Post on 21-Oct-2014
description
Beyond MoSCoW: Prioritization Techniques for Agile Teams
Tarang Baxi Chirag Doshi @gnarat @chiragsdoshi
In this session... 1. Explore a variety of prioritization techniques
o From simple to sophisticated
o 1 game and 2 exercises to get your hands dirty
2. Understand: o Common pitfalls
o Tips for making them effective
o When to use a technique
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Exercise 1
Client Context • Online-only seller of premium wood furniture
• Just started TV & newspaper ad campaign
• Already has a reasonable inventory, ready to ship
• A couple of big industrial houses are rumoured to be eying the market
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Project Context • Basic shopping experience already in place
• A whole bunch of new features required – derived from market & competitor research
• Budget available may not even cover half the desired items
• 'Smart Recommendations' is the CEOs pet feature
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Simulation 1 - Feature list (with size)
1. Product Ratings & Reviews (M)
2. Live Agent Chat (S)
3. Interactive 3D models of products (L)
4. ‘Smart’ Recommendations (L)
5. Social Media Integration (S)
6. Daily Deals (M)
7. Loyalty Points (M)
…and 15 more such features of varying sizes
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
A. Classification-based Techniques
Common Variants • High-Medium-Low
• MoSCoW
• 1-2-3-4-5
• Stacked Ranking
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Common Pitfalls • Everything is High Priority!
• How can you call this Low Priority?
• Priority 1 for one stakeholder, Priority 3 for another
• Can't remember why this was a Must Have…
• Time consuming discussions on low value features
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Tips • Make it Visual, Tactile, Collaborative
• Use positive category labels
• Agree on category definitions first
• Impose forced limits
• Show suggested priorities
• Use a combinations of techniques
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
B. Value-Mapping Techniques
Mapping Value - Priority Quadrants
Effort
Reve
nue
Impact
x
x x
x
x x
x x
x x
x x
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Revisiting iFurniture Inc…
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Client Context • Online-only seller of premium wood furniture
• Just started TV & newspaper ad campaign
• Already has a reasonable inventory, ready to ship
• A couple of big industrial houses are rumoured to be eying the market
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Project Context • Basic shopping experience already in place
• A whole bunch of new features required – derived from market & competitor research
• Budget available may not even cover half the desired items
• 'Smart Recommendations' is the CEOs pet feature
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Suggested Dimensions
Time to Market
Impact
on Conve
rsion
s
x
x x
x
x x
x x
x x
x x
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Extending quadrants further...
Credit:(Des(Traynor,(Intercom.io5
Other Value-Mapping Techniques • Systemico model
Credit:(Barry(O’Reilly,(ThoughtWorks5
Other Value-Mapping Techniques • AARRR Mapping
o Acquisition
o Activation
o Retention
o Referral
o Revenue
Credit:(Dave(McClure,(500hats.com5
C. Marketplace Simulation Techniques
Buy a Feature Game • Each group is a family, who've just bought a car
• Want to buy accessories
• Total cost of all accessories is $1200
• Budget per family $430, i.e. $86 per person.
Credit:(Innovation(Games®,(innovationgames.com5© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Add-ons for your car
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Why it works... • Factors in scarcity
• Cost v/s value evaluation
• Encourages negotiation amongst stakeholders
• Builds consensus
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
D. Context Evaluation Techniques
Story Maps
Credit:(Jeff(PaIon,(agileproductdesign.com5
Prune The Product Tree
Credit:(Innovation(Games®,(innovationgames.com5
Wrap Up
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
© 2013 Tarang Baxi & Chirag Doshi
Questions? Comments?
chirag@thoughtworks.com tarang@thoughtworks.com @chiragsdoshi @gnarat