TL; DR: Taylorism & Agile, Kick-Start Self-Organization — Food for Agile Thought #220
Food for Agile Thought’s issue #220—shared with 24,421 peers—asks whether Taylorism is probably less of a villain than often believed; we get back to the agile-industrial complex, and we appreciate a simple introduction on how to kick-start self-organization.
We then learn more about value propositions in niche markets; we can compare our activities as product managers with the results of a recent study, and we listen to a discussion on six critical ingredients for a great product strategy.
Lastly, we consider a heretic thought: might the benefit of team longevity be overrated?
TL; DR: Conflict Fear, Tough Conversations — Food for Agile Thought #219
Food for Agile Thought’s issue #219—shared with 24,328 peers—focuses on how to handle tough conversations and overcome conflict fear. We also appreciate a team-building canvas based on core protocols.
We then educate ourselves on the different stances of the Product Owner role; we give skipping the minimum viable product a second thought, and we embrace one more time the benefits of transparency to build trust.
Lastly, we enjoy a short lesson from the trenches on how holacracy works.
Food for Agile Thought’s issue #218—shared with 24,269 peers—delves into alignment and autonomy at an organizational level; we shed more light on something we all believe in understanding well — the waterfall process —, and we explore the necessary mindset to become a good coach.
We also learn more about an extension to the Lean UX canvas, handling the prioritization of hypotheses; we discover techniques to take agile UX research to the next level, and we applaud a new 2020 Product conference listing.
Lastly, we enjoy a BBC article on the man who brought you timeboxes. Well, sort of.
Food for Agile Thought’s issue #217—shared with 24,172 peers—delves into agile playbooks and the optimal Sprint length; we learn how to convince the finance folks to embrace ‘agile,’ and we figure out how team contracts and alignment maps support to create psychological safety.
We also appreciate the visualization of the path from waterfall to a product team that deserves the name; we get more clarity on product reviews when using dual-track agile, and we are surprised by the range of MVP costs.
Lastly, we enjoy a 5-minute video clip, reminding us of all the madness in our industry.
Food for Agile Thought’s issue #216—shared with 24,073 peers—delves into the product-market fit concept with statistics, frameworks, and models; we discover the essential elements of high performing teams, and we kiss fixed-everything contracts good-bye.
We also learn from Spotify how to speed up user research by not focusing on running more user interviews, and we look behind the scenes of WeChat and its — by Western standards — unconventional approach to innovation.
Lastly, we enjoy the unpacking of “iteration” and question the language of our community.
Food for Agile Thought’s issue #215—shared with 23,979 peers—delves into the requirements for the business agility flywheel to work; we reason about transformation failures, and we understand that Liberating Structures allow us to avoid groupthink when working on strategy.
We also learn what failure made LEGO getting serious about agility; we follow an interview on the importance of collaboration in product teams to escape the feature factory, and we get a better understanding of what customer-centricity means for product managers.
Lastly, we enjoy a new infographic comprised of tips & tricks for agile teams.
