Value Creation

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Money grows on trees—the tree is a metaphor for your mind.


Defining a problem is the first step to solving it, but have you ever considered the value your solution will create?

Before jumping into problem-solving, it's crucial to ask: Is this the right problem to tackle, and is solving it worth the cost?

As professionals—especially in tech—it’s easy to fall into the habit of building solutions without pausing to assess whether the effort aligns with the value it delivers.

For example, imagine spending weeks building an automated self-watering system for a cactus.

Sure, it’s a cool project, but was it really worth the time and resources? After all, a cactus only needs watering once a week, and it would take less than a minute to do it yourself.

Sometimes, solving the problem manually is the most effective and resource-efficient option.

Your salary is directly linked to the value you bring to a company, and time and energy are finite resources. How we choose to allocate them significantly impacts the outcomes of our work.

Every process involves trade-offs, and it’s your responsibility to evaluate the pros and cons of adding, removing, or automating specific steps in your solution.

With that in mind, here are some practical ways to ensure you’re consistently adding value:


Identify Who Needs Your Solution

Ensure alignment by engaging stakeholders early in the process to clarify their expectations.


Understand the Impact

Quantify the impact in terms of time saved, money earned, or risks mitigated.

Challenge Assumptions

Conduct interviews or surveys with those affected by the problem to gather insights.

Conduct Research

Analyze whether similar problems have been solved before and what you can learn from them.


Value creation isn’t just about solving problems; it’s about solving the right problems—the ones that maximize impact and minimize waste. By strategically aligning your efforts with meaningful challenges, you position yourself as a driver of value in your organization.


Resources

Book : Essentialism: The Discipline Pursuit of Less

10 Tips to Create Value in Business

Increasing Your Value

Define the Problem - Correctly

Google Scholar for Research


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