste months of time and energy in the crucial first steps of a project, if you could get amazing results in just four days? A record-breaking speed track, made up of the greatest hits of business strategy, product design, UX, behavioural sciences and what not All of that leading up to the most valuable asset a company could wish for: customer feedback. It’s that speed-of-light mindset that makes us Sprint like Usain.

It takes two to make a thing go right!

Did you know 40 percent of IT projects are doomed to fail from the very start? And did you know that in 80 percent of these cases, this is caused by ill communication or project coordination? Did you?

It may seem easy to say “Like that will ever happen to me…”. Well, maybe the following statements speak to you:

• “Teams often work towards unclear goals as project scope changes repeatedly.”
• “Teams lack real data on which to base business decisions, instead relying on endless internal discussions.”
• “Teams have pressure to be ‘innovative’ but don’t know how to start.”
• “Product development cycles run too long, causing teams to lose enthusiasm and focus.”
  

These statements easily translate into the seven real reasons for informational technology projects to fail, based on an article by Forbes. Let’s take a look at those challenges and get you know exactly why we can solve those:

It all starts at the end, the goal or outcome of the project. What sounds like the easiest parameter to set up, ends up being the hardest one, which causes a lot issues on the way towards that ill-defined goal. By working with a team of in-company experts, we will plant the flag together and sail smoothly towards the stars and far beyond.

Speaking about those experts of yours, that includes you as well! By creating a cross-functional team, we’re sure to count on the buy-in from your end. This leadership that is often lacking in these projects, is exactly the molotov to this cocktail. Furthermore the accountability for these projects is carried by a broader party than just the IT department.

The process of a design sprint is built upon bringing a team together and creating an open conversation, which can only improve communication. The creative geniuses within the team can help out for the oh-so important designs, whereas others can work on the process mapping. All of this without endless discussions, since “working together apart” is way more efficient than “brainstorming” (world peace, am I right?). It’s child's play to see how communication here is key!

By ending up with a working prototype, we offer the best plan there is yet to be: the final product on the customer side. By using the prototype as a guideline for your project, the team can continue to look at the landing zone. Furthermore, this realistic facade is solely built for the user testing, which is great for catching customer feedback early in the process.

And last but not least, we know quite the thing about trying to solve the wrong problem. While conducting the little wonders that Design Sprints are, we often see a shift in mindset. We start off with a certain challenge, but after some minutes, it is easy to see how the problem is bigger or broader than initially thought.

These seven challenges are exactly what we are trying to solve here. Let’s join forces and get to know each other, we are looking forward to your challenge!