Something I hear a ton from larger organizations...
“We need to adopt more *product thinking*. We need to think in products!”OK. Where to start.
How does this manifest? 300 teams and 300 CSPOs and 300 “products” later, “IT” is in the same mess it was in before (1/n)
“We need to adopt more *product thinking*. We need to think in products!”OK. Where to start.
How does this manifest? 300 teams and 300 CSPOs and 300 “products” later, “IT” is in the same mess it was in before (1/n)
Except now they have PRODUCTS.
Take something like a bank. If you think of humans out in the world and their needs from a bank, you have ~10 human<—>need combinations.
The bank is using design and technology and a big network of services to meet those needs (2/n)
Take something like a bank. If you think of humans out in the world and their needs from a bank, you have ~10 human<—>need combinations.
The bank is using design and technology and a big network of services to meet those needs (2/n)
Yet somehow now everything is supposed to be called a product, because that is how you get budget, and that is what the consultant told you. Product teams! Hurray!
But that kind of misses the point.
We talk about the shift from projects to products, but ... (3/n)
But that kind of misses the point.
We talk about the shift from projects to products, but ... (3/n)
What we are really talking about is the shift to persistent value streams/value networks and (again) using design and technology to generate mid/long term growth.
Features/products are temporary but differentiated solutions to persistent opportunities (4/n)
Features/products are temporary but differentiated solutions to persistent opportunities (4/n)
Sadly, before you know it you’ll have the “internal facing products” calling their internal coworkers “customers”. Which they aren’t. The humans out in the world are your customers.
Your coworkers are your partners (thanks @joshuajames for that). (5/n)
Your coworkers are your partners (thanks @joshuajames for that). (5/n)
So the basic problem is one of taking the old way, calling everything a product, and missing the point.
You still have the “business” vs. “IT” dichotomy (hence that weird PM/PO thing).
Your “product roadmaps” are lists of projects.
Same old stuff. Different name (6/n)
You still have the “business” vs. “IT” dichotomy (hence that weird PM/PO thing).
Your “product roadmaps” are lists of projects.
Same old stuff. Different name (6/n)
I think my point is that I believe in “product thinking”, but I’d rather the bank (for example) not calls things product that aren’t products. It just confuses the issue. (7/end)
