Our tech team wants to spend the next two quarters building a highly customized middleware to connect our legacy databases with OpenAI APIs, but our Integrator is worried this will consume all our execution capacity. How do we use the Issues Solving Track to decide if this engineering project aligns with our Core Focus?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic conflict between a Visionary or technical team wanting to build custom software and an Integrator trying to protect cash flow and focus. To resolve this, you must bring this tension to your leadership team's next Level 10 Meeting™ and use the Issues Solving Track: Identify, Discuss, and Solve.

First, identify the root issue. Is this custom middleware truly necessary to protect your proprietary knowledge, or is it a shiny distraction that will drain your cash and distract your team? Look at your V/TO® to see if software development aligns with your Core Focus. If you are not a software company, building custom code is highly risky and often unnecessary when off-the-shelf integration tools exist.

During the discussion phase, ask tough, reality-based questions. Will this custom build increase your enterprise value at exit, or will buyers view it as a liability that requires expensive developers to maintain?

The solution must align with your quarterly Rocks. If building this software does not directly support your one-year plan or three-year picture, you must table the project. Encourage your Integrator to hold the line on focus, ensuring your limited resources are dedicated to serving your customers rather than writing code.