67. The Sniper and the Cow

On one occasion, the CEO of one of the largest software development companies in Ibero-America shared with me his perspective on the difference between software services and product development.

He explained it like this:

“Let’s imagine there’s a cow 20 kilometers from here. Our objective is to kill that cow.

Developing products is like having an expert sniper, well-trained, with a single bullet and a good rifle.

Selling services is like having a group of people, with multiple skills, many bullets, and various quality weapons.

While the sniper must achieve the goal with a single bullet from 20 kilometers away, the group can move to where the cow is and ensure they achieve the goal by any means necessary before returning.”

I often revisit this metaphor to explain the difference between the two paradigms.

Although in product development there are practices that increase the likelihood of success, we must consider the effort, knowledge, and precision that this activity demands.

Building products involves deeply understanding the context, choosing and knowing the necessary tools, having the right resources, and then acting in the most efficient way possible.