TL;DR

The three main reasons why I started this site beginning of 2023 are:

  1. There are too many bad engineering tools
  2. Good products are often sold under value
  3. The missing link: value-centric product development and pricing

#1 There are too many bad engineering tools

Let’s be honest: most software tools used in the professional domain suck (aka: are bad). One reason typically raised is that the domain - be it engineering, automotive software development, hardware development, etc. - is very technical and special. Allegedly, users do not value the extra efforts it takes compared to consumer products. Or they anyways do not have another choice, so why try harder?

My personal opinion is that there is often a lack of focus on what users who work with the tools really want and need. Also, I believe that the exuses are neither helpful for those who have to use the tools nor those who create and maintain them.

My primary focus is on building engineering tools that users really like using. I draw great inspiration from others who have succeeded in doing so and try to apply it to my own work. As I like experimentation, I have developed my own method for prioritization of product backlogs: the CUBE method. Which I want to share with other.

#2 Good products are often sold under value

In the B2B domain, realizing a good or fair price even for good products is hard.

The main reason is that purchasing departments at customers often focus on the monetary price they pay, not the benefit they receive. The goal is to pay as little as possible.

There are, however, better approaches to arrive at deals that are better for both the purchaser and the seller.

From my own experience, a method called value-based pricing (VBP) is best suitable for deriving not only suitable prices, but also come up with viable sales arguments. However, it’s the responsibility of the seller not only to come up with the pricing, but also provide all the arguments for why this offer is better for the customer - even if there are cheaper offers by competitors.

In the software world, agile methods have not only gained traction over the past decade, but become mainstream even in industries that were previously reluctant to adopt them. What started with methods such as Extreme Programming (XP) or Scrum is now being introduced through “agile frameworks at scale” (e.g., LeSS, SAFe) even in large established organizations. Agile methods are also closely linked to innovation or startup frameworks (e.g., the Lean Startup), or approaches that are used therein (Business Model Generation; Value Proposition Design).

However, neither agile methods nor startup frameworks are much concerned about how to come up with prices for the products or services that are being developed and offered.

Based on my experience with an internal B2B startup in the automotive industry, there is one aspect that links it all together (but which is not elaborated much about): the value delivered to the customer.

My goal is to make businesses more successful by creating links between value-centric product development and value-based pricing / selling.