We have noticed a clear shift in the framing of conversations we are having with prospective clients. The predictable rhythm that once defined initial explorations in our industry is being replaced by something far more ambitious. In the past, a company would typically approach us with a perceived deficiency, a manual process that felt sluggish or a legacy system that had become a significant constraint, and the request would be simple: Can you rebuild this to be more efficient?
It was a model of reactive fulfilment. The boundaries were set by what already existed, and the goal was incremental improvement. We have spent years guiding our clients through discovery to push past these narrow requests, but recently, the starting point itself has changed.
Different questions are being asked, we are hearing a much more exciting, open-ended inquiry: If we were starting from the ground up today, what could this fundamentally become?
This shift marks the end of what we might call the XY Problem, a cognitive trap where a stakeholder seeks help with a specific solution, Y, rather than explaining the actual goal, X. A client might ask for a faster database because they think they have a speed problem, when the real goal is to improve user checkout times or higher conversion.
By moving the question from how do we automate this, to what could this system be? Leaders are refusing to be confined by the time, cost, and scope of their existing legacy. They are looking to unlock growth and disrupt within their industries.
It is no coincidence that this trend has come alongside the rise of artificial intelligence. AI has acted as a solvent for technical constraints, even when the best solution is not AI, it has allowed for more free thinking and questioning. AI isn’t the simple solution for every problem, but the perception that it is is allowing businesses to think outside of what they previously thought to be possible.
Let’s not look for a slightly faster version of a current operating model. Let’s explore how we can disrupt the industry before someone else does.
We have always championed the double diamond approach, the disciplined cycle to discover the right problem, before converging on a solution. In the past, this was a journey we often had to persuade businesses to take. We encountered resistance from stakeholders eager to see code being written.
Now, there is a growing recognition that the discovery phase is not a delay, it is ensuring return investment. Financial data supports this, as companies that lead with design and deep inquiry outperform their peers by nearly two to one. By asking what could this be, a business is not just starting a project, they are opening up huge opportunities.
We would encourage every program director, entrepreneur, and key stakeholder to take a moment to look at their current roadmap. Are you asking for a better version of what you already have, or are you exploring what is possible?