thriving in a competitive marketplace

Thriving in a Competitive Marketplace

Johanna RothmanNew: Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects

@[email protected]

781-641-4046

© 2011 Johanna Rothman

http://www.jrothman.com

What Does it Mean to Thrive?

2

Flourish

Grow vigorously

Realize a goal despite

circumstance


What Does it Take to Thrive?

3

People

Quality

Product

Purpose or Vision

Money


In the Past

4

Shareholders

EmployeesCustomers© 2011 Johanna Rothman

If You Want to Thrive

5

Shareholders

EmployeesCustomers

Community


A Spiky World


Ideas & Values Shape Our Products


Ideas and Values...

9

Do you believe the world is flat or spiky?

Do you believe the organization stands alone or is a

corporate citizen?

Do you believe the organization works for its

shareholders or its employees or its community?


There is No One Right Answer


Some Local Stories...


Herman Miller

12

A better world

This is at the heart of Herman Miller and the real reason why many of us come to work every day.

We contribute to a better world by pursuing sustainability and environmental wisdom. ...


Steelcase

We design for social, economic and environmental

sustainability.

Sustainability is our lens for innovation.


http://www.steelcase.com/en/Pages/Sustainability.aspx




Bissell

BISSELL's commitment to sustainability is an extension of

our rich history of innovation and continuous

improvement.


One of Our Sponsors


Other Sponsors Share Community Values


Sometimes, It’s Government Intervention


Civil Rights Act of 1964

18

Changed the want ads in 1971

Changed employment applications in 1975

Fascinating consequences for the world of work

Look around you...


Every Single Time We Work for the Good of the Greater Community, We

All Benefit


What Can You Do?

“But, JR, I’m just a ___ . What can I do?”

Personal courage

Work as if the world is spiky and flat

Organization is a corporate citizen

Organization shares responsibility with the community

Unless you are a senior manager, take small steps and be

happy with them. I want you to keep your job.


Some Constraints Assist Innovation; Over-Constraining the Problem Does

Not


False Constraints that Damage the Ability to Thrive

22

Multitasking

“Do More with Less”

All symptoms of

management debt, of not

managing the project

portfolio


Which Constraints Assist Innovation?

23

Those that assist the flow of ideas

Those that create more quality in the product

Technical and management leadership


Because Those Constraints Appeal to Our Mastery, Purpose & Autonomy


A Competitive Marketplace

Demands new ideas

Demands quality

Allows for serendipity


Remember Moore’s Chasm


Some Ideas


Manage Your Project Portfolio

Eliminate multitasking

Decide which project is #1, #2, #3 for now

Iterate on that decision periodically

Don’t be afraid to change your mind as projects deliver

Because it doesn’t matter how many projects you start. It

matters how many projects you finish


Create a Diverse Team

Cross-functional diverse

team of diverse background

Diversity in

Domain expertise

Personality

If no one knows they can’t

do it, they will


Use Agile or Lean Where You Can

Ideas are key to thriving

Fail fast

Use timeboxes to experiment

Consider kanban to move features through


Bring in New Ideas

Talk to people outside your small group

Cross-pollinate

Get your creative juices flowing and see where the

serendipity leads you...


Consider Your Community

Who is your customer?

Consider your community as part of your customer

base

Consider shared value as one of your corporate values


Don’t Allow Time for Technical Debt

With real competition, you need to test products or

prototypes not junk

Do you know what done means?

Acceptance criteria on features

Release criteria for releases

Developers and testers work together


Collaborate as Teams

Market competition means no time for silos or zero-sum

games at any level. Internal collaboration is key.

Work on the highest ranked project first

Work on the highest ranked feature first

Swarm around features

Developers and testers and writers and BAs and

whomever are partners


Build in Frequent Feedback

Feedback for your work

Retrospectives for the team


Thriving Amid Competition is Tough

You will have to think...

People are key

Lots of ideas and serendipity help

Use every single person you have

Build on your successes

Learn from your mistakes

Involve a larger community


Read More...

Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat

Dan Pink’s Drive

Richard Florida’s Rise of the Creative Class, Flight of the

Creative Class

Porter and Kramer, Creating Shared Value in HBR, January

2011.


There’s More...

on jrothman.com (articles, newsletters, blogs)

@johannarothman

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