It was a cold Monday morning, and Peter was engrossed in a rather tedious task. The sudden ring of his desk phone was almost a welcome sound, offering a potential break from the monotony. He picked up the receiver.
Introducing the Bookstore
- Trinity Software, how can I help you? Peter asked.
- Oh, I bet you can. The voice on the other end sounded hopeful. My name is Frank. I’m calling from a bookstore downtown called SHELF. We specialize in the best cookbooks in town. Have you heard about us?
- I’m afraid I haven’t, Frank, but it sounds like you have a great niche. I trust you offer the best merchandise available? Peter replied, intrigued.
- Exactly! It turns out my taste in recipes is quite popular, and more and more people are buying our books. Until recently, our sales volume was manageable, so we didn’t need any special software. But since Marlon ran that ad campaign on Facebook, orders have surged. We simply can’t keep up with fulfilling them all on time, and it’s starting to make our clients angry.
Diagnosing the Growing Pains
- Congratulations on the growth, Frank. Having too many clients is certainly a better problem than having too few, Peter acknowledged. Let’s talk about the issues hindering your business. Could you describe how your store operates currently? What kind of tools or software, if any, are you using?
- Well, SHELF is essentially four people passionate about cooking. First, there’s Katie, our clerk. She’s the face of the business – talking to customers, helping them find the perfect book. She also handles merchandise deliveries, tracking what’s sold, damaged, or returned. Since we don’t have an electronic catalog, she records everything in physical notebooks. Trying to find any specific piece of information in them is a nightmare, trust me.
- I understand completely, Peter sympathized. As a teenager, I kept track of about 3000 music cassettes the same way.
- Great, so you know exactly how I feel, haha! Frank laughed. Then there’s Marlon, our marketing expert. He uses various platforms to place our ads. Each system has a different interface, but the data he enters is mostly the same. It means a lot of repetitive work for him daily. If that could be automated, he’d have more time to find new ways to attract customers.
The Team and Their Troubles
- The third person is Zoe, Frank continued. She spends her days on Facebook and other social media platforms, building SHELF into a recognizable brand and engaging with our community. And finally, there’s me, the owner. I handle communication with publishers worldwide, requesting review copies, deciding which books to stock, placing orders, and managing the return of sample copies on time. The entire process is manual, repetitive, and time-consuming. Worse still, the number of potentially interesting books and publishers seems to grow almost daily.
Proposing a Path Forward
- It sounds like you and your team could significantly benefit from well-designed software to manage your workflow and support your sales growth, Peter assessed. Trinity Software is ready and willing to help you transition from manual, paper-based processes to a more automated, efficient business.
- That’s fantastic to hear, Frank said, a clear note of relief in his voice. So, what are the next steps?
- The next step is for us to meet with your team and thoroughly explore your business domain. To do this effectively, we need to gather everyone who deeply understands the business - we call them Domain Experts. We often use a workshop format called Event Storming, which is excellent for uncovering the details of your domain and the logic behind your processes. Could you send me brief descriptions of your team members and their roles? I’ll use that to suggest who should attend the initial workshop.
- I love the sound of a workshop! Give me a couple of hours, and I’ll email you those descriptions. Thanks, Peter! Bye!
- Bye Frank, thank you for calling us!
Identifying the Domain Experts
A few hours later, Peter received the promised email from Frank. Now, Peter needed to analyze the roles within SHELF to identify the key Domain Experts for the upcoming Event Storming workshop.
Frank (The Owner)
Frank is an obvious choice. As the founder, he possesses a holistic view of the business, understands all its current processes, and, crucially, recognizes their shortcomings. He is aware of the limitations imposed by the reliance on manual processes and likely has valuable ideas for improvement. His strategic perspective is essential.
Katie (The Clerk)
Katie holds deep knowledge of the day-to-day inventory management: finding books, adding new stock, removing sold items, organizing the physical shelves, and liaising with wholesalers about deliveries. She understands the practicalities and pain points of the current system. Her expertise in the core operational flow of handling books makes her a vital Domain Expert.
Marlon (The Marketing Expert)
Marlon is the marketing specialist, responsible for promotions which can sometimes be quite complex. He knows the intricacies of various advertising systems. His daily work involves repetitive tasks ripe for automation. Since effective marketing and customer acquisition are crucial for growth, understanding his processes and needs is important. Marlon is definitely a key Domain Expert.
Zoe (The Community Manager)
Zoe focuses on building and maintaining the SHELF community through social media. Her primary role involves brand building, customer engagement online, and ensuring the store maintains a positive public image. While customer interaction and brand perception are important aspects of the business, her direct involvement in the core operational workflows (like inventory, order fulfillment, or publisher relations) seems limited. For the initial Event Storming session focused on mapping these core processes, her presence might not be strictly necessary, though her insights could be valuable in later stages when discussing customer feedback loops or specific communication strategies.