Executing a roadmap: Operationalizing a road map with your team, leadership, and client
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The document provides six key tips for effectively executing a roadmap, emphasizing the importance of addressing difficult problems, answering initial questions proactively, and finding a translator for effective communication. It also highlights the need to understand customer impact, teach through storytelling, and maintain a positive attitude. Each tip is supported by anecdotes to illustrate the concepts and their importance in achieving successful outcomes.
Executing a roadmap: Operationalizing a road map with your team, leadership, and client
- 1. tips and stories to help you execute a road map effectively6 Andrew Hsu
- 2. About me... Past Electrical engineer for oil-refineries Product manager Present Building high performing cultures
- 3. tip #1 Spend time with what’s difficult
- 4. a story about... Users reporting the site is down before we know. Spend time with what’s difficult
- 5. Client - “The site is down.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 6. Client - “The site is down.” Me: “Client’s saying the site is down, what’s going on?” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 7. Client - “The site is down.” Me: “Client’s saying the site is down, what’s going on?” Engineering: <silence> Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 8. Client - “The site is down.” Me: “Client’s saying the site is down, what’s going on?” Engineering: <silence> Me: “Marco?” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 9. Client - “The site is down.” Me: “Client’s saying the site is down, what’s going on?” Engineering: <silence> Me: “Marco?” Engineering: “We’re looking into it.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 10. Problem is fixed. Service restored. Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 11. Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult Client replies are sent. I hope we retro properly and it doesn’t happen again.
- 12. Me: “How can we not know the site’s down before someone else?” Engineering: “It’s complicated.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 13. 1 month later Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 14. Client - “The site is down.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 15. Me: ugh. Client - “The site is down.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 16. “Seriously, again?” “It’s complicated.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 17. Spending the time required. Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 18. Don’t just hope it was fixed. Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 19. ● “What broke?” ● “How did it break?” ● “How are the broken pieces interconnected?” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 20. ● “Access completely revoked when one item fails.” ● “The front end sends false alarms.” ● “The back end alert is not interpretable.” Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 21. Definitive next steps defined and put into our work queue. Spend time with what’s difficultSpend time with what’s difficult
- 22. How to notice, where you need to spend time... ● People you regularly shy away from speaking with ● Persistent problems that aren’t improving ● Any problem without definitive next steps ● “That’s so weird” ● Where you feel a sense of urgency and your team does not match that Spend time with what’s difficult
- 23. tip #2 Answer your own first questions
- 24. a story about... shifting strategies Answer your own first questions
- 25. The strategy keeps changing. Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 26. You’re upset The team is upset. Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 27. “What are YOU doing?” “Why does the strategy keep shifting?” “How can we ship if everything keeps changing?” Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 28. Answering the first questions. Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 29. “What are YOU doing?” They’re trying to make the company successful. “Why does the strategy keep shifting?” They’ve learned something new, seen something new, noticed that what was planned is not working. “How can we ship if everything keeps changing?” We need to prime the team to adapt more quickly because the market keeps shifting. Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 30. Shape your new convo. Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 31. “The strategy has shifted a lot lately which is causing the team and I anxiety. I’m guessing this is due to: the old plan not working, you found something better, you learned something new. To help us adapt better, what did you learn? What changed? etc... <conversation> To keep us moving, I believe (1) This is the new impact goal (2) I will convey new goals for the team as X, Y, and Z (3) Can we start regular Friday sync ups so I can update the team on Mondays. WDYT? Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 32. Application ● Write down your first questions / reactions ● Answer them on your own Use your answers to: ● Present your understanding of the current situation ● Present a potential solution ● Ask stakeholders what’s changed and what they think Answer your own first questionsAnswer your own first questions
- 33. tip #3 Find a translator
- 34. a story about... Why doesn’t anyone else feel my urgency Find a translator
- 35. I look at JIRA and know we aren’t going to “make it.” Find a translator
- 37. We don’t deliver. Find a translator
- 39. One day I start talking to an engineer about my frustration. Find a translator
- 40. I’ve found a translator. Find a translator
- 41. Me: “I’m stressed….” Find a translator
- 42. Me: “I’m stressed….” Engineering: “Why? Find a translator
- 43. Me: “I’m stressed….” Engineering: “Why? Me: “I know we’re not going to deliver” Find a translator
- 44. Me: “I’m stressed….” Engineering: “Why? Me: “I know we’re not going to deliver” Engineering: “I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t know how to fix it.” Find a translator
- 45. Engineering: “There’s nothing in JIRA and no obvious problems for us to act on.” Me: “What do you mean you don’t know…” Engineering: “I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t know how to fix it.” Find a translator
- 46. Immediate: Fill JIRA sooner with bugs and tickets so people can act upon the issues. New problem: Find a way to convey standard % of sprint that’s taken by QA, bug fixing, and “urgent requests.” Find a translator
- 47. How to know you likely need a translator ● How do they not get this? ● I can’t seem to get my point across ● I can’t explain what I see to people ● You’ve been struggling to change things for months, and things are not changing Find a translator
- 48. tip #4 Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 49. a lesson from performance review conversations Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 50. “I feel like I’m being micro-managed” “You are being micro-managed.” Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 51. “I always hit my deadlines.” “You always hit YOUR deadlines.” Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 52. We always need to be asking questions and helping each other hit the client deadlines and client impact. Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 53. “If you don’t want to be pushed, you need to pull.” Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 54. How to know when you need to pull ● Lack of clarity on how client will be delivered ● Lack of clarity on when client delivery is ● Not confident we can deliver ● Any time you are blocked ● When you see holes in your logic ● Lack of consensus with all stakeholders for client launch Keep pulling to understand customer impact
- 55. tip #5 Teach in story
- 56. a story about... timelines Teach in story
- 57. Monday kick off structure ● Week 1 - client dates ● Week 1 - features ● 4 week - client dates ● 4 week - features Teach in story
- 58. Monday kick off Invites need to be sent to launch a client this Wednesday. Teach in story
- 59. Thursday “Hey did you send those invites?” Teach in story
- 60. Thursday “Hey did you send those invites?” “What invites?” Teach in story
- 61. … I trust nothing Teach in story
- 62. Tell stories about what the expected stakeholder experience is. Teach in story
- 63. “On Wednesday, our Agent (George Clooney), will be presenting to 150 people at Universal Studios. After he presents, he will direct them all to register. They will go to their emails while in this meeting and look for the registration link. We need to make sure the client has the email and George doesn’t have a terrible time” Who is on point for this? Teach in story
- 64. How to know when to tell stories ● Anything that has a client impact ● Features ● Releases ● Timelines Teach in story
- 66. a story about... me Be positive
- 67. a story about... me + Esley Be positive
- 68. How to notice you’re not optimistic ● I’m bored ● “I have to do this” ● “I should do this” ● Not being excited about going to work Be positive
- 69. How to be more optimistic ● Ask yourself “how have I already achieved what I’m seeking to do.” ● Ask yourself: “what’s the story I would tell someone about what went well last week.” ● Go visit your clients and help them ● Work with people who work with clients ● Work with someone optimistic Be positive
- 70. Recap 1. Spend time with what’s difficult 2. Answer your own first questions 3. Find a translator 4. Keep pulling to understand customer impact 5. Teach in story 6. Be positive
- 71. thanks!!
- 73. Appendix