fundamentals of agile product management
TRANSCRIPT
ambreenshussain
Fundamentals of Agile Product Management
Ambreen Hussain, Product Manager, HDM [email protected]
Agenda• Intro
• On Agile
• The Role of Product Management in Agile
• Product Process & Lifecycle
• Characteristics of a Product Manager
Background
BA, English, The University of Texas at Austin
MFA, Design & Technology, Parsons New School for Design
Background
Front-End Developer, NBC, elle.com and Sony
Product Manager, Sony, General Assembly, Hearst
Instructor, Thinkful, Parsons
What I Thrive In• Beautifully Designed Products
(that I use)
• Inspiring Co-Workers
• Solving Problems
• Process That Allows For Innovation & Iteration
• Open and Transparent Dialogue
Soo… Agile.
Why is it such an obsession?
Here Was the Problem…
Things were slow. There were so many
layers. It took forever to start and approve anything.
PEOPLE.WERE.ANNOYED.DYING.
LOSING IT.
Agile Manifesto
1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan
Waterfall vs Agile
Conception
Initiation
Analysis
Design
Construction
Testing
Deployment
Conception
Initiation
Analysis
Design
Construction
Testing
Deployment
Waterfall vs Agile
Agile Methodology
Waterfall Methodology
FEATURE 1 FEATURE 2 FEATURE 3
FEATURE 3FEATURE 2FEATURE 1
DEPARTMENT 1
DEPARTMENT 2
Agile Team Structure
Agile Team Structure7 (+/- 2) Cross
Functional Team Members
Product Owner Scrum Master
(Tech Lead)
Agile Software Development
• Division of tasks
• Division of teams
• Short phases of work
• Frequent reassessment on specified features
• Adaptation of plans
It works!Waterfall vs Agile
It works!Agile Assessment1. The team knows, for sure, that at any given time they are working on deliverables that have the greatest value for the business.
2. When the implementation team claims to be Done with something, the business stakeholder usually agrees that it is, in fact, done and Accepts it.
3. When something is Accepted, it is sufficiently well-built and well-tested that it would be safe to deploy or ship it immediately.
4. The team delivers Accepted product increments at least monthly.
5. When the product increments are shipped or deployed, the users and customers are generally satisfied.
It works!Agile Assessment6. If the business stakeholder changes the priorities or the requirements, the implementation team can adapt easily, switching gears to deliver according to the updated business needs within the next iteration.
7. The business stakeholders express confidence that they will get the capabilities they need in a timely manner.
8. The business can recognize real value from the deliverables: each product increment ultimately has a positive impact on the bottom line.
9. The team has been working at the same pace, delivering roughly the same amount every iteration, for a while.
10. The people on the implementation team agree that they could keep working at the current pace indefinitely.
Product Vision
Conception
Initiation
Analysis
Design
Construction
Testing
Deployment
Conception / Initiation
Conception
• What design problem are you trying to solve?
• What could be your initial success metrics?
Conception
• Who are your competitors?
• What is your competitive advantage?
Analysis
Conception
• Market Size
• Marketing Tactics
• Possible Business Models
Design
Design
User Stories
Agile Workflow
1. Backlog Grooming
• What do we need to prioritize or re-prioritize?
• What’s coming up next?
2. Sprint Planning
• Here’s what we committed to completing in our upcoming sprint!
3. Daily Stand Up
• What did you do yesterday?
• What are you doing today?
• Is anything blocking you from continuing your work?
4. Sprint Review
Show ‘em what you got!
5. Retrospective
• What made you happy?
• What was eh?
• What made you upset?
• What should we do about it!?
Product Owner
• user stories
• creates mock ups
• leads backlog grooming
• demos feature or product
Product Manager
• supports marketing and sales groups
• channel support
Product Lead
• roadmap
• P&L
Product Owner
Product ManagerProduct Lead
Cool.
So what are the characteristics that make someone a great
Product Owner / Manager / Lead?
History of Product Management
• Branding // Marketing & Ethnography Degree
• understand user needs
• understand where light sales can be improved
• be the voice of the brand
• try new things
You need to empathize.
1930’s Proctor & Gamble
Discipline: Ethnography, Marketing & Branding
• place, where to sell
• price, for how much
• promotion, and how to market
• product, develop
History of Product Management
You need to strategize.
1960’s Harvard
Discipline: Business Administration
• Prototype
• MVP
• UX Design
• User Testing, A/B Testing
History of Product Management
You need to build.
2000’s, Web 2.0
Discipline: Computer Science Design
Today’s Trifecta
Design
Tech Business
• I think a good product manager is Customer Driven. — Jason Evanish, Founder of Get Lighthouse, Formerly at Kiss Metrics
• I’m from the Ben Horowitz school that a Product Manager is the CEO of their product…you’re ultimately responsible for having a winning product. No excuses. — Sara Mauskopf, Director of Product at Postmates. Previously Twitter, YouTube, Google
• A positive net promoter score from the engineers and designers you have previously worked with.” — Dave Morin, CEO Path, Formerly Facebook
What Makes a Good PM?
• http://pragmaticmarketing.com/resources/expand-your-comfort-zone-a-product-management-quiz-to-point-you-in-the-right-direction-
• http://www.brainsnackscafe.com/Product_Manager_Aptitude_Quiz.php
PM Test
Future QuadDesign
Tech Business
Data
