We use product roadmaps to see where we want to go and the options we might take to get there. Yet, so many of our roadmaps offer only a single and certain destination. If we don’t see options, we reduce our innovation decision points—and possibly disappoint our customers. Worse, we create products that don’t fulfill …
Consider Innovation and Personas When You Create Roadmaps, Part 5 Read More »
In Part 1, I said that product roadmaps are not like car roadmaps. But even car roadmaps showed places of interest—options—for the driver and passengers. If I stretch that analogy a little, managers need to see where we are predictable for the next bit of time, and the options we see for the future. We …
What Senior Managers Want & Need from Roadmaps: Predictability and Options, Part 4 Read More »
In Part 1, I said that customers need a different kind of roadmap than teams do. Teams need the focusing details now and a way to look forward. But, depending on where your product is in the market, your customers might want or need different information. Let’s start there. One thing to remember: you might …
Help Your Customers React the Way You Want with These Roadmap Options, Part 3 Read More »
As I said in Part 1, teams use backlogs and roadmaps to know what’s now and what’s next. Teams use backlogs for the day-to-day tactical decisions. And when teams can see what’s next, they can keep the strategic decisions in mind. What do teams need to know about the product now to focus their work? …
Choose How to Visualize Your Product Roadmap for a Team’s Product Focus, Part 2 Read More »
Several of my clients have various roadmap problems. They want a single product roadmap to serve all these purposes: Focus the team’s work for this specific product for the short term. That includes some look-ahead to see the next bit of upcoming work when the team has more capacity. Show customers where the company thinks …
Why Car Roadmaps Are Not the Same as Product Roadmaps, Part 1 Read More »
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Write and Publish More with the May 2022 Write Stuff Writing Bundle Read More »
There was a Twitter discussion about XP not having crossed the chasm. Someone Lula Rodrigues posted this wonderful Kent Beck talk about that here: https://www.agilealliance.org/resources/videos/xp-as-an-incentive-system-kent-beck-xp-2018/. Lots of great insights. Watch all of it, including the Q&A at the end. Early in the video, Kent discusses the all-too-frequent sexism and racism I also see in tech. …
Why Aren’t We Better at XP (or Almost Anything)? “Stop Making It Harder” Read More »
Modern Management: Encourage Experiments and Learning How much of your work directly supports the people you lead and serve? How much of your work supports the environment or the culture so the people can be more effective? If you work directly with the people you lead and serve, you work in the business. If you work to …
Modern Management: Encourage Experiments and Learning Read More »
Modern Management: Build a Safe Environment In the agile community, we talk a lot about psychological safety. That’s the safety we need to discuss problems, challenges, or concerns. Here are two examples I’ve seen recently, one at the team level and one in management. A Team Example Cindy, a tester, was convinced the product had …
Three Tips for Coping when Change Might Make You Nuts (Support Others) We’re still living in substantial uncertainty and chaos. We don’t know when we might be able to return to work. The kids are home from school for the foreseeable future. Where I live, in Massachusetts, all “non-essential” businesses are closed. (I did not …
Three Tips for Coping when Change Might Make You Nuts (Support Others) Read More »