When I started working as a cloud technology consultant, I made many mistakes, like most beginners.
But this was the most significant so far:
I was overly focused on technologies and frameworks and forgot to think about the people.
This is what happened:
I spent a lot of time learning about cloud computing before my first project. I learned some theoretical technologies/frameworks in university. Then I spent more time learning the specific processes once I entered the workforce.
So, when it came time to create my first project plan and technology recommendations, I assumed I knew everything I needed to know. After all, I've spent the last few years (including university) studying this topic.
The document took me about a week to complete. I sketched out some ideas before devoting many hours to formatting and ensuring the document looked great.
When I was ready to turn it in, I asked a coworker to take a quick look at it. The responses I received were quite different from what I had expected.
I spent too much time applying my learned technologies and frameworks and not understanding what the customer required. I used the learned frameworks and technologies without adjusting them to fit this specific case.
In the end, I had to redo about 80% of the document to fit the client's needs better. In the end, I needed three iterations, which took me another week.
What I learned from my mistake
While my ego suffered greatly due to this mistake, it taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of focusing on technologies/processes rather than people. So here are my three main conclusions from this situation:
Focus on people first: Even if you're working on technologies, they're always there to help people with their problems. So prioritize people and attempt to truly understand their motivations and where they're coming from. Understanding the people will not only help you work better with them but will also allow you to adjust your work accordingly.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution: Each project will be unique. So don't simply repeat your approach from the last time. Use your knowledge of the client to tailor your solution. You will not only make your customer feel understood, but you will also be more likely to provide better service.
Get feedback as soon as possible: Don't waste time perfecting your first draft. Make it presentable to a colleague instead, and get early feedback. You can spend time perfecting it when you've reached the "final" iteration.
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