I have become a formal student. Again. In the evenings. I am taking a course on 'Design Implementation - taking an idea to market'.
In the course of my varied career I have had the privilege of sorting out different types of problems. Some had to do with information technology. Some were process design or re-design. I also taught students early in my career. At times I counseled some senior leaders in a business on perspective. Fresh set of eyes or something like that.
Now I am curious about the formality of design. How does one design? An object, a service or a process. What are the goals of design? What cues do you pay attention to? What makes it worthwhile?
All of the above I realized could also be summed in a quote I read during my time as an engineer taking Total Quality classes - What problem are you trying to solve? It is harder than it sounds. Can take days to define and define well.
Someone looking for a drill bit is not looking for a tool they are looking to make a hole. Do they really need that hole? One needs to drill down deep to find the root problem. Maybe they want to hang a photograph. What they really want is a way to preserve a memory. A drill is only a drill not the problem to be solved.
I am also able to network with sharper minds in the audience at this campus and it is helpful as much as listening to the professor to expand one's horizon.
More once I finish this program in the summer and a sanity check on what I learned. Let's hope.
In the course of my varied career I have had the privilege of sorting out different types of problems. Some had to do with information technology. Some were process design or re-design. I also taught students early in my career. At times I counseled some senior leaders in a business on perspective. Fresh set of eyes or something like that.
Now I am curious about the formality of design. How does one design? An object, a service or a process. What are the goals of design? What cues do you pay attention to? What makes it worthwhile?
All of the above I realized could also be summed in a quote I read during my time as an engineer taking Total Quality classes - What problem are you trying to solve? It is harder than it sounds. Can take days to define and define well.
Someone looking for a drill bit is not looking for a tool they are looking to make a hole. Do they really need that hole? One needs to drill down deep to find the root problem. Maybe they want to hang a photograph. What they really want is a way to preserve a memory. A drill is only a drill not the problem to be solved.
I am also able to network with sharper minds in the audience at this campus and it is helpful as much as listening to the professor to expand one's horizon.
More once I finish this program in the summer and a sanity check on what I learned. Let's hope.
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