This talk describes a product ownership model practiced by leading software development firms, including Pivotal Labs. Balanced team refutes the idea that Product Managers are "mini CEOs" who unilaterally set direction, and instead leverages a cross-functional team to work more quickly and smoothly.

1. Work faster with less stress
and more awesomeness.
Balanced Teams
Janice Fraser
FEBRUARY 2015

3. Keep in touch!
@clevergirl

4. Today’s
Assumptions
1. You understand Lean Startup.
2. You’re already working Agile.
3. It’s not always smooth.

5. Future
Wearables, fashion, devices
Mobile-first software
Multipart products and
services
Complex supply chains
New constraints

6. Lean
Startup
Empathize with customers
Understand product/market
risks
Decide which risks are
important
Devise experiments to validate
your risk-reducing solutions

7. Product
Teams
Prioritize the work
Imagine the experience
Foster improvement
Execute the plans
Understand the people
Reconcile the details
Untangle the architecture
Disambiguate everything

8. Product Teams
Future
Lean
Startup
“No matter what the client says the problem is, it is
always a people problem.”
—Kent Beck
Ergo, to succeed here we
need to evolve our
people processes.

9. The Olden Days
(circa 2011)
Product
Owner
Dev
Dev
Dev
Dev
Dev
Dev
Dev
}Rest
of
the
World

10. LUXR.CO MAY 2012

11. LUXR.CO MAY 2012

12. The Olden Days
(circa 2013)
HERO DESIGNER
guru
unicorn
jason pitorti
product manager
“CEO OF THEIR
OWN STARTUP”
AGILE DEVELOPERS
egalitarian
pairing
group wisdom

13. Kent Beck knows why that didn’t work.
“The courage to speak truths, pleasant or
unpleasant, fosters communication and trust.
!
“The courage to discard failing solutions and
seek new ones encourages simplicity.
!
“The courage to seek real, concrete answers
creates feedback.”
KENT BECK
EXTREME PROGRAMMING EXPLAINED

18. UX&Design
Dev & Eng
blah
blah
blah
PRODUCT
IDEAS
WE NEED SHARED
OWNERSHIP
Biz/PM
•

19. DES + PM + DEV = 1 product team
WHAT IS “BALANCED TEAM”?

20. DESIGN
“Empathizer-in-Chief”
!
Obligation to the Team
1. Understand the customer at an expert level.
2. Translate high-value needs into product.
3. Hone your craft.
4. Facilitate balance within the team.
!
One Important Authority
Prioritize customer problems.

21. DEVELOPMENT
“Raise High the Roofbeams”
!
Obligation to the Team
1. Envision the best possible solutions based
on available technology.
2. Commit to the customer outcome.
3. Facilitate balance within the team.
!
One Important Authority
Measure outcomes over time.

22. PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
“The Scales of Justice”
!
Obligation to the Team
1. Make fast, concrete decisions despite
inadequate evidence & conflicting priorities.
2. Identify the business the value in customer needs.
3. Act in service to the team.
!
One Important Authority
Delegate decisions to the appropriate person.

23. securitytech ops
customer
support
marketing & advertising front end
business
operations
tech supportsales
PM
Design
Development

24. PM
Design
Development
When things go wrong, no one is to blame but ourselves.

25. Agile is a
beautiful thing.
But organizing the backlog isn’t where
the process will get better.
We need to evolve our mindset.

26. Leadership
Not ownership

27. Differential diagnosis
Not process implementation

28. Group
facilitation
Not heroism

29. Product
Teams
Future
Lean
Startup
Gratuitous Venn Diagram
IT’S PEOPLE

30. LUXR.CO MAY 2012

31. Thank you!
@clevergirl