Internal users are your real clients. When we treat modernization projects as "clientless," we miss the human element that determines success. Just as AWS must satisfy its customers, your platform team must delight internal users. A technically perfect system that frustrates users is ultimately a failed investment.

The Invisible Client Fallacy

Shifting from system-centric to user-centric thinking transforms outcomes. A financial services company once spent $2M on a technically superior reporting platform that users struggled with. They optimized for technology rather than human needs. Success should be measured by user outcomes, not technical specifications.

User-Centric Modernization

Most teams dramatically underestimate who their users really are. Beyond primary users who log in daily, consider secondary consumers who rely on outputs, operational dependents whose workflows depend on your system, and strategic stakeholders with interest in capabilities. Mapping this ecosystem reveals critical insights.

The Full User Ecosystem

For systems deeply embedded in daily routines, targeted improvements often outperform complete overhauls. A manufacturing company focused on fixing just five pain points in their inventory system rather than rebuilding it entirely. This approach increased productivity by 22% without disrupting familiar workflows.

Value of Incremental Evolution

When fundamental limitations exist but operations can't be disrupted, consider running old and new systems concurrently. A financial services firm replaced their 15-year-old trading platform this way, allowing users to gradually adopt new capabilities. This created natural champions who pulled others toward the modern solution.

The Parallel Transition Approach

Sometimes technical debt becomes insurmountable. A healthcare provider's patient management system had become so convoluted that training took three months and staff relied on sticky notes to navigate daily tasks. In these cases, a clean-slate redesign with deep user engagement can transform not just systems but entire industries.

When to Start Fresh

Official requirements rarely capture how users actually work. A media company discovered their customer service representatives had developed sophisticated workarounds not documented anywhere. Had they proceeded with their original redesign, they would have eliminated these critical unofficial workflows despite delivering a "superior" system.

The Hidden Workflow Reality

User validation isn't a checkbox exercise but an ongoing dialogue. By having customer service representatives interact with prototypes, a media company discovered they needed simultaneous views of customer history and subscription details—something the new design had separated. This insight reduced resolution times by 37%.

Validation Beyond Requirements

Technical teams often speak passionately about user benefits but fail to connect them to business metrics executives care about. Faster workflows and better interfaces must be translated into operational savings, revenue protection, improved customer experience metrics, or risk mitigation value to secure buy-in.

The Translation Gap

A manufacturing client modernized their inventory system, reducing data entry time by 2.5 hours per employee weekly. By multiplying this by affected employees and hourly costs, they demonstrated annual savings of $387,000—a figure that resonated strongly with finance stakeholders.

Quantifying Time Savings

A telecommunications provider was losing customers due to billing system limitations. By connecting improved system capabilities to a reduced churn rate of just 0.5%, they demonstrated potential revenue protection exceeding $2 million annually—transforming a user experience improvement into a compelling business case.

The Revenue Protection Angle

User satisfaction within internal teams directly impacts customer experience. A retail client modernized their order management system, making it easier for staff to track shipments. This reduced customer resolution times by 40% and increased their Net Promoter Score by 12 points—metrics prioritized in strategic objectives.

Internal Experience, External Impact

In regulated industries, modernization often reduces compliance risks. One financial services client justified their $1.2 million project through avoiding potential regulatory fines exceeding $5 million. Quantifying risk mitigation can reveal substantial hidden value in seemingly modest improvements.

Risk Mitigation as Value Driver

System adoption isn't automatic—it must be earned through thoughtful design. Successful modernization projects treat internal users with the same care as paying customers. By respecting workflows, challenges, and goals, you create solutions users genuinely embrace, driving meaningful business outcomes.

The Adoption Mindset Shift

For more inspiration, visit my blog at Caterpillar Garden | SubstackThis post in free version can be found here:<a href="https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-how-to-engage-end-users-to">https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-how-to-engage-end-users-to</a>Paid extended version also available here:<a href="https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-i-how-to-engage-end-users-to">https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-i-how-to-engage-end-users-to</a>

Caterpillar Garden

My new blog post from RAPID-based Modernization series is about looking for different users needs to address their perspectives in your proposal. Link here: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-how-to-engage-end-users-to

[RBM] “I” - How to engage end users to seen business perspective.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

strategy

Strategy

business

Business

Proposals live beyond formal meetings, thriving in hallway chats and pre-meeting conversations. These casual exchanges often determine a proposal's fate before it reaches the conference table. Most decisions are shaped through dozens of informal interactions you weren't part of.

