The cherished solution space
Once upon a time there was a Canadian railway company. It was successful and transported people and goods from east to west and back. The company grew and optimized its staff and its trains and its routes. The success led to great satisfaction among the entrepreneur and his employees. They were all railway workers and that was a good thing. After all, it was a railroad business and they loved that.
Years later, there was not much left of this railway company. Fewer people and fewer goods were transported. The costs were too high, personnel were dismissed, lines were shut down. But why? The company thought it was in the railroad business. In reality, however, it was in the transport business. In the meantime, trucks and airplanes offered good alternatives for the transport of people and goods. However, the railway workers did not notice this, or at least much too late. They also much preferred to stay in their solution space. They were railway workers out of passion.
“Get out of the solution space” is the message. Don’t fall in love with your own technologies and stick to them.
Steve Jobs has explained exactly this insight well in this famous video: It is not expedient to develop products based on technology. Instead, you should start in the problem room: What should the customer do with the product? Which problem should be solved? It’s about picking up the customer and satisfying their needs. It doesn’t make sense to love and develop your own great technologies and then ask yourself who you can somehow sell this technology to.