Make sure you're solving the right problem!
- Eric Thorsen
- May 10, 2024
- 2 min read
We often have clients coming to us for help to accelerate initiatives around a technology stack they lack experience with.
=> Implementing a Serverless architecture for a project.
=> Setting up Kubernetes for their CI/CD pipelines for deploying software.
=> Migrating from one relational database to an open source less expensive relational database, etc.
Each case above is a specific solution. But, they are not tied to the actual business problem being addressed.
We like to ask a lot of questions before moving forward with anything. One of the more powerful ways is using the "5 Whys".
Keep asking "Why". For each response, dig deeper.
Why do you want to user Kubernetes?
=> We believe it will speed up our deployments.
Why is that important?
=> Two of our senior engineers are tied up for two days during a deployment that must be done on the weekends.
Why is that important?
=> Since we cannot afford to have them out of pocket for that much time, we limit the number of deployments to 3x a year. Our competitors update their systems weekly. We are also worried about asking them to work more weekends in order to stay competitive...
You can start to see that the business problem has little to do with Kubernetes and more to do with resources and staying competitive with the frequency of enhancements to their systems.
Having this level of alignment with customer allowed us to provide a solution that addressed their business problem without Kubernetes.
(don't misunderstand me - K8s solves many problems really well - it was just not required for this use case).
We use this style of probing for most 'solutions' that are proposed....to ensure we are solving the right problem.
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