How to define a purpose in your project using the SCOE Canvas?
The success of any project depends largely on the purpose that drives it. The SCOE Canvas is a conceptual tool that makes it easy to clearly delineate this purpose, helping to align the personal and organizational mission with the needs of the market and users.
What does purpose really mean in the context of SCOE Canvas?
Purpose is strategically positioned at the center of the SCOE Canvas, a diagram that separates user needs from business needs. It represents the fundamental reasons why a project is valuable. It goes beyond a simple corporate mission statement, pushing developers to consider what really motivates them at a deep level.
When exploring, it is advisable to ask:
- What is the organization's mission?
- What noble purpose do I want to connect with?
- What gets me up in the morning related to this project?
These questions seek to identify higher values that resonate not only with the organization, but also on a personal level, thus ensuring lasting motivation.
Why is a balance between business purpose and user needs crucial?
The purpose should not be biased exclusively towards internal business aspirations or user service. An imbalance could result in a severe sustainability problem. Considerations such as:
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For-profit companies: often focus missions on maximizing profits without considering whether they actually solve a problem for their customers. This can be problematic because, at the end of the day, users will evaluate value based on the solutions they provide, not the company's goals.
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Nonprofits: Although they have altruistic goals, they also need to be concerned with long-term financial sustainability. This ensures that the project can continue to operate and generate positive impact on its beneficiaries.
Therefore, it is essential to find a purpose that unifies the interests of the company and the needs of the user. In this way, it is possible to maintain not only the focus and personal drive of the team, but also to attract the customer with real value.
How do you define an ambitious purpose that stimulates action?
An effective purpose must not only be clear, but also ambitious and stimulating. To assess whether a purpose is truly challenging, we might consider the following:
- It should inspire action and seem almost impossible, but not remote enough to be demotivating.
- It should have a broad time horizon, imagining its relevance in 20, 50 or even 100 years.
Inspiring examples of purpose include:
- Google: "To organize all the world's information."
- Tesla: "To run the world on renewable energy".
These examples show how a well-defined purpose can guide an organization forward, regardless of its current success. A purpose of this magnitude ensures that there are always new goals to achieve, keeping the team engaged and focused on the greater goal.
How to avoid generic and uninspiring purposes?
Generic and boring statements, such as exceeding expectations with service excellence, are common but ineffective. Statements should be specific, reflect the essence of the mission and encourage concrete actions.
Energizing purposes challenge you to explore and attempt the seemingly unsolvable. The key is action and continuous challenge, generating valuable results for both the organization and the community it serves. Therefore, keep in mind that purpose should "tickle" the entrepreneurial spirit and not simply adorn the office walls.
As you work through the SCOE Canvas, whether with Better Commute or your own project, we encourage you to take the time to define a purpose that truly motivates you and enhances the possibilities of your initiative.
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