The Informal Decision Network

Technical excellence doesn't guarantee approval. I've witnessed brilliant proposals fail because their creators ignored informal influence networks. Meanwhile, simpler ideas succeed when their champions invest time in coffee chats with key players, addressing concerns proactively.

Champions vs. Technical Merit

The real decision-makers aren't always who you expect. Sometimes it's the executive assistant with everyone's ear or the quiet engineer whose technical opinion carries special weight. Mapping these informal influencers is crucial before presenting any significant proposal.

The Hidden Influencers

Success comes from intentionally cultivating support in informal spaces. Grabbing coffee with stakeholders, sending thoughtful messages addressing concerns, or brief post-meeting chats create allies who advocate for you when you're not present. These moments build momentum before formal evaluation.

Planting Seeds of Support

People who contribute to shaping an idea become naturally invested in its success. By involving key stakeholders early in informal settings, you create a sense of collective ownership. This psychological buy-in transforms potential critics into advocates who feel personally connected to your proposal's outcome.

The Shared Ownership Effect

Many proposals disappear into what I call the "organizational black hole"—no rejection, no approval, just silence. This limbo is often more frustrating than outright rejection because it provides no closure or feedback path. Recognizing when your proposal has entered this state is the first step toward rescuing it.

The Organizational Black Hole

Stalled discussions typically stem from three sources: timing conflicts with undisclosed priorities, concerns people won't express directly, or simple organizational inertia. Identifying which factor is blocking your proposal determines your revival strategy.

The Three Causes of Stalled Proposals

When facing resistance, consider repositioning your proposal to align with current leadership priorities. I've seen identical proposals transform from ignored to urgent simply through strategic reframing. This approach doesn't change the substance but shifts how stakeholders perceive its relevance.

The Strategic Reframing Technique

Breaking your big idea into a low-risk test creates a path of least resistance. Stakeholders find it much harder to reject a small experiment than a major initiative. This foot-in-the-door technique allows you to demonstrate value while minimizing perceived risk.

The Pilot Approach Advantage

Bringing uninvolved but respected colleagues into the conversation can reignite momentum for stalled proposals. Their fresh perspective often creates a ripple effect, re-engaging stakeholders who had mentally moved on. This approach works particularly well when the new voice comes from a different functional area.

Fresh Voices Spark New Interest

When facing ambiguous resistance, specific questions cut through uncertainty: "What specifically would need to change for this to move forward?" These direct inquiries force concrete feedback rather than vague concerns, giving you actionable intelligence to address real obstacles.

The Power of Direct Questions

The most dangerous opponents aren't those who challenge you openly but those who nod along while privately undermining your initiative. Watch for subtle signals: conspicuous silence, sudden inclusion of unnecessary approvers, or concerns that keep shifting as you address them.

Recognizing Shadow Resistance

Transform potential blockers into advocates by inviting them to help shape your proposal. When someone contributes directly to an idea, psychological ownership makes them more likely to defend rather than attack it. This approach works even with the most stubborn resistors.

The Co-Creation Strategy

Identify who your hidden opponents respect, then focus on winning those people's support first. This creates powerful social proof that can shift the entire dynamic. I've seen previously resistant stakeholders quickly change position once respected colleagues endorsed an initiative.

Strategic Alliance Building

Sometimes the most effective approach is acknowledging unspoken concerns directly: "I sense you might have reservations we haven't discussed yet." This non-confrontational opening often leads to surprisingly candid conversations that clear the air and address the real issues blocking progress.

The Elephant Acknowledgment

Think of your proposal as a product needing strategic internal marketing. Develop compelling narratives tailored to different stakeholders—ROI for finance, technical elegance for engineering, efficiency gains for operations. Your messaging should speak to each audience's specific priorities and concerns.

Proposal as Product

Create simple, memorable phrases that others can easily repeat when discussing your proposal. These "sound bites" spread through the organization, building momentum even when you're not actively selling the idea. What's your proposal's equivalent of "Just do it" or "Think different"?

The Sound Bite Strategy

For more inspiration, visit my blog at Caterpillar Garden | SubstackThis post in free version can be found here:<a href="https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-what-people-are-saying-about">https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-what-people-are-saying-about</a>Paid extended version also available here:<a href="https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-i-what-people-are-saying-about">https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-i-what-people-are-saying-about</a>

My new blog post from RAPID-based Modernization series is about looking for hidden discussion that can kill your proposal. Link here: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-what-people-are-saying-about

As we move forward with our work, I've noticed something interesting happens with proposals - people talk.

career

Career

[RBM] “I” - What people are saying about your proposal behind the scenes.

