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The Basics of Making the Right Product
Even if it is just falafels
Cooking and household chores can be a useful lighthearted analogy for project and change management. And why not — each assumes the existence of objectives, planning, requirements, and the final outcome that delivers expected value.
This story is inspired by falafels. As I’ve never attempted to cook them before, it can be compared to delivering a new product to customers. Each phase of the falafel execution reminds of typical phases in product development.
Falafels may be less complex than other products you will work on, so don’t be too critical. You may need other phases of the development life cycle that I skipped this time, but the basics still stand.
1) Build or buy?
Preliminary research identified some vital knowledge: the best falafels are made of dried and soaked chickpeas, not canned. Due to the overwhelming evidence and detailed scientific explanations of the starch breakdown, I decided to trust the industry knowledge.
So, I did not take the “canned” route and learned how to soak chickpeas — which is so easy that I’m even embarrassed to mention it. You just wash them and soak for 24 hours before cooking.
