If all my ideas have worked I would have climbed a few steps more. For the things it worked, Why it works? Why does it take so long to sell an idea? Does collaboration really work in action vs wishes of leadership expectations? To understand I wanted to look back at some paths in my history.
Sometimes when we look back we know why certain initiatives took so long, Why it works the way it works. This goes back to my Microsoft days XBOX supply chain Team. I was working with Program Management, Product Management, Support, and QA Team. The Product Management Team works closely with the Business Team.
Every Team has its own priorities.
- Product management - Support Release Xbox, Xbox360 new type consoles with required code changes
- Business - Setup new plants, identify new vendors, reduce Red Light Repair issues, Increase Warranty
- Support Team - Reduce the number of customer issues
- IT Team - Support all the priorities for business / qa / features etc
One issue of the customer writing an email about the warranty in the system is not correct. After a few executive-level escalations. It boils down, We spot there are issues with the way we store. To sort out the issue we provide a free warranty.
When I moved to Amazon, the Initial few days I was listening to another Team debating a similar workflow of repair order flow. I was thinking that everywhere edge cases are the big discussion items.
As we go along keep fixing, and adding new features. This system was one good enough system that tracks cradle to death of Xbox. Manufacturing, shipment, repair, fulfillment, sales, warranty, refurbishment, scrap. Everything was there about the console.
Every time when I hear these in JDs / Ecom Supply chain / Repair functional roles. I feel long back we had done all this as an in-house product.
The core of it is warranty tied to a customer is a much better approach than a warranty mapped to a console. The order of transactions when they are out of sequence is created out of sequence status and we could keep track of update sequence vs delayed delivery of transactions.
I was able to work with my mentor Roji to build a prototype. It took so long release over release to recommend it to put in production. It had data migration, and a core engine but overall the changes were worth it. After a year when there were no priority projects, An initiative like that picked up this item. At least I didn't see any other announcement of a free warranty extension :) post-implementation.
I was wondering why did it take so long, Idea is necessary, we know dirty records in the system due to the sequence of transactions. There is effort and impact. The priorities across each function, business vs selling / pushing new ideas across functions take time.
What other options could have made it work?
- If each function thinks about its own priorities it is not effective collaboration.
- Sometimes when we solve a problem we need to think beyond fixing the current fire.
- Everything is driven by a cost center. Fix now, Move on let's check later. The perspective of how the next customer should not go through the same issue needs a collective lens, not a function-based
- Innovation in a way is looking beyond daily functions and seeing what matters more from a customer perspective
- Keeping every function busy, planning back to back new items vs slow and steady everything has its own tradeoff/results
- Sometimes even pushing idea visibility with title / connecting with leadership helps
- If every team thinks from a customer point of view there would be more consumer-focused collaborative efforts than thinking based on individual function priorities.
The true essence of collaboration needs closer coordination, understanding, and planning across functions with customers as the epicenter of focus.
Keep Thinking!!!