Vendors bring a unique perspective that's nearly impossible to replicate in-house. While your team focuses on specific business challenges, vendors are solving diverse problems across multiple industries. This cross-pollination of ideas often leads to innovative solutions you wouldn't discover internally.

Cross-Industry Perspective

Vendor expertise can transcend industry boundaries and provide fresh perspectives to seemingly unique challenges. Their experience solving similar problems across different sectors gives them insights that can be applied to your specific situation.

Boundary-Transcending Expertise

Vendors have often seen your problem dozens of times before. This experience creates a sixth sense for potential pitfalls that internal teams might miss. When you've implemented similar solutions across different companies, you develop pattern recognition that's invaluable for avoiding common mistakes.

Pattern Recognition

Strategic use of Requests for Information (RFIs) can be powerful intelligence-gathering tools, not just procurement steps. They're low-commitment, structured ways to compare approaches across multiple vendors, and they teach you which criteria actually matter in your decision-making. Some organizations maintain "perpetual RFIs" in fast-moving technology areas to stay current without immediate purchase intent.

Strategic RFIs

When crafting intelligence-gathering RFIs, focus on concrete examples of how vendors have addressed challenges similar to yours. Ask about their workflows, technology stack, and implementation timelines. This specificity forces vendors to move beyond marketing materials.

Concrete Examples

The Scenario-Based Approach yields high-quality vendor intelligence by presenting specific business situations rather than asking generic capability questions. For example, ask "How would you approach integrating legacy system X with cloud platform Y while maintaining compliance with regulation Z?" This reveals how vendors think through complex, real-world problems.

Scenario-Based Approach

Vendor Roundtables create a fascinating dynamic where multiple vendors build upon each other's ideas while highlighting their unique perspectives. The competitive environment often leads to more candid sharing than one-on-one engagements. This approach helps organizations identify innovative solutions while understanding the different philosophical approaches vendors take.

Vendor Roundtables

"Day in the Life" shadowing allows your team members to observe vendor experts in action. This approach reveals practical insights that never emerge during sales presentations. It's particularly valuable for understanding operational realities versus theoretical capabilities.

Day-in-the-Life Shadowing

When evaluating vendors, look beyond the initial price tag to understand the complete economic picture. Consider ongoing maintenance expenses, required internal resources, and frequency of upgrades.

Complete Economic Picture

Cultural fit between your organization and potential vendors is crucial for successful partnerships. Some vendors operate with highly collaborative models, others with more rigid structures. Some prioritize innovation, others stability. These differences can make or break a vendor relationship, regardless of technical merit.

Cultural Alignment

Vendors often have visibility into emerging trends long before they hit the mainstream. Because they work with early adopters across industries, they can provide previews of technology shifts that won't become common knowledge for another 18–24 months. This foresight can be invaluable for strategic planning and staying ahead of competitors.

Trend Foresight

The Comparative Analysis Request reveals how vendors position themselves against alternatives. Ask questions like "How does your implementation methodology differ from the industry-standard approach?" This uncovers innovative approaches you hadn't considered and helps you understand the fundamental differences in how vendors approach problems.

Comparative Analysis

Community Intelligence Mining through vendor user communities, forums, and knowledge bases provides unfiltered information about real-world implementation challenges. These resources contain honest discussions about product limitations and workarounds that sales teams rarely volunteer. Assign team members to regularly monitor these communities, even for products you don't currently use.

Community Intelligence

The Future-Proofing Assessment helps identify scalability limitations and hidden costs by probing how vendor solutions adapt to changing conditions. Ask questions like "How would your solution accommodate a 300% increase in transaction volume?" or "What architectural changes would be needed for expansion into new regulatory jurisdictions?"

Future-Proofing Assessment

Solution Philosophy Mapping identifies vendors' core assumptions and approaches. Some prioritize flexibility over ease-of-use, others emphasize security over performance. These foundational differences often explain why seemingly similar solutions perform differently in your specific context, and help predict which vendor will best align with your organizational values.

Solution Philosophy Mapping

Implementation Methodology Comparison often predicts success or failure more accurately than technical capabilities. Compare vendors' project governance structures, resource allocation models, and risk management approaches to find the best fit.

Implementation Methodology

Proof of Concept evaluations, even without commitment to purchase, can deliver valuable insights for a fraction of full implementation costs. Design these engagements to maximize learning rather than just testing functionality. Focus on understanding the vendor's approach and methodology as much as the solution itself.

Proof of Concept Learning

The most successful teams use vendor insights as a form of "intellectual insurance"—validating their thinking, expanding horizons, and avoiding reinventing wheels others have already perfected. The trick is extracting this intelligence without becoming dependent on it, maintaining your strategic direction while leveraging external expertise.

