Eventually, we will come out of these crises. It is going to hurt and quit many will grief their close ones. But in some way, we will come out.
Some say it will be over after the summer, others think the pandemic will last longer and that a worldwide recession will hit us. Some say the world economy will go back 50 years, but we will still have our technology, knowledge, and suffering environment we didn't have then.
Most pundits agree that our world will be different. We don't know 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.
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 cannot wait to point out the way forward. 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.
Those who are willing to act now will be rewarded pretty soon because we, because of the pandemic, will see a lot of market changes.
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.
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.
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
I'm sure leaders, all over the world, are struggling with their portfolios. What could possibly attract customers? Which new market behaviors will we see? How long will the downturn last? What margins are feasible? What will make my company survive?
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.
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.
Some things to remember will be even clearer
Sunk cost. Just because a lot of work and resources have been put into something, it does not mean it is Valuable.
Value streams. If you have not identified your real value streams and paid them the proper attention it is now time. Your current organization is probably not fit to take on the new challenges.
Transformational, servant, or whatever we call leadership that let people thrive. You will need an organization that can innovate and gets the right products out on the market. You need to be open, humble, and rewarding as you point out the visionary direction of your enterprise.
Experimentation is key. There is plenty of knowledge on how to perform Business Experiments. Make sure to clarify business ownership.
Backlog, backlog, and backlog. A great Product Backlog is transparent, contains what we would like to have, and is prioritized based on business value. Most organizations do not have the needed knowledge to create great backlogs. They mix projects, activities, and phrases just as before. Top management needs to understand and show the rest of the organization what a great ball log is. Otherwise, it will not happen. I'm sure I have seen it far too offers.
Small batch sizes <picture on stairs?> Leading to slicing
Queue length <Picture?>
Experts participate in the delivery
I and many other consultants have been nagging about a better way of working for some time. We have been speaking about "product ownership. So far little has happened. Most organizations are still preparing large projects with predefined solutions years ahead of delivery.
Time is over it will not work!
It will not happen by itself you need to be intentional.
Metrics Revenue and profit growth
It is not whether you will be able to develop and deliver a solution. From a technical perspective, it is easier than ever. Today technology is cheaper and more available. The challenge is to figure out which solution will appeal to consumers.
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