At MIDIOR, we treat the start of each engagement as the beginning of an engineering problem waiting to be solved. Since we are all engineers by training, we naturally have a disciplined, methodical approach to each project. We also assume that we don't know anything, other than what questions to ask first. We pride ourselves on being non-referential - meaning we are comfortable working with new ideas and new concepts which is a necessity when thinking about complex technologies, service products or emerging markets.
We believe in facts and facts are responsible for the accuracy of our results. Every problem (or situation or system) is comprised of many underlying questions and components, and we insist on taking things apart, down to the smallest pieces, and putting things back together again (without too many parts left over!). Delving into the details is tedious and time consuming and many find it to be too much work. But at MIDIOR, we believe that the real answers are grounded in the details and that the only way we can provide value to our clients is to master those details. By taking a cross-functional dive into the details, we provide a depth of understanding that no single individual in the client organization has.
At the start of an engagement, we hold an intensive "discovery" workshop with a cross-functional team where we probe every aspect of what our clients are doing. In large organizations, we extend the discovery process to in-depth interviews across far-flung geographies and acquired divisions or technologies, allowing us to understand the regional and localized dimensions to the facts. This jumpstart to an engagement accomplishes multiple objectives:
- It is the fastest way for us to understand your business, product, market, and technology investments
- It exposes contradictions and gaps in the current plan that may not be visible from an "executive" view
- It allows for meaningful communication across organizational boundaries. We find that groups are most productive when discussing "facts and details" rather than rendering opinions and assigning blame
From this hands-on analysis, we are able to construct our own hypothesis about what's going on. And as any trained engineer will tell you - the next step is to try to prove or disprove our hypothesis. To do this, we start to look for facts and we construct an experiment to validate our assumptions. We gather facts by hands-on testing and talking - talking to customers, talking to competitors, talking to sales people, talking to anyone who might have something to contribute. We tackle tough questions like:
- Is the product really competitive? Why?
- Is it too late to market? Too early? Does the market even exist?
- Will anyone pay for that new feature?
- Has anyone asked the customer what they think?
- Does anyone understand what the value of the new feature may be?
We have a reputation for being "candid" in our product and technology assessments. Sometimes the truth hurts, but we know that not every development effort is going to deliver the expected value. In fact, the odds are against it. So from our perspective, it is better to know that sooner than later. If we conclude that your product is incomplete for your target market - we can tell you why, and what it would take to make it complete. If we conclude that your platforms cost too much - we'll tell you by how much.
Finally, when we deliver our results, we have more than an opinion. We've got the facts and a set of actionable recommendations. And we practice what we preach. If you are looking for a slide deck about overall strategic direction, MIDIOR is not the firm to call. Think of us as “special ops”, the team you can call when the only way to achieve the result is by doing the work. If you are prepared to hear the facts about your product, your project or your process and ready to take the next step, we’re ready to tackle your next problem. Are you ready for our help?
