This week felt like I got less done than planned, but the pivot was strategically correct and may even pay off twice.
With the major part of the Outpost user interface done, the next step should be fairly smooth sailing. I expected to get the data structure in place, lock down the workflow, and then shift over to the backend infrastructure. But in the end I only got about a third of this done.
I received customer feedback that Sherpa’s workflow from start to quote creation could be streamlined. When talking to another shop owner later on in the week, they mentioned how quickly they could create quotes in a competing product. Improving this one aspect of Sherpa might be significant enough to increase adoption.
A new product pulls your attention toward the future, but the products already in the market keep making demands in the present. This always feels uncomfortable, but it's a good indication that you're paying attention to market demand instead of just following the plan.
The interesting part is that this conflict is self-inflicted. I could have carried on full speed with Outpost and pushed the Sherpa work until later. But when a change can make Sherpa more useful and potentially improve adoption, it probably should not wait.
It became clear that some of the work for Sherpa will directly relate to Outpost and can be repurposed in the coming weeks. What initially looked like an unrelated detour also helped move Outpost forward. That made the diversion from the plan more worthwhile than it first appeared.
Small businesses often don’t have the luxury of getting stuck in analysis paralysis, so you gather as much data as you can before you need to take action. And this week, I had just enough data to adjust my plans, even though I did not want to.
Do I feel good about the decision? Yes, it's the right move. But the timing isn’t great, and it leaves me in an uncomfortable spot. Neither Outpost nor Sherpa are in a state where I have something to show or ship. As neither are done, it doesn't feel like I've made progress this week. But progress is not always visible in the week it is made.
How do you tell the difference between a distraction and a pivot worth making?
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