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Speaking at Agile 2017: Develop better products by understanding jobs-to-be-done
I will be speaking at Agile 2017 in Orlando this year on how we can use jobs-to-be-done to improve the way we deliver products and services. Abstract: Jobs to be Done (JTBD) is an interview technique and way of thinking for revealing deeper insights into why people choose a product or service. Using JTBD helps…
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#LKFR15
Designing Better Experiments “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Josh Billings (not Mark Twain). The vast majority of software we develop is worthless – not because it was written poorly, but because we discover that nobody wants it. This…
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The secret power of Product Managers
Product development is all about making difficult choices. As Product Managers we are frequently faced with a series of difficult trade-off decisions. Should we build this extra feature or use the time to pay off some technical debt instead? Should we invest in building out a new upsell opportunity or use the time to improve the…
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What Jony Ive’s interview with Vogue is signalling
Interesting piece by Robert Sullivan on Jonathan Ive – Apple’s design genius – in Vogue magazine (of all places). Ive rarely gives interviews and almost never speaks in public, so the fact that Apple specifically chose Vogue sends a clear signal. It may be easier to sneak into a North Korean cabinet meeting than into…
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#Agile2014
We’re coming to Orlando! Serious teams, developers, managers and executives from over 40 countries are about to descend on an unsuspecting Orlando, Florida. There’ll be over 1,800 attendees exploring more than 240 talks and workshops from some world-class experts. We have been invited to run a workshop (details below) on Monday, July 28 (14:00 – 15:15). According to…
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Great products are built by great teams
In today’s world, whatever we do has to have meaning — it’s not just about money anymore. Some of that meaning can come from working together, with a common purpose. But what we build together should also mean something, and resonate in some way, with the wider world — the external audience. Esko Kilpi talks…
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Real Options: Embracing Uncertainty
Delaying a decision as long as possible is often a good idea! Sounds counterintuitive doesn’t it, particularly for those of us with a well developed “sense of urgency”, like me! Real Options is about knowing when you have to make a decision. They are a great way to avoid making early decisions that could be irreversible. An Agile…
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Fire Drill and WIP Limits
During the fire drill in our office the other day an interesting thing happened. Rather than taking the exit nearest to us, we rushed to the middle of the building to take the stairs next to the elevators. The additional loading created congestion on the middle staircase and a long queue. As a result, we…