Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes understanding the needs and desires of stakeholders and using that understanding to create desirable, feasible, and sustainable solutions. At the core of Design Thinking is creating delight for stakeholders, whether they are customers, employees, shareholders, or other groups.
In SAFe, design thinking is a crucial component of the Continuous Exploration stage.
This process encourages frequent releases that allow for and collects customer feedback, which can then be integrated into planning while leveraging the organisation's innovation capacity. By using design thinking, teams can ensure that the solution they create is not only desired by customers but also feasible, economically viable, and sustainable over the solution's natural lifecycle.
But can everyone be delighted? The answer is yes, on a spectrum.
Different stakeholders have different desires and needs, and it is the job of design thinking to determine what those are and create solutions that meet them. This is not contrary to lean thinking but rather an extension of it. By focusing on creating delight for stakeholders, organizations can simplify their operations and reduce waste by focusing on what is most important to their customers and users.
So what is delightful for different stakeholders? For a finance person, it might be accurate numbers and cost savings.
For a marketing person, it might be a well-designed and effective campaign. But it is the job of design thinking to determine what delight means for each stakeholder and create solutions that at least satisfy them, if not delight them.
Isn't This Contrary to Lean Thinking?
Some might argue that delighting stakeholders goes against lean thinking, which emphasizes minimizing waste and maximizing value. However, in the SAFe framework, delighting stakeholders is the simplest way to delight your customer. By understanding what delights each stakeholder, teams can create a solution that satisfies everyone, if not delights them all.
Cost, correct numbers, and accuracy are delightful for a finance person. To create a solution that delights all stakeholders, it is essential to understand what delights each stakeholder, including those in finance.
Do Marketing People Have the Same Delights?
No, marketing people do not have the same delights as finance people. It is the team's job to determine what delight means for each stakeholder and to create a solution that satisfies everyone, if not delights them all.
This process takes time and effort, but it is well worth it. Organizations can collect customer feedback and integrate it into planning by continually exploring and releasing new solutions, leading to more innovative and effective solutions. As a result, it is a holistic approach to problem-solving that creates delight for all stakeholders and ensures that solutions are feasible, economically viable, and sustainable over their natural lifecycle.
How Much Time Will All This Take? Is it Lean? Will You Ever Come to a Consensus on What Delight and How to Delight Everyone?
Delight is a hard thing to produce for everyone all the time. There are opportunities to create alignment and delight that are desirable, viable, feasible, and sustainable. While it may take some time to determine what delights each stakeholder and how to create a solution that satisfies everyone, using design thinking and the SAFe framework can help teams achieve this goal. When done well, the team can create a solution that delights stakeholders and is desirable, viable, feasible, and sustainable over the solution's natural lifecycle.
In conclusion, Design Thinking is a powerful tool for creating delight for stakeholders, whether customers, employees, shareholders, or other groups. By understanding the needs and desires of stakeholders and using that understanding to create desirable, feasible, and sustainable solutions, organizations can simplify their operations, reduce waste, and create long-term value for all stakeholders.