"Product" is now a hot topic across many enterprises. Product Management, Product Development, Product Value Streams, Product Owners. Many organisations are now optimising for Products rather than Projects to seek in the Digital-Age.
But ask people within your organisation - What is the Product? and you'll likely get mixed responses. With this lack of clarity around the Product, it creates challenges in the journey to becoming a Product-Centric Organisation.
At the Study of Enterprise Agility Conference (SEACON) I was invited to share my experience transforming a large enterprise to become Product-Centric.
In the talk "Lessons Learned becoming a Product-Centric Organisation" I share the Patterns and Anti-Patterns experienced on this journey.
The Patterns and Anti-Patterns
Below is an infographic summarising the Anti-Patterns and Patterns shared in the talk.
For a definition, Anti-patterns are common solutions to common problems where the solution is ineffective and may result in undesired consequences. In the book Sooner Safer Happier, Jon Smart says that Anti-Patterns will act as a headwind towards your outcomes.
In contrast, a pattern is a repeatedly applicable solution to a problem that arises in a specific context.
Context is crucial. A pattern in one context might be an anti-pattern in another.
In the context of my story, the organisation was seeking to optimize for better customer value delivery at a faster pace. With that goal in mind, there were several anti-patterns that ended up moving the organisation in the opposite direction. However, through experimentation, several patterns also emerged. These helped overcome the anti-patterns and provided rocket fuel for the journey.
So in summary, if your organisation is optimizing for better customer value delivery at a faster pace, these patterns may well help. If you are experiencing several of the anti-patterns, through experimentation you can improve.