In his newly published book, Pause Before You Build, Vignesh Kumar (MBA International Management, 2010) explores how organisations can make better decisions, solve meaningful problems and create products that deliver lasting value.

Drawing on more than two decades of experience in technology, entrepreneurship and product development, Pause Before You Build introduces ORBIT, a framework designed to help organisations better understand problems before rushing into solutions.

Aimed at founders, product managers, technology leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs, the book encourages readers to challenge assumptions, ask better questions and avoid costly mistakes by ensuring they are solving the right problem from the outset.

The inspiration for the book came from Vignesh's experience building products and witnessing the impact of rushed decisions.

"Eventually I wrote down the questions I had been asking before agreeing to build anything, and realised I had a framework rather than a habit. That was the inspiration."

Reflecting on the journey to publication, Vignesh described the writing process as both rewarding and humbling. Although the ideas behind the book had developed over many years, he found that refining and editing the manuscript proved to be the greatest challenge. Drawing on the discipline of academic writing, he focused on strengthening arguments and removing anything that could not be fully supported.

Vignesh also credits his time at Royal Holloway with helping to shape his professional journey. While he never planned to become a business analyst or entrepreneur, he says the global perspective and confidence gained through his studies played an important role in the path that followed.

Now published by Notion Press and available internationally, Pause Before You Build brings together lessons learned from a career spanning multiple industries and continents. Find out more here.

About the Author

Vignesh Kumar graduated from Royal Holloway in 2010 with an MBA in International Management. Since graduating, he has built and led technology businesses across the UK, UAE, Singapore, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is currently the Founder and CEO of Erdster Information Systems.

Congratulations to Vignesh on the publication of Pause Before You Build and on sharing the insights from his entrepreneurial and professional journey with a wider audience.