Powerful Google developer tools for immediate impact! (2023-24 C)
NUS-ISS Learning Day 2019-Leading digital product team with business team model
1. Leading Digital Product Teams with
Business Team Model
Subtitle
#ISSLearningDay
Tan Liong Choon, NUS-ISS
2nd August 2019
2. Agenda
• The Future-is-Now Landscape
• Modern Problem Requires Modern Solution
• The Response
• Modeling the Organisation
• Modeling the Team
• Aligning teams with OKR
#ISSLearningDay
4. Go Digital or Go Bust
#ISSLearningDay
“The question is not how fast tech companies will become car companies,
but how fast we will become a tech company.” - A board member of a global car company.
A car is just a Computer with Wheels
6. How Must Organisations Respond?
#ISSLearningDay
https://www.plutora.com/blog/agile-devops-failing-fortune-500-companies-wake-call-us
“We came to the realization that, ultimately, we are a
technology company operating in the financial-services
business. So, we asked ourselves where we could learn about
being a best-in-class technology company. The answer was not
other banks, but real tech firms**.”
– Peter Jacobs ING Netherlands CIO
**Characteristics of a Tech “Unicorn”
Flat organizations with small teams that are
responsible for a product or feature, including
receiving feedback from their customers and
guiding the future of the product.
7. How to operate like a tech company?
#ISSLearningDay
https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/McKinsey%20Digital/Our%20Insights/The%20platform%20play%20How%20to%20operate%20like%20a%20tech%20company/
The-platform-play-How-to-operate-like-a-tech-company.ashx
8. Organisation Mindset Shift Made Simple
ABCDE – Agile, Big Data, Customer-Centricity, Design Thinking, Experimentation
8
11. #ISSLearningDay
Has a new tool in its arsenal:
the internal startup, filled with
a small number of passionate
believers dedicated to one
project at a time. Like
Amazon’s famous “two-pizza
team” – no larger than you
can feed with 2 pizzas –
these small teams are able to
experiment rapidly and scale
their impact. Their ethos:
“Think Big, start small, scale
fast”.
Is full of multi-tasking:
meetings and deliberations
where participants are only
partly focused on the task at
hand. There are lots of
middle managers and experts
in the room to give their
inputs, even if they don’t have
direct responsibility for
implementation. And most
employees are dividing their
creativity and focus across
many different kinds of
projects at the same time.
ModernCompany
Old-fashionedCompany
Is for Agile
Adapted from: The Startup Way by Eric Ries
12. From Project Manager to Product Manager
- Span of Work
#ISSLearningDay
Digital
Product
Manager
Sales
Operations
Executives
Partners
Engineering
Marketing
Press/
Market
Analyst
Customers
Support
Channel
Project
Manager
Focus of Success: Deliverables (Output)
Focus of Success: Results (Outcome)
13. Digital Product Manager vs Project Manager
- Span of Work
#ISSLearningDay
Digital
Product Manager
Sales
Operations
Executives
Partners
Engineering
Marketing
Press/
Market
Analyst
Customers
Support
Channel
WHY? - What problem/need do people have?
Who are the customers?
How do we find them?
Who can they get help
(in using the product)?
Who do we need help from?
What is the solution
(& How to build it)?
How do we get the solution to them?
How do we get funding
(engage investor)?
Is there a market /
money to be made?
16. A million dollars for Nothing
1. Alex Tew, a 21 year old student of University of Nottingham
2. His goal: to raise cash to cover his education cost
3. His idea: get people to give money to him by selling a million pixels of
space on a webpage for $1 per pixel. Buyer can buy in blocks of 100
pixels (10x10) and put anything on it. – became known as the “Million
Dollar Homepage”. (website was launched on 26 Aug 2005)
4. His metric: cost of his education. He will know if he succeed or fail.
• A friend bought a block of pixel for $400
• Alex Tew sent out a press release for it.
• Thanks to coverage by major news org around the world, Alex blew
past the amount of money he needs. Demand is so high, he hit >
1,000,000 in 4 months.
Everything Begins with “WHY?”
17. Defining Your “Why” (Why Your Org Exist?)
#ISSLearningDay
AirBnb is a trusted
community marketplace for
people to list, discover,
and book unique
accommodations around
the world
Organisation
Mission statement
• Keep it short and memorable
• Communicate both why and what
• State the higher purpose “trusted”
vs “committed to customer”
• Write in third person
(avoid I, we, you)
18. Defining Your “Why” – cont’d
#ISSLearningDay
A just world without
poverty
Organisation Vision
• Defines a long term future reality
• Addresses why you exist…:
• For Who? (target customers) – travelers
**not your stakeholders!
• Why? ( customer benefits / needs) – accommodation
• How are you different from others? (unique selling point)
• Examples:
Create a world where
you can belong
anywhere.
