The last few months have been eventful, to say the least. You only have to ask my Alexa…
Until recently, when Alexa heard “Nicole”, she would reply “I’m exhausted. I can’t wait for this research to be published, but the bathroom will be amazing.” Turns out my kids created a custom Alexa routine to say that when prompted with “Nicole” because apparently, I kept saying it so often they decided to make a joke of it!
But it was all worth it: Tasktop’s Value Stream Management (VSM) platform was named as a leader in the The Forrester Wave™: Value Stream Management Solutions, Q3 2020 report — et the bathroom does look amazing (short version: We decided to redo our absolutely awful guest bathroom right at the same time as participating in some major research).
So what is this report about exactly, and why does it mean so much to me and the company? It’s a guide by the independent research firm, Forrester, for buyers considering their purchasing options in a technology marketplace. It’s a process of answering questionnaires and prepping for a briefing for an evaluation across three categories: current offering, market presence, and strategy. To be named a leader in it is an extremely clarifying moment for us. Here’s why.
As a software vendor, we are of course building and selling products and crafting and honing our strategy every day, all year, all the time. And sure, you have yearly or quarterly strategy and planning sessions and sure, you are constantly evolving your products and GTM execution.
But to pull together your entire raison d’etre—your whole story—into just two hours and responses on a spreadsheet that are (surprisingly) short? That’s not easy — especially when you consider all the elements, big and small, that make up a comprehensive product platform. In a sense, you have to sort of extract yourself and kind of imagine yourself floating above the entire company to tell your story from the outside looking in.
This process was exhilarating and humbling at the same time. As you compile the materials and think through the best way to show a demo of your products in the most compelling way possible, you almost feel like history is being replayed in front of you. And as it is being replayed, you question, “Did we make the right call on investing here vs. there? Is this feature set bang on to help address the customer need? Did we consider the right tradeoffs and decision points?”
For Tasktop, any self-doubt that naturally lingered was promptly banished when we got to the part where you provide customer references. There was absolutely zero hesitation or worry as we listed some of our top customers and heard their remarkable stories around the value they get from our VSM Platform. A truly phenomenal feeling.
At a glance and to the untrained eye, this research can seem like just a dot on a chart. But I can assure you it means much more than that. From where we stand, it’s a shining jewel that reflects many years of hard work, of people pouring their hearts and minds into making a product—like Alexa—that makes a profound impact on how people live and work. To be recognized as a leader in VSM means so much to us. A clarifying moment indeed. And one worthy of Alexa and my kids making fun of me for weeks.
Value Stream Management In Action
If you’re looking for a VSM platform that can plug in and help you improve end-to-end flow today, there’s a number of vital capabilities to consider. Watch the below webinar on-demand to see what they are and how customers are using real-time visibility into end-to-end flow to accelerate market response where it matters most:
Hear from Chris Condo, author of the Forrester Wave™: Value Stream Management Solutions, Q3 2020 Report
Our CEO and founder, Dr. Mik Kersten, chats with Chris Condo—a Principal Analyst—from Forrester on his report and how the role of VSM can support your digital journey:
