What is the string of actions?
This question focuses and accelerates a developmental cycle.
This question requires three skills.
One. Understand correlation and causation. Do Nicholas Cage movies cause drowning or is it just correlated?
There are two ways to see causation.
Formula. In domains with strong rules, like physics, there are formulas like F = MA. Force equals mass times acceleration. If the goal is “more force” then the design increases mass or acceleration.
Time and space. If something precedes something else through time and space then it may be causation.
Two: Cause and effects within systems, aka you can’t do just one thing. Bob and Greg talk about making soap and note that fat-based scents negatively interact with other properties.
The F=MA formula is a cause and effect that exists within other cause-and-effect systems, like economics. If Apple wanted to make the iPhone sturdier, it could reduce the Force of impact by changing the Mass - but that requires a costlier metal, a smaller battery, etc.
Three: Right to Left Thinking. This is demand-side thinking: what progress do people want to make? Left-to-right thinking is supply-side thinking: what can we build?
“When I start on the left with inputs,” said Moesta, “I think of all the possible things I can do. It’s divergent possibilities. But if I start with the outcome in mind and consider the necessary outputs, it’s very focused and I develop much quicker.”
Homework #1: Unpack a situation and determine if it’s causation or correlation. Can you write a formula?
Homework #2: Think of the system your product or service sits within. Are the things you can control contributing to the outcome? For structure use a fishbone diagram.