Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

A great idea is merely a requirement; it is not a design. The thinker of the great idea is important, but so is everyone else involved in the endeavor.

Allow me to start with a blunt statement:

Steve Jobs did not design the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, and nothing else that made Apple what it is today.

Allow me to soften that a bit:

Steve Jobs did state the requirements for those products that made Apple what it is today.

Jobs was the “idea man” at Apple. He stated what he wanted the iPod (just one example) to be.

• Real designers designed a build-able product.
• Real testers tested the product.
• Real builders built  the product.
• Real manufacturers manufactured the product.

I’m not picking on Steve Jobs. He is merely a well-known example of a person who has a great idea. Let’s try this statement:

A great idea is an important requirement.

The designers, builders, testers, and everyone else involved in the endeavor carry the requirement to fruition as a product. Without them, the great idea is merely science fiction; with them, the great idea is a great product.