Preparing for the journey

To most, the Holy Grail is known as the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper and that Joseph of Arimathea used to gather the blood of Jesus when he was crucified. Long lost, finding the Grail has become the noblest of quests, its recovery believed to bring union with God. To others, it is simply a thing that is earnestly pursued or sought after as it is described in the Oxford dictionary

So, how do we find the Holy Grail of BSS?

I imagine Perceval starting his adventure in a nice cozy inn, drinking a mug of mead, listening to the local patron's advice as he seeks information to help with his quest. When we started our SaaS journey, we realized that we needed the right expertise. Amdocs is the expert in understanding customers, processes, and the telecom landscape. To break into new markets (like non-telco) to bring more value to our customers, we needed to make quick decisions based on data and experience. We looked for partners (adventurers) to help us navigate through difficult waters, so we created a strategic alliance with AWS. Using knowledge from their 'SaaS factory' we were able to focus on our marketing, sales, and product capabilities, and not worry about how the technology would be delivered. It is here where we met the first 'Hideous Damsel' or if you prefer Monty Python the 'terrible beast' - an obstacle we needed to overcome to continue our journey safely.

I was promptly told "don't worry about the execution, trust what you ask for will be delivered when you need it. Focus on the user and ensure they have a totally digital experience." Coming from a background in solution architecture, design, and delivery I am always worried about the execution. Mike Dooley, one of my spiritual gurus, talks about the cursed how's - we invest so much time and energy into things beyond our control, worrying about "how" things will be delivered rather than accepting that they just will be, and use this energy to create new things. Not having to worry about "how" it would be delivered, created a "pause".

In meditation, it’s a wonderful feeling when you find that "pause". It’s when the noise stops. When you can silence the mind chatter or experience the silence between thoughts. Reflecting on the realization that you're in a state, not worrying about the past or the future - just being present in the moment, where your mind and body are calm and in alignment. On reflection, this "pause" helped create focus, positive and creative energy to prioritize what was important 'value to the user' and not arrive at the Castle of the Holy Grail (or the Fisher Kings Castle as its also known in the poem) and answer the question incorrectly.

This was a breakthrough moment, creating value for the users (notice how we stopped saying customers), a better word is 'persona'. Creating value for the personas using our product and providing them with a totally digital experience. We define these journeys as the Customer; Support; Tenant and Developer and to provide meaningful value let's travel the path of the Customer Journey, the first of our four adventures, where we begin to experience one or more 'stories' that help to describe that 'value'.