Background, what is happening, the situation, what is going on, when is it over
For years I have been thinking; “Sometime, a pandemic will spread all over the world. Maybe not in my lifetime, but sometime it will come. Because it’s how nature works.”
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Most pundits agree that our world will be different. No one knows to what extent, but for sure it will be different. Whatever happens to our economies, lifestyles, or needs, the uncertainty is higher than ever before. The question is, what will make the growth wheels spin again. Global completion could be more brutal than ever before.
What to do?
I'm sure leaders, all over the world, are struggling with their future. What will attract customers? Which new market behaviors will we seeWhat margins are feasible? How long will the downturn last? What margins are feasible? What will make my company survive?The chance of success through cost-savings and supply-chain/production optimization is getting lower. Instead, company leaders need to focus more on building the capability to innovate, create new products, and interact with the market to validate what is flying or not.
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What to do?
The most important work for Leaders is to build the capability to deliver the right value. Just forget to do well-defined plans and product designs. When dealing with this massive uncertainty, building up new knowledge, and adjust is going to be your way forward. The capability is what you can work on right now and it will give some respit.
The time is over when the best way to organize was in functional silos with local responsibility and performance metrics. Whether you are promoting silos or not, your business is operating in valve streams. That is all strategic steps needed from start until some kind of client or user value appears.
Product development is the solution
The art of innovative Product Management, with the development of Lean-Agile mindset and frameworks, has for many years become more and more important. I am so sure this development will accelerate so much more. Since the thing with Lean and Agile is all about taming the uncertainty. Just forget to do well-defined plans and product designs. When dealing with this massive uncertainty, building up new knowledge, and adjust is going to be your way forward.
The chance of success through cost-savings and supply-chain/production optimization is getting lower. Instead, company leaders need to focus more on building the capability to innovate, create new products, and interact with the market to validate what is flying or not.
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The solution
My prediction is that Product Management will be the key. Yes, it was important before as well. But, now the pressure to be able to quickly deliver what customers will buy is much stronger.
We will need much more of, what many companies already are doing. Experimentation and measuring of business results. Don't worry, plenty of companies have been doing it for a while and many tools and techniques are available.
The art of innovative Product Management, with the development of Lean-Agile mindset and frameworks, has for many years become more and more important. I am so sure this development will accelerate so much more. Since the thing with Lean and Agile is all about taming the uncertainty.
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What to
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does it mean in
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practice
Business agility means an organization that as a whole have the ability to adapt according to market and customer needs. CEOs and other top managers cannot continue to delegate work <responsibility for organizational design and change managment> to middle management and functional silo managers.
They must build a flow-based and modularized organization that can act swiftly on market reactions. The time is over when Agile and Lean have been thought of just as an IT-team endeavor. Without upper management engagement, we have observed that for most "traditional" organizations it is a very long Journey
It is your choice if you want to build your organization around these value streams or stay in the functional responsibility paradigm. But, take the time to think about your choice now and prepare for the worst.
In almost all organization I can see an unclear decision order where organizational capability and product delivery are mixed and handled so unclear that not much is coming out. All organizations who want to challenge the competition have to take organizational design and product development flow much more seriously.
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Remember some possibly useful stuff.
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Eventually, we will come out of these crises. It is going to hurt and many will grief their close ones. But in some way, we will come out.
While many of us are occupied in the current situation, trying to live our lives and also save lives, some need to start planning for the future. Leaders of companies and other organizations cannot wait to point out the way forward. We need to get going. We have an economy to save!.
It is not possible to have all the layers, streamlining organization charts and avoid silos and layers that only add administration or control
Eventually, we will come out of these crises. It is going to hurt and many will grief their close ones. But in some way, we will come out.
My prediction is that the need for Business agility will even higher after the pandemic. Markets have inevitably changed and many products will not sell. Product Management needs to be innovative solutions. Great products have always been the underlying reason for the success Some times the luck and many times research and innovation The chance of success through cost-saving and production optimization is getting lower. Company leaders need to focus more on building the capability to innovate new products and interact with the market to validate what is flying or not.
It is your choice if you want to build your organization around these value streams or stay in the functional responsibility paradigm. But, take the time to think about your choice now and prepare for the worst.