agile with a little a

September 5, 2023

Happy Monday everyone! Lots going on this week in the Cleveland Product scene, so let’s get to it!

Article of the Week

I have seen many different types of tech organizations in my career, as a full-time employee, consultant, and networker. Many large enterprises have issues moving fast enough, and they think they can simply implement Agile or SAFe to solve all its problems. However, they go in with the wrong attitude or have misconceptions about it, then revert away from it or hamstring their implementation of it, which limits their teams from making impactful change for their customers.

I recently read any article by ProductPlan that brought this into focus for me, and it was about how you can be predictable and use Agile at the same time. In particular, I liked the following points:

  • Agile is not a Free-for-All - Agile simply focuses the team and organization on what’s important now and will provide value now. The team still works collaboratively on what is needed and how it should function. As the article says, “Developers don’t code what they feel like, and the software doesn’t just ship at random points of time.“

  • Responding to Change over Following a Plan - Agile provides the ability for the team and organization to respond to change and embrace the uncertainty that comes with building products. So much can change that planning features 12-24 in advance is an exercise in futility. “The best part of Agile is being able to measure, learn, and adjust. That means plans must be a little more dynamic instead of plotting out every single move for the next 18 months.”

  • Feature-less Roadmap - One of our core responsibilities as Product Managers is to create and maintain a roadmap. However, that doesn’t mean the roadmap needs to be prescriptive about the solution and the timeline. You may want to consider relaying the goals and themes in a roadmap instead of explicit solutions. “Remember, a roadmap’s primary purpose is communicating a vision for how the product strategy will become a reality. Implementation details and schedules aren’t required to build stakeholder alignment.“

Agile was meant to allow us to respond more quickly to the changing environment, so remember to be agile with a little a, and focus less on Agile with the big A. Read the full article by ProductPlan by clicking the button below.

Recent Events

We held our monthly Product Lean Coffee at Sips & Such last week, where we discussed setting realistic goals - and their accompanying metrics, transitioning a small team to a Product mindset, getting clarity on the company’s mission and vision, and pricing products and services.

Hope to see you at the next one!

Product Jobs of the Week

The Product roles at Cleveland companies keep rolling in!

Upcoming Events

  • September 19th - Product Lean Coffee @ Van Aken Market Hall

  • October 2nd-4th - INDUSTRY the Product Conference is happening right here in Cleveland, and the first 10 Cleveland Product members can get in for just $399 (regularly $1,245). To claim one of these heavily discounted passes, register on the INDUSTRY conference website and use the code ClevelandProductVIP.

About the Author

My name is Shawn Leitner. I started the Cleveland Product networking group in 2017, which helps to connect Product professionals around Cleveland, providing them with a forum to network, learn, and share stories. For my day job, I'm a Product Consultant & Coach for Pathfinder Product and help clients implement strong Product practices so they can create products that their teams love building and their customers love using. Connect with me on LinkedIn or feel free to attend one of my events either virtually or in-person. Always up for meeting for a cup of coffee also!I h