Know the Need(s) Before

Recently we found ourselves unexpectedly with a group of people who had been told what they needed without being asked what the fundamental problem was or how it could be solved. No needs assessment had occurred. Instead a quick solution had been sold to them and we had been asked to deliver it on behalf of someone else. A brief conversation at the beginning of the meeting elicited that the requirements were completely different and needed to be delivered in a different way. It pays to know the needs first.