That is the hard part, but this is why it requires an inordinate amount of time combined with short term tactical work to keep things running.
Most work can fit within quarters and get executed quickly, but it takes something else to have long term vision.
The discovery process was paying attention and looking at what is actually the goal, and it generally requires the discipline to slow down and focus on the future without giving into the short term time sinks.
I had the benefit of 70-100 minutes per day of being stuck on a boat commuting for years to focus on discovery. The particular project that had a two year vision had about six months of shit to eat in office while thinking and planning on the commuter boat. It is amazing what one can accomplish by simply writing and the time to focus.
Completely off topic, but somehow I find a daily commute via boat seem like a nice and cosy way of going to work. Where did you go from and to, if you mind sharing?
I used to commute from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. It's not bad for a couple of years, but it starts to get old and isolating. It was very effective for some growth that I went through, but became an annoyance as my designs and ideas began to vastly overwhelm my ability to execute and lead a number of teams to execute.
Most work can fit within quarters and get executed quickly, but it takes something else to have long term vision.
The discovery process was paying attention and looking at what is actually the goal, and it generally requires the discipline to slow down and focus on the future without giving into the short term time sinks.
I had the benefit of 70-100 minutes per day of being stuck on a boat commuting for years to focus on discovery. The particular project that had a two year vision had about six months of shit to eat in office while thinking and planning on the commuter boat. It is amazing what one can accomplish by simply writing and the time to focus.