top 7 agile tips i learnt as an agile product manager
TRANSCRIPT
#1 START WITH PURPOSE
― PETER F. DRUCKER
“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”
Purpose
Measures
Method
Source:BasedonVanguardConsulting
STOPBORINGMANAGERSTODEATHWITHTALKABOUTLEANANDKANBAN
HELPTHEMSOLVETHEIRPROBLEMS
Learn from Improvisational Theatre:Make offers and
be good to work with
No, no, don’t say it like that!
What does being wrong feel like?
Source: Kathryn Schulz “On Being Wrong”
IFYOU’RENOTPARTOFTHEPROBLEM,YOUCAN’TBEPARTOFTHESOLUTION
#2 CULTURE STARTS WITH YOUR BEHAVIOUR
Howwethinkweactand
Howwetellothersweact
≠
Howweactuallyact
Feedback
“Yourfeedbacktotheteammemberwaspoorbecause:
Itdidnotfocusonanypositiveactionsanditdidn’tuseanyexamples“
(insecret!)
https://vimeo.com/43256388
MeasuringTransparency
@benjaminm
#3 SHOW DON’T TELL
Producing Publicly Testable Information
Test it in your environment
Old System
New Approaches
http://engineering.lonelyplanet.com/2012/12/09/a-history-of-web-performance-lonely-planet/
#4 NEGOTIATE SMALL STEPS TO IMPROVE
Testing Assumptions: Navigation
Impact of Anchored Navigation
Improving the Navigation
Effect of changing the Navigation
#5 MAKE PROGRESS WITH IMPERFECT TOOLS
Make progress with imperfect tools
Innovation can create embarrassment and threat
Our A/B Testing Technology
÷ 2
Page Views Per Visit
#6 FOCUS ON OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR OVER PREDICTED BEHAVIOUR
OpinionSurveys:“Ifyoubuildittheywillcome”
58%ofreaderssaidtheywouldvisitmoreiftherewasmoretopic-focusedcontent
“Ifyoujoinedthegym,howfitwouldyoubecome?”
Numbers are people too
‘The site breaks all so-called “usability rules”. It’s user-friendly for normal people, not for internet fanatics.’Jacob Neilsen
Challenging our Assumptions
Previous “De-facto” Policy:It’s OK to assume users will care as much about the site navigation and content as we do
New belief:Users aren’t hunting for specific content as much as they are foraging for interesting things right in front of them.
#7 GIVE PEOPLE THE TOOLS TO HELP THEM MEASURE ACHIEVEMENT OF PURPOSE
Publishing was based on the clock
Challenging Assumptions: Most recent content is always better
Hour of the Day
Clic
ks p
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eadl
ine
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Thou
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Hou
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isito
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7 Tips for Agile Value Delivery
1. Start with Purpose2. Show Don’t Tell3. Culture starts with your behaviour4. Negotiate: agree smaller steps to build trust5. Make progress with imperfect tools6. Create an environment where it’s safe to
challenge assumptions7. Give people the tools to measure achievement
of purpose
equalexperts.com/blog
Thanks!Bookstoread• TheSkilledFacilitator&Skilled
FacilitatorWorkbookbyRogerSchwarz
• DiscussingtheUndiscussable byBillNoonan
• FlawedAdviceandtheManagementTrapbyChrisArgyris
• GettingMorebyStuartDiamond• DifficultConversationsbyStone,
Patton&Heen
Contactme:
twitter.com/benjaminm