How to bridge the gap between Makers and tangible problems
We in Norwegian Creations deliver what we like to call for “Makers as a Service”.
And what is that exactly? And how is it possible to create value utilizing the power of today’s emerging Maker Movement?
This infographic explains our usual process, and each of the sections will be explained in the following paragraphs.
You have a problem that needs to be solved
In many situations you are stuck with a tangible problem.
With that we mean a challenge like developing a prototype, where you don’t know where to start because there are so many different aspects of it. Or you have another kind of challenge, where you think that the solution is composed of a bunch of different fields of study. Or you just don’t know in what universe the solution is to be found.
One can often think that the problem can be solved within a single field of expertise, but almost all kinds of problems are rather complex, with embedded challenges from many different disciplines.
These types of composed and complex problems are perfect challenges for a group of makers.
A maker is someone who uses their abilities to create, whether it be mechanical, electrical, musical, visual or anything else. This world is full of things that were created by makers. Without makers, there would be no innovation and creation.
A typical maker has insight into several fields of study, and combined with a curiosity to learn new things, they often fit your needs.
We have a bunch of makers able to help
This one maker sure is an awesome person. But his areas of expertise are of course limited.
Maybe he is an expert at woodworking, but not so good at PCB design. So how can he help you out with your wooden electronic gadget?
This is where it’s a great idea to gather several of these makers. All of them are of course creative and actionable people, but they are all also experts in different fields, ranging from things such as electronics to 3D-printing.
So here you are. With a rather palpable problem, for example: “A wooden electronic gadget”.
The Makers should of course use as much of their time to make stuff and solve problems. We think everyone is highly creative and motivated towards creating something, and it’s when they work inside their domain of motivation that their skills are growing the most!
Therefore, by giving people tools and resources, great creations will come to life!
(And yes, we are always on the lookout for more makers!)
We assemble a team to solve your problem
You now understand that the solution to your problem is composed of many different fields of study, and that a group of Makers is the right thing for you.
But with several makers, a bunch of experts in different fields, it can be difficult to hold the reins.
Therefore, project management for such a complex group of people can be a challenge.
The Makers need to be rather self-going inside their fields. But in addition to this, they often need some overarching support functions. This can be things such as project leadership or sourcing functions.
The project leadership should have some technical insights into the different fields involved in the specific case. So it can be a rather large and difficult pair of shoes to fill.
And remember: It’s the Makers who are creating the value and solving the problem. The project management is ONLY there as a support function.
It exists way too many power hungry micromanaging leaders who don’t understand the link between productivity and leadership style.
Always think about: On whose expense?
A-type leadership work rather poorly where it’s not easy to replace the executing link (here: the Maker) with a robot.
Leadership and coaching go hand-in-hand. And a good “Maker coach” must be able to relate to the different Makers in a way that will help them solve your problems and pursue their goals.
It’s of course important to keep you, who have the original problem, in a tight loop throughout this whole problem solving phase. This can be solved using meetings, a continuously updated project status page or even Instagram pictures.
The process is important. Learn from it, so it’s possible to repeat!
Problem solved!
You started out with a problem. And as almost all problems, it was rather composed in need of several different disciplines to be solved.
And all of these different disciplines could be held by a single Maker. But since they don’t necessary reside in one single Maker you were in need of several Makers.
Instead of gathering all those different Makers yourself, and trying to lead them in the same direction, you went to someone delivering “Makers as a Service”.
A group of Makers, with skills needed to solve your problem, were assembled and ready to go.
Together with yourself, this group of Makers solved your problem!
We believe that this way of solving tangible problems is a great way for finding otherwise unseen solutions. And experience show that this kind of bridging of both skills and people is rewarding on many different levels.
We in Norwegian Creations are proud we are able to deliver: “Makers as a Service”.
What can you do next?
Do you think “Makers as a Service” can be a viable method for solving future problems?
You can always contact us here!
