Field Notes from the Transition #6
The Secret Sauce Requirement Filter
The Observation: I have walked into organizations where the requirements process has become a repository for everything the current system does not handle well. Every workaround gets documented. Every exception becomes a requirement. Every historical limitation gets translated into a request for customization. Over time, the requirements list stops reflecting how the business should operate and instead reflects how the business has been forced to operate to survive. The danger is subtle because teams believe they are capturing operational needs, when in reality they are encoding past inefficiencies into future systems.
The Tip: Separate true competitive requirements from legacy workarounds before you design or configure any new system.
The Executable Step: Review your list of requested system modifications or customizations through a simple filter. You are looking for three specific indicators of a "secret sauce" requirement versus a legacy workaround.
First, ask if the requirement represents a genuine competitive advantage that creates speed, accuracy, or service capabilities that differentiate you from competitors.
Second, examine if the requirement exists solely to compensate for a past system gap or process weakness that should not exist in your future state.
Third, look for patterns where multiple customization requests are actually supporting one broken manual process that needs to be fixed before configuration begins.
I can help you filter these requirements so you are building what you actually need rather than automating what you have merely tolerated.
Why This Matters: Systems inherit the operational compromises of the past because few leaders pause long enough to challenge whether those compromises should continue. When legacy workarounds are treated as requirements, you effectively lock inefficiency into your next multimillion-dollar investment. The result is a more expensive version of the same operational behavior rather than a meaningful step forward.
This post is part of the Field Notes from the Transition series. You can review previous Field Notes in the series on my blog site. Stay tuned for my next observation from the middle of the operation.
