Identifying the True Value
When you create a cloud asset, everything depends on understanding the value you provide, and who you provide it to. That sounds obvious. In practice it is the step most people rush, and the one that decides whether a solution succeeds.
Why first order value is only the beginning
The first order value is the direct result a user gets from your solution. Once you understand that, you can start to see the bigger picture, because the same result means something different to everyone it touches. Follow it outward.
- To the individual. Are they faster, more accurate, saving time, freed to focus elsewhere, getting more done and still able to step away for a coffee?
- To the people around them. Fewer errors mean less rework, higher trust, and a better flow of work between colleagues.
- To their department. Is there a lift for the whole team?
- To their boss. Is there one less thing on their plate, something they no longer have to worry about?
- To their company. Do they make or save more money, reach higher quality, take on more customers, or gain a new offering for their own clients?
- To suppliers up and down the chain. Could other companies benefit or participate? What systems do they use, and should you integrate with them?
Why the higher order values decide success
These are the higher order values, and they are what actually make a solution succeed. The trouble is that the benefit to the customer is not always obvious, even to the person who built the thing. Inventors imagine all sorts of advantages, but those imagined benefits may not resonate with anyone else. So this is where you invest your attention, to understand and describe the value that is genuinely there.
Three steps help you find it. Explore the customer's perspective: stand in their shoes and ask what problem you actually solve and how their day gets better. Seek external input: present the idea to potential customers, advisers and industry people, and ask what benefits they see, because they will notice things you have overlooked. Then iterate and refine: test your assumptions and sharpen the message until it is clear and aligned.
Why a real example reframes the value
Consider Eat by Design, built to make it easier for dietitians to create meal plans for their clients. On the surface that looks like a convenience. Look deeper and the real change appears: the relationship between dietitian and client shifted from one-off appointments to an ongoing subscription. The tool did not just simplify meal planning. It created a continuous support model, with better outcomes for everyone involved. The true value was not the feature. It was the change in the relationship.
Documenting the customer benefit is not a nicety. It is the step that makes your communication land and helps others recognise what your idea is really worth. Invest the time to understand the value, and describe it plainly. The clearer you are about the value, the more likely the world is to see it too.