Valtech - Connecting Product Vision to Everyday Agile Work
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The document discusses the importance of a product vision as a strategic tool in Agile work, emphasizing its role in communication and prioritization. It suggests that a distinctive vision should reflect one's worldview and should be practical, motivating, and adaptable to market feedback. The document provides guidance on developing, communicating, and implementing a product vision while integrating continuous testing and evolution of the vision based on real-world responses.
Valtech - Connecting Product Vision to Everyday Agile Work
- 1. Product Vision as a Tool in everyday Agile work
- 2. Introduction ! Who am I? ! What is my Vision? ! PO/PMs are overwhelmed with details ! Need = strategic AND practical ! Make vision a widespread iterative tool ! Lots of Examples...one constraint
- 3. Overview ! Developing a product vision ! Communicating your ideas and plans ! Using vision everyday ! When vision meets reality
- 4. Markets are Conversations So what do you have to say?
- 5. Developing a Product Vision ! A vision should be an opinion. ! Should be expressible on an elevator ride ! If it is unique it separates you from the pack ! Examples: ! You should control your online Presence . ! Portability is the key to harness changing technology - Oracle/Java/ParcPlace
- 6. How do you see the world? ! Worldview : What do you believe? Who else sees things the way I do? ! What does the future look like? ! Given your worldview, what is needed and most important?
- 7. Typical Visions ! Leading Provider... = “I want to win” ! Increase ROI = “... more money” ! Be a market leader = “... be successful” ! To be recognized = “...be important”
- 8. Thinking Different ! Not enough to have an opinion, it needs to stand out. ! Sometimes be a contrarian! ! What makes you capable/ interesting? ! Partners rather than competitors?
- 9. Cluetrain ! Companies attempting to position themselves should take a position. ! Optimally it should relate to something the market actually cares about. ! Bombastic boasts do not = a position
- 11. What are you doing about what you believe? ! Building a product that is needed ! Your Worldview builds the case ! prioritize vs ignore vs outsource ! Scholastic - What is changing about the world of children s learning? ! How can we uniquely contribute? ! Parent AND Teacher relationships
- 12. Another Example - Simple Sync ! Envisions a world with people having many devices ! Solution: Seamless and effortless syncing and backup across devices
- 13. Communicating ! Who and How ! You need several kinds of people: customers, supporters, investors, partners ! Internet is great but it still takes looking to find YOUR people ! Drawing your Worldview ! Statements, Papers, Talks, Screencasts, Demos ! Thought leaders, Communities, Reviews
- 14. Vision Examples ! DataHero Brings Analytics to Everyone ! Organize the world s information and make it universally accessible and useful. - ?? ! Our values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted. The approach we take towards product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility. - ?? ! A place where incredibly talented individuals are empowered to put their best work into the hands of millions of people, with very little in their way. - ??
- 15. Vision as a Tool ! Motivation - Eyes on the prize ! Prioritization and evaluation ! Integration and Testing ! DevOps & Continuous Deployment ! Baby steps into the future
- 16. Motivation ! Vision needs to be reinforced! ! Every planning meeting ! Start with big picture -> current sprint ! Other reminders - flags, posters, talks
- 17. Prioritization ! If this process is mysterious you have a problem <- smell ! Test each story - perhaps do a rating ! Does it support your Worldview? - upgrade ! Is it beside YOUR points - downgrade ! Be creative about focusing on your vision! ! Minimizing effort on everything else
- 18. Scientific Method for Development ! Customer Development ! Validated Learning
- 19. Integration and Test ! Q: Do your tests PROVE your vision? ! Example: The future of education is a custom learning plan for every child. ! Tests (focus of testing your core assumptions) ! Practical for one teacher to create 20-30 plans? ! Assign and track? ! Schools managing hundreds of plans? ! Parent communication? Support?
- 20. DevOps, Continuous Deployment ! Presents its own vision of software development without complex and risky releases ! Small incremental features delivered as they are built - always integrating and testing ! Build your vision in small steps rather than all at once ! This is win since your vision is likely to evolve ! Up front investment is often wasted
- 21. When Vision meets Reality
- 22. Market Reactions ! Your own Sales force - help them tell the tale ! Customers, Partners, Upper Mgmt ! Press, Analysts ! They want a story , give them yours ! Wild-eyed supporters and trolls ! Productive use of feedback
- 23. Dealing with Events ! You won t always be the freshest idea out there ! Others will always make claims that they have it all figured out ! Easy to panic... ! Go back to your Worldview ! Are your assumptions still valid? ! Do other products fit or conflict? ! Do you still believe in your story? ! Ok to change and evolve.
- 24. In Summation... But have something to say...
- 25. Thanks! BTW Valtech is just starting to work in Hawaii... kelly.looney@valtech.com