Situation
While working at Sapient Bioanalytics, I led a project funded by the Gates Foundation to build a platform that would allow them to interrogate critical health data generated by Sapient. The Gates foundation had been providing two grants for more than 15m$ and this work had the potential to bring to additional grants.
Task
My task was to deliver a data platform that could effectively support the grantees in their work, while also meeting the expectations of the Gates Foundation. I needed to manage both the technical execution and ensure the platform was flexible enough to cater to the wide range of use cases across the grantees. However, I underestimated the complexity of balancing the needs of the funder and the ultimate end-users—the grantees.
Action
In my eagerness to meet the Foundation’s deadlines and keep them satisfied as the primary funder, I focused my communication and efforts mostly on their feedback. I did not spend enough time engaging directly with the grantees to understand how they would use the platform. As a result, we developed features and interfaces that aligned well with what the Gates Foundation wanted to see but didn’t fully consider the grantees’ real-world needs and workflows.
When we delivered the first iteration, the feedback from the grantees was mixed. Some found the platform difficult to use, others said it didn’t integrate well with their existing tools, and a few felt their specific needs hadn’t been addressed at all. It became clear that we had missed the mark because we hadn’t properly clarified the relationship between the Foundation, the grantees, and ourselves, which led to misaligned expectations.
Result
Although we were able to adjust the platform to better meet the grantees’ needs after receiving this feedback, the initial misstep caused delays and frustration. We had to go back and redesign significant portions of the platform to accommodate the grantees, resulting in missed deadlines and a strain on both the relationship with the Foundation and the grantees. It was a challenging process, but by the end, the platform did successfully support multiple grantees, helping them analyze health data more effectively.
What I Learned
I learned a key lesson about the importance of clearly understanding the full spectrum of stakeholders in a project, especially when the end-users and funders are different entities. It reinforced the need for deeper engagement with all parties from the outset to ensure that their requirements are aligned.
What I Would Do Differently
If I were to approach this situation again, I would involve the grantees much earlier in the process and maintain ongoing communication with them throughout the project. I would set up structured workshops or regular check-ins with both the Gates Foundation and the grantees to ensure that we’re continually aligned with both the funder’s strategic goals and the grantees’ practical needs. This would help avoid miscommunication and ensure that the platform is designed with the end-user in mind from the start. By balancing the needs of both groups early on, I could ensure smoother delivery and a better product without compromising the timeline.