Becoming Agilely Innovative · The Lean Startup about the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop. Agile...

Becoming Agilely InnovativeMay 2019

Presented at: 2019 Project Management SymposiumCopyright 2019. All Rights Reserved

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We provide custom tools and services to help companies build, execute and maintain a successful innovation strategy.

We help companies drive their businesses forward through:

– The automation of time consuming and manual tasks.

– The modernization of outdated tools and methodologies.

– Identifying ways to streamline your current processes through new tools and technologies.

Ever Evolving, Inc.

Who we are, and what do we do



Learning Objectives The idea(s) behind why and how Agile

makes your organization more Innovative.

How do you bake innovation into your corporate culture?

How does that culture provide the agility needed to escape bad projects while pursuing good ones?

What technologies provide the greatest flexibility?

3



Leveraging Agile Techniques to Make Your Organization More Innovative



The “Old School” Project Management Lifestyle



The theory is:– Lets plan on everything we are going to

accomplish.

– This will give perspective to the team on where we are going.

– This will help us plan our resourcing.

– And we’ll know its ready for release when we accomplish all of our tasks.

And that theory still holds for some industries…

Firsts Things First, My To Do ListPlan Down to the Minute



Construction Industry



Ship Building



They tend to build tangible products, where later features are reliant on a “foundation”

– Nothing else on the boat matters if it won’t float

They are heavily regulated industries where– PMOs rely on outside labor whose interests

don’t always align– “Specialty Skills” are required for different

aspects of the project

True differentiators also take longer– Think Navigational Software vs. a 3D Printed

House

Old School Industry Commonalities

These industries share a few traits


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Some clients demand value now. – You can’t identify all of the problems up front,

because you need to solve ONE TODAY.

– Once you solve that one problem, now the perspective has changed. And all that up front work is wasted.

This is most common in – “as-a-service” business models

– Industries whose typical customer profile is Generation X or younger (born after 1964).

The Impatient CustomerNot all industries have the luxury of time


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“80% of Outcomes Come from 20% of Causes”

- The Pareto Principle


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Agile lends itself well to faster release cycles as it limits the focus of efforts on the most pressing or highest priority items.

Those items are rated based on a Product Owner, pulling their ques from your user community.

These efforts are timeboxed– Whatever is done and tested at the end of

the timebox is getting released, everything else will hold off until the next release.

Agile Methodologies

Release the highest priority capabilities soonest


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The label “Innovative” is earned through identifying and solving your customer’s pain points.

The best way to learn about your customers is through regular releases, and measuring how they react to those releases.

When done correctly, quick releases reduce the risk of building “shelfware.”

Driving InnovationReleases are a great way to learn about your clientele


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Not all innovations need to be externally focused.

Internal process improvements can:– Reduce cost and/or Increase productivity.

– Boost morale.

– Make hiring easier.

Driving Innovation – Part Deux

Process Improvements Are Cool Too


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New IdeasThe Ability to Bring New Ideas to the

Market

The Minimum Functionality for an Innovative Culture


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Where do those ideas come from?


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Creating a Culture Focused on Innovation


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Building a Culture of Innovation

Communication Rewards

Innovation GovernanceInnovation Management


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Step 1: Communicate


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Communicating to your colleagues your challenges, and why they need to be solved, helps align their efforts with your organizational goals.

These communications should highlight: – Commitment and involvement from senior

leaders

– Progress towards solving those challenges

– Employee contributions

The Art of CommunicatingTell your people what you need help with.


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Step 2: Reward


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After showing your commitment, the next step is to entice others to join you.

Rewarding positive behavior affirms that behavior, and makes it more likely to be repeated.

Often the strongest compensation is through the use of Social Rewards.

Rewarding Winning Ideas

Show your colleagues their contribution is important


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Step 3: Innovation Management Tools


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As ideas start to flow in, you’ll need software support so you and your staff don’t get overwhelmed.

Innovation management software allows organizations to:

– Capture new ideas

– Capture employee feedback on those ideas

Organizations also need methods to track the progress of projects.

Innovation Management ToolsSoftware to help identify, capture, rank and manage ideas


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Step 4: Innovation Governance


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The purpose of the Idea Governance board is to determine which ideas are worthy of investment, based on:

– Organizational direction.

– Likelihood of success.

– Potential value.

They should meet on a regular basis, to examine new ideas and look at how previous investments are performing.

What’s the best use our Resources?

Think, extension of Configuration Management


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Escaping Bad Projects


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Escaping Bad Ideas Through Agile Methodologies and Innovation Governance


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Following Agile methodologies, your goal is to get your products into the users hand quickly.

This cuts down on (potentially) unnecessary development.

During these releases, be sure to capture metrics about how your user community is using the system and what features they find most valuable.

Release When Value is Created

Agile methodologies preach release soonest


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Eric Ries talk in The Lean Startup about the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop.

Agile takes care of the build, and the measure.

The learning happens during the governance board, where the metrics are reviewed and decisions are made whether to:

– Stay the course.

– Pivot.

– Cut our losses.

Verifying Value through GovernanceThe governance boards reviews a projects value


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If you are building software solutions, plan for a minimum of 2 releases a year.

Your governance team should meet a minimum of once a quarter.

– And once a year, that meeting should take place outside the office.

The concept of a “Sunk Cost” is OK, but know the difference between a “losing effort” and one that just needs a little more time to gain market traction.

General Rules of Thumb

Some ideas to keep in mind


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Providing an Environment to

Maximize Innovation


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To increase innovation, you want to invest in products that reduce the barriers to innovation.

Attention needs to be brought to those tools.

Training needs to be provided on how to use those tools.

A couple ideas for your consideration follows.

Laying the FoundationFoundational ideas to spur innovation


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Getting the data is often the most difficult part when it comes to looking for insights.

– Especially when those insights span departments.

Having an environment where users can comb through structured and unstructured data removes this burden.

Additionally, you’ll want to invest in a tool to build visualizations and dashboards.

“Big Data”

Data makes the world go round.


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Application Programmable Interfaces allows your organization to share and reuse your data and logic.

– It prevents “rebuilding” the same capabilities that drive up development and maintenance costs.

– Allows your programmers to focus on new capabilities

You can also pull in data and capabilities from external organizations through APIs.

APIsShare your data, on your terms


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There are platforms that allow organizations to immediately take prescriptive actions when another action is taken.

– IFTTT

– Zapier

– Microsoft Flow

This can significantly reduce overhead through prescriptive steps, automatically triggered once something else happens.

Automation Services

Sync data across platforms



Recap: Learning ObjectivesThe idea(s) behind why and how Agile makes your organization more Innovative.

How do you bake innovation into your corporate culture?

How does that culture provide the agility needed to escape bad projects while pursuing good ones?

What technologies provide the greatest flexibility?

37


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Questions?


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Thanks for Joining


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I started Ever Evolving to help business leaders embrace disruption, because ready or not, change is coming. In today’s ever-evolving (pun intended) market place, business leaders are challenged to constantly make smart investment decisions in new products and service offerings.

Let’s Connect

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveapalmer/

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- https://speakerhub.com/speaker/steven-palmer

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About Me, Steve Palmer

The Ever Evolving Businessman


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Contact Us

Steve Palmer

(302) 242-7778

[email protected]

https://everevolving.biz

Becoming Agilely Innovative · The Lean Startup about the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop. Agile...

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