Intellectual Insurance

When using RFIs for intelligence gathering, be transparent about your intentions. Most vendors will participate even without guaranteed business outcomes if you're upfront about your objectives. This honesty often results in more candid, less sales-driven responses that provide greater value to your decision-making process.

Transparent Intentions

Vendor intelligence isn't about outsourcing your thinking—it's about expanding your perspective. Organizations that thrive in complex environments systematically harvest insights from multiple sources while maintaining their own strategic direction. This approach transforms decision-making, accelerates innovation, and prevents costly missteps.

Expanded Perspective

For more inspiration, visit my blog at Caterpillar Garden | SubstackThis post in free version can be found here:<a href="https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-using-vendors-as-source-of">https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-using-vendors-as-source-of</a>Paid extended version also available here:<a href="https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-i-using-vendors-as-source-of">https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-i-using-vendors-as-source-of</a>

My new blog post from RAPID-based Modernization series is about using Vendors as source of information and information gathering support. Link here: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-i-using-vendors-as-source-of

There is a belief among many, especially in large corporations, that everything should be handled internally.

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Reading & Writing

humanresources

Human Resources

[RBM] "I" - Using Vendors as Source of Inspiration

Every department operates with distinct priorities and success metrics. Engineers value elegant solutions, security teams focus on vulnerabilities, while business stakeholders prioritize revenue. These differences aren't obstacles, but opportunities to create stronger solutions through collaboration.

Diverse Priorities

Most resistance to change isn't arbitrary—it's rooted in legitimate concerns. When we label others as "resistant," we miss understanding their perspective. Security teams aren't blocking progress; they're protecting against threats that could devastate the company.

Legitimate Resistance

Mapping what each team is measured on—both official metrics and unspoken expectations—is crucial for alignment. Understanding deeper concerns, including personal risks like mortgages and family responsibilities, helps create solutions that address everyone's needs.

Metric Mapping

Effective change doesn't require perfect alignment—just enough overlap to create mutual benefit. The best change agents excel at finding these intersection points, demonstrating how their approach helps everyone advance their objectives simultaneously.

Mutual Benefit

Building effective coalitions requires a "dream team" from various departments who'll benefit from your changes. Include influential early adopters, contributors who helped shape the solution, and communication networks to prevent great ideas from dying due to information gaps.

Coalition Building

Technical professionals often get uncomfortable with relationship-building, but it's essential. The most effective alliances include both frontline workers and leaders, representatives from all affected departments, and a balance of visionaries and pragmatists.

Relationship Essentials

One-on-one conversations before group meetings create space to understand individual concerns and address objections privately. This approach helps identify potential advocates and build a comprehensive stakeholder map for future reference.

Private Conversations

Organizations most welcoming to innovation typically share characteristics: recent failure experiences, leadership that creates psychological safety, successful previous implementations, key influencers expressing dissatisfaction with current approaches, and external pressure creating urgency.

Innovation Readiness

Timing dramatically impacts change initiatives. I've seen identical proposals fail and then succeed months later because organizational readiness had shifted. Pay attention to leadership changes, competitor moves, performance shortfalls, and new strategic initiatives.

Timing Impact

Implementation approaches often become battlegrounds even after securing goal alignment. Create decision matrices that evaluate each approach against shared criteria to move conversations from emotional debates to objective analysis.

Decision Matrices

Looking for hybrid solutions that incorporate elements from multiple teams can resolve seemingly incompatible ideas.

Hybrid Solutions

Shifting discussions from "which approach is better" to "what specific trade-offs are we making" changes everything. This subtle reframing focuses on features and configurations rather than competing team solutions.

Trade-off Framing

Different teams operate with different risk tolerances and incentive structures. Security teams face penalties for breaches but rarely receive recognition for enabling innovation, while development teams are measured on delivery speed but not long-term maintenance costs.

Incentive Structures

When your changes directly threaten someone's established goals, acknowledge the reality of the conflict rather than pretending it doesn't exist. Investigate how to redefine success for status quo defenders—can they become heroes of the transition rather than victims?

Conflict Reality

Consider phased approaches that allow for gradual adaptation rather than abrupt displacement. Identify potential new opportunities for those most affected, such as new roles in maintaining automated solutions they previously performed manually.

Gradual Adaptation

Not all conflicts can be resolved through better communication. Sometimes organizational change creates winners and losers. In these situations, transparency and empathy become even more crucial for acceptance.

