{"id":108909,"date":"2023-07-22T12:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T16:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=108909"},"modified":"2023-07-27T10:23:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T14:23:13","slug":"customer-centric-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/customer-centric-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of a Customer-Centric Approach in Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the benefits of a customer-centric approach in business? Why is it advised to keep business strategies simple and straightforward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re running a company, the customer should always be at the center of your focus. Anything other than that creates a complicated system<\/a> that ultimately fails because projects grow out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading for a customer-centric approach that keeps things in moderation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Simplicity and Focus on the Customer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In The Unicorn Project<\/em>, Gene Kim’s customer-centric approach can be summed up by the ancient words of wisdom, \u201cKeep it simple, stupid.\u201d Not only does this refer to small, tightly focused projects directed toward singular goals, but it also means always keeping an eye on the needs of the customer<\/em> as a guiding star. We find that while other authors agree that simplicity is an important goal, they suggest that complexity can\u2019t be done away with, innovation should only be applied in moderation, and that simplicity is most important as it’s perceived by a product\u2019s end user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kim\u2019s story, the Phoenix Project went off the rails when its original purpose\u2014to provide an online ordering system\u2014became lost under a growing mountain of added functionality and demands for new features from other business departments. This created a nonstop growth of scope and complexity that became so untenable the project couldn\u2019t move forward. Kim argues that part of the job of project management should be to reduce complexity<\/a><\/strong> and not to let projects grow out of control. While that can be true of any business project, in the world of software, Kim recommends functional programming<\/em> as a means to achieve simplicity in design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Functional programming<\/a> is a technique for writing software that builds computer programs out of units of code that exist independently of the data they process<\/a>. Common functional programming languages include Haskell<\/a>, Erlang<\/a>, and Clojure<\/a>. The most popular alternative to functional programming is object-oriented programming<\/a>, which primarily structures software around bundles of data, characteristics, and code<\/a>. Object-oriented programming languages include C++<\/a>, Python<\/a>, and Java<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim also reminds us that any project within a business has to serve the goals of the business, which inevitably amounts to meeting the needs of the customer. This serves as a test of any new project or added software feature\u2014will it further the business and give customers what they want? In the name of simplicity, Kim recommends that any single project shouldn\u2019t try to accomplish too much at once. Instead, a new, simple project should be created to meet new customer demands rather than adding to and complicating an existing project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge of Complexity<\/strong>

In The Mythical Man-Month<\/em><\/a>, IBM\u2019s Frederick Brooks discusses complexity in Kim\u2019s context of software development, but with implications for any organization. The primary obstacle Brooks found was the number of people and software components that had to coordinate with each other<\/a>. (In the place of software components, you can theoretically substitute any business tool or operation.) Furthermore, each new person or component multiplies <\/em>a project\u2019s complexity instead of merely adding to it. Brooks argues that complexity can\u2019t be done away with, but it can be managed and reduced.<\/strong> His solutions include limiting the size and scope of teams<\/a> and setting realistic expectations for the schedule<\/a> regarding a project\u2019s completion.

In Kim\u2019s story, Unicorn differs from Phoenix in that it\u2019s a small project instead of a huge one. In Great by Choice<\/em><\/a>, Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen show that companies who successfully <\/em>innovate do so in small doses,<\/strong> adopting a \u201cbullets before cannonballs\u201d approach.<\/a> Before attempting a large-scale project, they experiment with a smaller version of the concept which can later be scaled up if it produces positive results. The characteristics of a good, simple test project are that it\u2019s low-cost, low-risk, and doesn\u2019t disrupt the company\u2019s regular operations.<\/a>

Kim\u2019s litmus test for pursuing a project is customer orientation\u2014how will it benefit the product\u2019s end user? In User Friendly<\/em><\/a>, Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant explain why customer focus and simplicity of design are becoming crucial in the age of information<\/a>.<\/strong> Hard-to-use technologies create complications on the consumer side, ranging from annoyance to maddening frustration. Since technology is so embedded in every aspect of contemporary life, tech innovations should simplify some aspect of the customer\u2019s life<\/a> and provide clear feedback as to whether the product works,<\/a> which dovetails into Kim\u2019s next principle. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are the benefits of a customer-centric approach in business? Why is it advised to keep business strategies simple and straightforward? If you’re running a company, the customer should always be at the center of your focus. Anything other than that creates a complicated system that ultimately fails because projects grow out of control. Continue reading for a customer-centric approach that keeps things in moderation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":12100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,14,30],"tags":[1108],"class_list":["post-108909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-management","category-work","tag-the-unicorn-project","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Importance of a Customer-Centric Approach in Business - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The customer is giving you money, so they need to be your top priority. 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