This months brief covers Product Ops, the role of Discipline in Innovation, Agile and the Tragedy of the Commons.
Happy New Year from all of us at Planisware!
What better way to start a new year than to get rid of the things weighing us down from the past? Donna Lichaw's radical approach may make the perfectionists among us shudder, but there is wisdom in Rocking the Kanban!
WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION THIS MONTH
- Discipline has a role in innovation. Contrary to popular thinking, discipline is at least as important as the creativity we usually associate with the term innovation. (11 min read)
- What does Product Ops actually mean? Product Ops is to Product management what DevOps is to software development. But finding a common definition beyond that is tricky. Marty Cagan takes us on a tour of what hides behind different definitions of Product Ops and what that means for your organization. (18 min read)
- Agile is not only about freedom – boundaries matter too. There's a socioeconomical dilemma called, "Tragedy of the Commons" which effectively means, "Unregulated systems will self-destruct." And here's why you need to understand it in order to understand agility at scale. (6 min read)
- Help stakeholders take action on projects through "engagification". Elizabeth Harrin takes us on an exploration of how to encourage participation on projects through the mechanics of games. (30 min watch/listen)
- Managing your CEO is one of the most important skills that you can master as a product leader. The CEO doesn't see the details at the level you see them and rarely understands how you operate, think, or work. At the same time, they may have other factors that you are unaware of, or additional information that paint a different picture for them. As a product leader, it is your responsibility to manage this relationship and make it productive. (9 min read)
- To get the right roadmap, it all comes down to mindset. The roadmap is not a work plan, and the list of actionable items is – while a part of the roadmap – not the essence of it. The most essential thing in the roadmap is the strategic background story. (8 min read)
- How to quit when you lead a team. While leaders give a lot of attention to starting new jobs, it is equally important to plan your exit. Managing your leave is one of the most consequential acts you can do for yourself, your team, and your organization, and it's essential to secure your legacy and your reputation. (7 min read)
- Effective digital transformation depends on a shared language. When planning your company's digital transformation, it's easy to get distracted by the new tech you'll need. But don't forget that the goal is to do more with the data you have — and that can't happen unless your data is all speaking the same language. (7 min read)
A QUOTE THAT MADE US LAUGH
Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems.
— Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
