Comments on Cauvin: Agile Is Not Just a Development Methodology

15 years ago, before I'd heard of agile developmen...

2009-03-06T11:16:00.000-06:00

15 years ago, before I'd heard of agile development, Curt Rawley, then CEO of Avid Technology, told me how they had developed the first Avid editor; "build a little, ship a little, build a little..."
If you are developing a truly innovative product and carving out a whole new market (as they were), how else can you do it without getting it completely wrong?

Roger, in a way, it seems intuitive. With the ass...

2009-03-02T20:53:00.000-06:00

Roger, in a way, it seems intuitive. With the assumption that iterations (perhaps not all, but at least "many") are being put in front of users, the product manager will observe reactions and receive input that wouldn't otherwise be provided. In that event, adjustments to the backlog are possible that wouldn't otherwise be.

So perhaps those who argue it's only a development methodology are simply not putting interim builds in front of customers.

I'll be interested in your response, Saeed. I've ...

2009-03-02T17:03:00.000-06:00

I'll be interested in your response, Saeed. I've read your blog arguing that product managers have always been agile. I think there are some clear counter-examples.

First, take the typical 50 page requirements thrown over the wall to developers. To the extent that product managers resisted creating such documents, it wasn't because they were agile. It was because they were either lazy or didn't want to get into design details.

Second, I challenge you to find an example prior to the popularity of agile where the product manager pushed for frequent, regular iterations. If product managers were truly agile, you should be able to find numerous examples.

Roger,I'll post a response soon, but just want to ...

2009-03-02T16:33:00.000-06:00

Roger,

I'll post a response soon, but just want to point out that I've actually argued on my blog that Product Management has always been "agile" and it's Engineering that is now catching up.

http://onproductmanagement.net/2008/10/30/agile-pm/

Saeed

I completely agree. One area where I don't see a ...

2009-03-02T13:49:00.000-06:00

I completely agree. One area where I don't see a lot of writing is how product managers deal with executives that still believe in the up front design and feel that they cannot market effectively without a feature set promised on a certain date. In other words, it would be great if there was a manual on training/convincing others on the business (i.e. not development specific) advantages of using agile.

Bob, I should add that a product manager can deriv...

2009-03-02T10:21:00.000-06:00

Bob, I should add that a product manager can derive value from iterations even without "releasing" demos to actual customers. Sometimes the product manager himself discovers potential market problems by trying the demo. Then the product manager can incorporate this knowledge of potential market problems into future interviews and surveys, even if the customer never actually sees the demo.

Bob, practicality and circumstances determine the ...

2009-03-02T10:15:00.000-06:00

Bob, practicality and circumstances determine the pool of customers who give feedback. Whenever I interview prospective or existing customers, I ask them to enroll in various programs:

1. Survey Program - customer opts to receive and respond to questionnaires.
2. Interview Program - customer agrees to follow-up interviews.
3. Demo Program - customer agrees to regular or occasional demos.
4. Ethnography Program - customer agrees to be observed in her native environment.

For simplicity, sometimes I present all of these individual programs as part of a single customer advisory board program.

Now, the answer to your question: I draw upon the customers who have opted to participate in demos and provide feedback. The particular customers in any individual case depends on their persona.

Why do you ask?

In my effort to better understand the "agile PM" m...

2009-03-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

In my effort to better understand the "agile PM" mindset, can you tell me what sort of pool you draw these customers who give feedback? Are you getting feedback from the same people over and over, or do you spread the feedback out? Please note I have not called "agile PM" baloney in this post.

Well said, Roger.I am completely on-board with sho...

2009-03-02T09:19:00.000-06:00

Well said, Roger.

I am completely on-board with showing clients prelim version of a product (potentially even mock-ups to get a feel in some cases) in order to gather feedback early and often.

Most people in the old-guard don't subscribe to this for the simple reason that, "you don't show clients anything until it's done."

Or they are lying during the sales cycle and the client has signed-on under the allusion of vapor ware...