Introduction
Creating value means going beyond the scope of work and providing extra benefits or solutions that can enhance the Client's business.
It can be anything from suggesting improvements or features that can improve user experience to providing solutions that can limit costs and maximize profits for the business.
💡PRO TIP
By creating value, you can show your initiative, creativity, and expertise. The first step is to acquire a business mindset.
1. Understand business goals
Before you start working on any engagement, you need to understand what your client wants to achieve and why.
- Research the client’s industry, product, and mission
- Invest time in understanding the client's business model and their definition of success
2. Offer solutions beyond coding
While coding skills are obviously important in the world of programming, being successful in this field takes much more than just technical ability. It’s about solving problems, creating value, and making a difference.
- Ensure that all technical solutions are aligned with the client's business objectives, needs, and timeline
- Bring in alternative perspectives based on your previous experience
- Speak up if you know better ways of solving a problem
Consultant Mindset 💡
Cultivating a consultant mindset is essential for navigating the challenges and complexities of software development and our customers expect a developer who won’t just “take orders”, but also provide valuable inputs.
Consultants are advisors. They help people understand and solve problems. Being a consultant means earning the freedom to think and act at a higher level than “executor” or “order-taker.”
3. Take the lead and trigger continuous innovation
Let’s get practical! Here you have some hands-on ideas on how to ensure you’re continuously adding value through innovation:
- Ensure that all technical solutions are aligned with the client's business objectives, needs, and timeline
- Bring in alternative perspectives based on your previous experience
- Speak up if you know better ways of solving a problem
💡 Types of suggestions to look for: Suggestion winning trust (low development effort & low business impact) and Ideal suggestions winning trust (low development effort & high business impact)
4. Fluent with non-technical stakeholders
How can you avoid uncertainty and misunderstandings when you share your ideas, talk about your work, or propose a solution?
- Express complex technical concepts in an easy-to-follow way for non-technical stakeholders
- Research the background of the people you meet and adapt your language to the audience
- Use simple and relatable vocabulary.
Get rid of the uncertainty
When you suggest an idea or a strategy, assume that they don’t understand at least some part of it. Think about it this way- what you are presenting is some unknown or incompletely understood thing. This creates uncertainty in the mind of a non-technical client.
Uncertainty keeps you from making decisions.
💡PRO TIP
Focus on eliminating uncertainty. Show clearly how your solution connects to everything else. Explain how taking this action leads to a result they want & how it’s linked to a strategic objective.
Food for thought 🤓
- What comes to mind when you hear the word 'value'?
- What is your developer superpower?
- What is one thing that you would need to change in order to adopt a consultant mindset?
- What is one of your tips for dealing with non-technical clients?