Thread by @shahzmasays

It's the session I'm most excited about at #FWD50 so you know I'm gonna live tweet it!

https://twitter.com/Copeland309/status/1456287816388943880

And of course it starts with the offer to pitch to the panelists on why digital is important and deserves support at the end #FWD50

@mskatiebenjamin starts with the history of better for less. "Stop doing expensive things that don't work, and start doing better things that do work."

Solutions proportional to the problem 👏

Doing something usually costs more than doing nothing. You want to be done like dishes. You're never really done, so invest in a team that can operate.
-@mskatiebenjamin #FWD50

End mass underperformative contracts, and fund teams sensible in their size and scope 👏
-@mskatiebenjamin #FWD50

The cost savings makes sense when things are designed well, e.g. Digital services so well designed that users don't have to call a call centre
-@mskatiebenjamin #FWD50

I can't tweet fast enough.

Measure what matters
Failure demand
Time tax
👏👏👏
-@mskatiebenjamin #FWD50

Summary:
- state upfront how you measure better and less
- calculate your odds of success based on historical averages
- what is your mechanism for change? (e.g. allocate funding based on performance, clear way to define quality)
-@mskatiebenjamin #FWD50

Next up, @katylalonde with a provocative first question:
What if less meant less stuff, not less money? Like less product
#FWD50

What makes a good MVP? It's usable and provides value. Feedback mechanisms help you learn to iterate.
- user needs
- constraints
- opportunity
-@katylalonde #FWD50

How do you sell that?
- show, don't tell
- constraints (use them to guide your MVP!)
- data
-@katylalonde #FWD50

So what if less meant less stuff and less money? Fewer features, but more value. Meets user needs. Smaller builds.

Better for less is better for cheaper.
-@katylalonde #FWD50

Bitter or Better for Less. I already can't wait for @honeygolightly's talk next at #FWD50

Read this! ntouk.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/better…
It's about :
- reducing cost
- a relentless focus on delivery
- using open data, standards, open source,
- privacy
- measuring outcomes,
- a digitally literate public service
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

Digital teams have been paying the hidden cost of "better for less".
Our skills and approach are still not understood.
It becomes heroics - people working overtime to deliver the MVP.
The MVP can't translate to sustainable funding.
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

@honeygolightly 1. Be bold about defining what better looks like
How you define success will define you as an organization. Product, service, and policy metrics.
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

2. Do the hard work to make the good path easy
-@honeygolightly #FWD50
(a line I've stolen from Honey and use often)

Map and share the ratio of doing to watching

We need governance.
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

"Do you want to spend al your time tracking risks on a spreadsheet or manage the actual risk?"
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

3. Address the persistent issues that cause some bitterness.
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

Servant leadership is part of that challenge.
Empower. Mission. Joy.

But "we place a premium on individual contribution and productivity" 👏👏👏
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

Your talent strategy also needs to include leadership paths outside of your digital team. If you want leaders in digital policy, create paths for your digital policy leaders in what's considered traditional policy.
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

Ending provocations:
"What did you do yesterday?
What are you doing today?
How do you make it better?"
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

A gem I missed (thanks for capturing, @mskatiebenjamin)
“I promise you, if you want modular contracting, the fastest way to achieve it is when your CFO demands it”
-@honeygolightly #FWD50

This session did not disappoint. Still processing all of it and the chat after.

And congrats to @firebethfox for her winning pitch!

#FWD50