…
19. A Brief History of Business Model Canvas
#ISSLearningDay
• Yves Pigneur was a professor of Management Information Sciences at the
University of Lausanne
• In late 1990s, graduate students keep asking him for advice on new venture
ideas and business plans
• Yves advises in the form of asking the would-be entrepreneurs questions on the
following:
• Logic underpinning their proposed ventures
• Explain in plain language how the business work i.e. their business models
• The questions seems to fall into 9 distinct categories
20. The Business Model Canvas
#ISSLearningDay
Key
Partners
Key
Activities
Value
Proposition
Customer
Relationships
Customer
Segments
Key
Resources
Channels
Cost Structure Revenue Streams
http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com
Designed by: Business Model Foundry AG
The makers of Business Model Generation and Strategyzer
21. Example of AirBnb Business Model Canvas
#ISSLearningDay
d...dd
• 23andMe (Biotech)
• AMEX ... (online
payment channels)
• AUDI (auto co.)
• Local gov tourism
agencies…
For Guest:
• Ability to book
unique properties
• Trust (reviews) …
For Host:
• Ability to create
income from renting
out properties
• …
• Guest
• Biz travelers
• Family
• Bespoke
• …
• Host
• …
• Airbnb Brand
• Network of hosts
• Creative media
resource…
• Customer support
• Promo & loyalty
program
• Social media …
• Commission charged to host and guest
• …
Key
Partners
Key
Activities
Value
Proposition
Customer
Relationships
Customer
Segments
Key
Resources
Channels
Cost Structure Revenue Streams
• airBnb.com
• Social media
(facebook, google)
• …
• Host recruitment
• Advertising
• Product segmentations
• …
• Platform maintenance
• HR (esp. creative media talent)
• Online Payment transaction fee
• Advertising fee …
23. Why Business Models for Teams?
#ISSLearningDay
• It focuses on improving organization’s internal operations (as opposed to
the traditional, market-facing Canvas for strategy making.)
• Provides a fast-track way for leaders to boost effectiveness (rather
than efficiency)
• The same tool can increase clarity and understanding at organization,
team and individual levels
24. Effectiveness Vs Efficiency
#ISSLearningDay
Dad, Why are we
not moving?
It’s the rush-hour
and we are in a
Jam.
The other side has no
jam. Why not drive on
the other side?
But then, we will be going
the wrong way. What is the
point of being fast but end
up in the wrong place?
25. #ISSLearningDay
Adjunct
Trainers
Product
Tank
Product Mgt
Practice Team
Design & deliver Product
Management courses
Product Mgt
Skill training
Certify Product
Mgrs
Product Mgrs
/Project Mgrs
Product
Owners
Sales
Engineers
Product Marketing
Mgrs
Training Methods
& tools
Training
Facilities
Course
Fees
Certifica-
tion Fees
Subscription
Fees
Corporate
Programs
Research
consulting
www.abc.com
facebook
Operating
Budget
Staff
salary+benefits
Face-to-face
Online
Facilities Cost
https://diytoolkit.org/media/Business-Model-Canvas-Size-A4_2.pdf
26. Strengthen Teamwork – Using Teamwork Table
#ISSLearningDay
Role Tasks Results of Task success Consequence of task
Failure
CustomerFacing
Course
Adminis-
trators
Handle erolment
request politely,
correctly, book rooms,
collect payments
Positive enrolment experience and
more repeat customers + word of
mouth promo
Unsatisfying enrolment
experience, negative
feedback to funding
agencies, negative social
media postings
Trainer Delivers the course Attendees gained engaging
learning experience and positive
feedback + recommendations to
HR/friends
Satisfy funding agency KPIs
Poor feedback, funding
agency stop funding,
negative social media
postings, low enrolment for
future runs
Non-customerfacing
Course
Developer
Design excellent
training and
workshops/
assessment materials
Good customer ratings on:
- course structure/flow
- Training content
- Training outcome
Satisfy funding agency reqmts
Poor feedback, funding
agency stop funding,
negative social media
postings, low enrolment for
future runs
Operations Catering, logistics Predictable positive experience,
repeat customers +
recommendations
Rework effort and customer
complaints, failing funding
agency audit requirements
IT Support Support & Maintain
Training tools/ LMS
platform
Smooth running of the courses.
Positive learning experience.