Unavoidable Losses

Escalation to higher authorities rarely works long-term. Those who feel bypassed rather than included will find countless ways to undermine changes they don't support, and future initiatives will be dismissed faster as groups learn from others' mistakes.

Escalation Limits

When working with resistant teams, look for hidden undercurrents. A financial services company's compliance team that seemed resistant was actually under regulatory pressure to modernize—positioning our initiative as helping them meet modernization goals removed all barriers.

Hidden Undercurrents

Organizational change happens through people, not PowerPoints. The time invested in building genuine relationships with potential allies pays dividends throughout your entire change journey.

People-Centered Change

Empathy in organizational change isn't just nice to have—it's a strategic imperative. The most successful transformations balance bold vision with pragmatic coalition-building and genuine concern for all stakeholders.

Strategic Empathy

For more inspiration, visit my blog at Caterpillar Garden | SubstackThis post in free version can be found here: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-p-performers-status-quo-what?r=eo5tk Paid extended version also available here: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbme-p-performers-status-quo-what?r=eo5tk

My new blog post from RAPID-based Modernization series is about dealing with the status quo and performers group that usually should be our supporters, but it's not reality: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-p-performers-status-quo-what

As a Recommender, you're often connected to the Performer's group.

remotework

Remote Work

creativity

Creativity

[RBM] "P"​ - Performers'​ status quo: what should be done?

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The most successful modernization proposals balance innovation with practical implementation realities.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Show you've evaluated alternatives and selected an approach that delivers business value</li></ul>

Technical brilliance alone won't win boardroom approval

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Remain factual while emphasizing risks to drive action</li><li class="ql-align-justify">People rarely act on potential innovations until they become urgent problems.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Focus on threats to competitive positioning or bottom-line impacts</li></ul>

Create urgency with your problem statement

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Limit your modernization proposal to under 6 pages</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Decision-makers are drowning in information</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make their choice easy with a compelling, focused case</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Respect their limited time with clear, concise content</li></ul>

Keep your proposal concise and focused

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Instead of reporting "high database query times"</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Explain how this means "customer checkout times have increased by 30%, potentially costing us $10,000 in lost sales per day"</li></ul>

When quantifying problems, translate technical difficulties into business impacts

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">When business leaders see direct value for their teams</li><li class="ql-align-justify">They'll fight for your proposal in ways technical stakeholders rarely can</li></ul>

Your strongest modernization advocates almost always come from the business side, not IT

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Executives focus on competitive positioning</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Operations leaders on efficiency metrics</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Security teams prioritize compliance obligations</li></ul>

Different stakeholders connect with different aspects of the problem

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Secure early supporters by rebuilding your proposal with key stakeholder input</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Create the buy-in needed to move forward</li></ul>

The more innovative your solution, the more champions you'll need

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Balance optimism with realism</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Credibility comes from providing conservative estimates you're confident of exceeding</li></ul>

Effective ROI calculations transform your modernization proposal from a technical request into a compelling business investment

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Best case, Expected case, Worst case</li><li class="ql-align-justify">This approach shows thorough analysis and builds trust with financial decision-makers</li></ul>

Present multiple ROI scenarios to demonstrate confidence in positive returns

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Terms like "API latency" or "asynchronous processing" might be everyday language for you</li><li class="ql-align-justify">But sounds like a foreign language to executives</li></ul>

Avoid technical jargon that business stakeholders won't understand

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Even technically sound solutions can fail due to poor user adoption</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Stakeholder resistance can derail projects if people's aspects are neglected</li></ul>

Never overlook organizational change management requirements in your proposal

My new blog post from RAPID-based Modernization series is about how to write a proper proposal document to make sure it sells our idea: https://blog.caterpillar.garden/p/rbm-r-how-to-prepare-the-right-modernization

How to stay MVP and cover all the requirements

[RBM] “I” - How to engage end users to seen business perspective.

[RBM] “I” - What people are saying about your proposal behind the scenes.

[RBM] "I" - Using Vendors as Source of Inspiration

[RBM] "P" - Performers' status quo: what should be done?

[RBM] "R" - How to prepare the right modernization proposal?

Marcin Karkocha

[RBM] “I” - How to engage end users to seen business perspective.

[RBM] “I” - What people are saying about your proposal behind the scenes.

[RBM] "I" - Using Vendors as Source of Inspiration

[RBM] "P"​ - Performers'​ status quo: what should be done?

[RBM] "R"​ - How to prepare the right modernization proposal?

Marcin Karkocha

[RBM] "P" - Performers' status quo: what should be done?

[RBM] "R" - How to prepare the right modernization proposal?