"We know better than they do about what's needed." Whenever you hear an influential member of your team utter those words, fasten your safety belt. The team is nearing the Twilight Zone.

The person saying, "We know better than they do about what's needed," is referring to the customer.

When decision-makers say "We don't have time for their feedback--we'll get it during the Beta," welcome to the Twilight Zone. The time period during which the development team completely severs its communication link with the customer.

It's costly to stop talking to your customer. And it's especially costly when the product's foundation is being poured. Failures during the Beta will reveal some of the design faults in the foundation. But discovery happens after substantial parts rest upon the foundation.

Propping up and repairing the foundation is, at best, difficult and costly. At worst, the foundation can't be repaired, which means:

• starting over;
• terminating the product; or
  
• working around the cracks throughout the life of the product.
  

Why do decision-makers choose to sever communication with the customer? My experience is that decision-makers don't believe they will receive the results they need from the development process. Possible reasons include misunderstandings about the process and lacking faith in it.

Misunderstandings can be cleared up and faith restored through process renewal, which will also renew the organization and its individuals.

Renewal requires changing the organization's status quo so it can become more effective. Shouldn't that happen naturally? In some organizations it does. But in most organizations, it's an unnatural act so engaging outside help increases the success of renewal efforts.

Outsiders can see the obvious that people inside the organization who are wedded to the status quo can't. And an outside coach has tools for working through the inevitable resistance that bogs down efforts to change things that have become familiar to people in the organization.

Process renewal typically includes many of the following elements:

• Creating a safe environment where everyone can contribute
  
• Making the process visible so everyone can explore and improve it
• Comparing the visible process with the process of similar organizations that are more effective
  
• Renewing the process by closing the gaps between yours and the more effective organizations
  
• Testing the renewed process by walking through it with the members of the organization
  
• Transforming the process again based on feedback from the walk-through(s)
  
• Running periodic retrospectives to discover the parts of the process that are working and the parts that aren't
  
• Preserving parts that are working; renewing parts that aren't.
  

If your organization keeps straying into the Twilight Zone, renew your process. Don't buy into statements that imply that the development team knows things better than the customer. They don't. Stay in continuous communication with your customer throughout the development process. Use their feedback to build a solid foundation and reliable structures that don't cost you dearly to rebuild or work around later.

©2007 Steven M Smith

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