[RBM] "I" - Using vendors as source of inspiration.
There is a belief among many, especially in large corporations, that everything should be handled internally. I can't definitively say whether this approach is positive or negative—it truly depends on numerous factors. These include internal politics, key specializations the company prioritizes, the size and expertise of existing teams, and future staffing plans. Some organizations aim to build comprehensive IT departments covering all processes, while others prefer keeping internal teams focused on core functions and outsourcing the rest. Both approaches are perfectly acceptable when backed by sound reasoning.
However, regardless of which camp your organization falls into, everyone has access to vendors as a resource. These external partners and suppliers can be strategically utilized to fill knowledge gaps and provide specialized expertise that might not exist within your team. Vendors serve as invaluable sources of information, which is why I've placed them in the "I" section under "Informers." They often work across multiple companies and industries, giving them a unique vantage point to identify emerging trends, best practices, and innovative solutions that you might otherwise miss.
You can leverage vendors to gain insights into alternative approaches to your problems, typically benefiting from their specialized expertise and industry perspective.
This process has a formal name - it's RFI, which stands for Request For Information. Don't feel like you need to treat RFI as some rigid, formal process, though. While there are templates and best practices available, you can adapt the approach to suit your specific needs and organizational culture. Remember that its primary purpose is simply to gather information that will help you make more informed decisions down the road. The goal is to learn about what's possible, not to lock yourself into any particular path.
Don't hesitate to consult others, and don't feel obligated to choose any of the solutions they propose. You can even submit multiple RFI's for the same concern to explore different options. For example, you might ask vendors about their offerings in private clouds, Kubernetes, and public clouds. This approach will provide you with information about three different ways to tackle the same problem, giving you a more comprehensive understanding of the available options and their respective advantages and limitations.
For a nice specification of RFI, you can read more here - I won't describe it in detail: What is RFI (request for information)? (techtarget.com)
An RFI includes essential components such as an organization overview, goals, objectives, and the company's mission. It should provide a detailed description of the specific information you're seeking.
For functional requirements, we want to facilitate formulating the answers you need. The next section should clearly explain how you'll use and evaluate the information received. If helpful, you can provide a template outlining the structure and key questions that vendors should address in their responses.
The final section should describe what vendors should keep in mind when preparing their responses - including what you don't want. This helps protect you from receiving irrelevant information or being overwhelmed with excessive details that don't serve your purpose.
Vendors are one of the most reliable sources of ideas for solving your problem. They'll likely respond with a suitable solution. Please don't hesitate to meet with them and ask for details—it's an excellent opportunity to gather stories and insights about what other organizations do in comparable situations. You'll learn which approaches they choose and how they customize vendor products to fit their specific needs. This valuable knowledge comes to you for free, and you can apply it in various ways throughout your organization.
Of course, RFI is not the only way to tap into vendor expertise. Vendors frequently share their knowledge through various channels—articles, reports, case studies, podcasts, videos, and conference presentations where they discuss their experiences and showcase their expertise. These resources often contain valuable insights about industry trends, best practices, and innovative solutions that can help you better understand the marketplace.
Before meeting with vendors, or even if you prefer not to meet them directly, it's worthwhile researching what they do and what insights they share publicly. This preliminary research can save you considerable time by helping you identify which vendors truly understand your industry challenges and have developed meaningful solutions. By reviewing their published content, you can assess their approach, philosophy, and technical capabilities without sitting through sales pitches. Additionally, this background knowledge will enable you to ask more informed questions and have more productive conversations if you do decide to engage with them personally.
It's also smart to search for alternative vendors to see if they offer better solutions to your problem. For instance, when searching for Kubernetes vendors, you might discover Nomad as an alternative option. During this course, you'll have opportunities to validate such alternatives and gain more in-depth context to determine if they're worth pursuing for your specific needs.
While researching, you can also find materials from companies that have implemented the solution you're looking for, whether through vendors or in-house built systems. Explore the wider context of their decisions to understand what drove their choices. Don't hesitate to contact the authors of these materials with specific questions, or even propose meetings to gather more information. People who have gone through similar implementation processes are often eager to share their knowledge and experiences.
After completing your research, you'll be well-positioned to make an informed decision: implement the solution internally, seek partial assistance, or outsource it completely by purchasing a vendor product. Regardless of which path you choose, you'll now have the knowledge to manage the project more effectively and confidently.
What are your thoughts about leveraging vendors in this way?