So, we’ve briefly looked at Velocity, what it is, how it gets abused and what the typical result of that is – and therefore the need for an alternative. Now …
“Velocity” needs to die. Alternative measures?
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time with senior Executives of different organisations. Along the way, I’ve noticed a tendency for them to latch onto, and misuse, the …
“Why doesn’t Apple make a printer?”
Someone asked the above question, and whilst it seems facile, I couldn’t resist… Short answer: because there’s no profit in it. Slightly longer answer… This quote from Tim Cook (emphasis …
Single Prioritised Backlog – chat with John Cutler
Had an interesting conversation with John Cutler yesterday to discuss the idea of having a single prioritised Backlog for an organisation. The genesis for the chat came from a tweet …
Survival in a demand-driven world
This is a really interesting read on Loose Threads. It talks about how the world of retail clothing has shifted from being supply-constrained to demand-driven. It looks at how Zara operates …
Internal Product Management: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Applying Product Management to “Internal Products” can be a bit strange. Sometimes it feels a bit like trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. Having observed …
Why Duration and not Cost?
We get this question a lot. It is referring to the denominator of CD3 (Cost of Delay Divided by Duration). For various reasons, people struggle with this. There’s perhaps an …
Develop Better Products by Understanding Jobs To Be Done – Agile2017 Workshop
Abstract: Jobs to be Done (JTBD) is an interview technique and way of thinking for revealing deeper insights into why people choose a product or service. Using JTBD helps us …
The Agile PMO: 6 things you need to nail – Agile2017
Abstract: What does the PMO actually do in an agile, learning organisation? The leading vs dragging PMO In many organisations the PMO tends to be part of the problem rather …
How to Train Your HiPPO (Workshop) – Agile2017
Abstract: Have you noticed the impact when someone more senior in your organisation shares their opinion? Meet the HiPPO: the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion. Sometimes it’s subtle and unintended. Other …
How to do a *really* basic forecast
Forecasting delivery is something every organisation should be doing. Unfortunately, hardly any do. This is a shame because it’s actually quite easy, as hopefully you’ll see below. Even a very basic …
Product Roadmaps and Cost of Delay
I sometimes get asked about how Cost of Delay and CD3 work with Product Roadmaps. This post is an initial attempt to collate my current thinking on this (as green …
Product Management with Cost of Delay – Greece – March 2017
Two-day course in Athens, Greece, with Özlem Yüce. When: 22 & 23 March 2017 (2 days duration course) Early Bird Price: €600 + VAT / person (until 28 February 2017) – …
CD3 and Cost of Delay puzzles
Johanna Rothman sent us through some common puzzles about Cost of Delay and CD3. Posting our thoughts here, in case others have similar questions or suggestions… “Who estimates the Value part …
Product Roadmaps
What is a Product Roadmap for? What is the “job to be done” for which people “hire” Product Roadmaps? Of course, there are lots of different behaviours that Product Roadmaps …
Citizen Thiel spots an Asymmetric Opportunity
There’s been quite a lot of kerfuffle in New Zealand about the fact that Peter Thiel has been granted Citizenship. Given his background in PayPal, Facebook and other startups, I …
Stable Teams, Multiple Stakeholders
Some organisations struggle with team stability due to having to deal with multiple stakeholders. This is a fairly common situation. Typically, these stakeholders represent completely different departments or “silos” in an …
CD3 and proportionality to Outcomes
Here’s an interesting question: “I have been busy trying to figure out Cost of Delay but I’m stuck on a certain question — hopefully you can enlighten me. An example: …
How to Find Gun Owners Fast
This is a wonderful piece by Jeanne Marie Laskas, writing for GQ magazine. It’s about a strange little federal agency in the US that runs traces on guns that are associated with …
Relaxing constraints, moving mountains
A sorely underutilised way to tilt the playing field in Product Development is to simply break the rules that everyone else is playing by. This “thinking different” is often the underlying …