Disruption and bad customer
experience
e.g. Training Provider
27. Modelling Teams – How One Digital Native
Does It
The Digital Product Team Organisation and Structure
#ISSLearningDay
28. Conway’s Law
#ISSLearningDay
“Organizations which design systems are constrained to produce
designs which are copies of the communication structures of these
organizations.”
- Melvin Conway, 1967
(author of paper “How do Committees Invent”)
“Number Two is having the appropriate organizational structure and clarity around the
new roles and governance. As long as you continue to have different departments,
steering committees, project managers, and project directors, you will continue to
have silos—and that hinders agility.”
- Bart Schlatmann, former COO of ING Netherlands on the 4 important elements of ING’s
transformation
29. The New “IT” - IT Product Management Model
#ISSLearningDay
Source: https://www.pwc.com/ca/en/technology/assets/505956-the-road-to-product-
management.pdf
Many “Product Owners”,
One IT Team.
One Product Owner,
One Squad.
Single
Source
of Truth
33. Example: The ING Experience
#ISSLearningDay
• ING reorganized into 350 nine-person teams called squads comprised
of marketing specialists, product and commercial specialists, user-
experience designers, data analysts, and IT engineers.
• ING’s squads aren’t just self-sufficient from a software development
and delivery standpoint; they are also self-sufficient from a business
and management standpoint.
• The squads are part of large teams called tribes. Tribes ensure that
the smaller squads are aligned from a portfolio planning perspective.
Since implementing this new structure in 2015, ING has improved time to
market, boosted employee engagement, and increased productivity.
38. OKR – Objective & Key Results
#ISSLearningDay
Is EVERYONE
pulling in the same
direction?
What outcome are
WE looking for and
why are they
important?
How do we know WE
are making progress
and moving in the
direction of our goal?
Promote shared
ownership & co-
creation of ideas
39. OKR EXAMPLE
#ISSLearningDay
Grow the AirBnb ecosystem
Key Results 1 - Increase new Host sign ups via Airbnb.com by 30% in Q2
Key Results 2 - Increase new Guest sign ups via Airbnb.com by 30% in Q2
Key Results 3 – Reduce Host churning by 10% in Q2
41. Tips on use of OKR
#ISSLearningDay
• Beware of Vanity Metrics:
• Having 100,000 twitter followers or 1000 likes on Facebook, or 10000 emails
registered on your apps subscription count is worthless unless these Connections,
Followers and Likes are actively creating influence, interacting with you/partners
and transacting with you and your ecosystem.
• Platform for team collaboration and conversation.
• Treat the OKR as a means to provide a platform for conversation & product idea
co-creation to take place. Teams can have a more focused discussion and
collaboration on implementation Strategy, and Tactics in pushing the various
levers to achieve results. It drives transparency and clarity.
• Start Small, Think big, Scale Fast.
• The idea is not about getting to 100% of the results. If you are always hitting the
OKR targets, it may be that the bar is set too low.
• Google’s guidelines on OKR is 60-70%. i.e. if the team manage to reach 60-70 of
the results, its good enough.
42. Conclusion - Word of Caution
• Importance of Culture
• Change Management
#ISSLearningDay
43. Mckinsey Quarterly – Interview with ING
#ISSLearningDayhttps://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Financial%20Services/Our%20Insights/INGs%20agile%20transformation/INGs-agile-
transformation.ashx
44. Culture Predicts Success and Failure
#ISSLearningDay
10 signs of bad company culture (digital org. context)
1. They make a big deal out of the ping pong table
2. The place is a dump
3. Only the leaders have offices – i.e. org is hierarchical, and management
and employees are at odds
4. No one talks about culture – company should try to sell you their culture.
5. Leadership demonstrate bad culture – culture always flows from the top.
6. They talk about excellence
7. It just seem weird
8. The company values are posted on the wall, but no one seems to have
read them – if values aren’t lived, they are not worth having.
9. It’s five o’clock and everyone is buried in work. – a few people working late
is fine, but some should be heading home.
10.If they ask us, “do you have any questions?,” Ask this: “How much time do
you spend with your co-workers after 5PM and doing what? – bad
answers include anything to do with work, unless it happens occasionally.
Source
Source: “Does It Work?”, by
Shane Atchison and Jason
Burby
45. Building the Next NBU Product at Google
#ISSLearningDay
“Do we have a culture where I am judged because I walk out at 5pm and have little kids at home
that I need to tug them in for bed and I am going to miss the 6pm meeting everyday. Or do we have
a culture where people are judged base on output and not facetime.” – Tania Aidrus, Director,
Product Management, Google.
Talk by Tania Aidrus, Google
Director of Product Management
at Product Management
Festival, APAC, 2019
