💬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

In a recent interview, Agile Alliance board member David Luke discussed transforming Agile to be more product-focused. By leading the Reimagining Agile initiative, he aims to align product management, design, and Agile to deliver customer-driven products that meet market needs.

David shared his experience at a leading bank, where Agile was adapted to focus on outcomes over process efficiency.

🎯 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞

Traditional Agile frameworks often prioritize process over product outcomes. At the bank, teams struggled to align product vision with delivery, leading to a transformation that focused on customer results.

🎯 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬

1. Customer Feedback: Integrating customer insights at every stage ensured alignment with market needs.

2. Pacing Development: Development speed was adjusted to meet product milestones.

3. Dynamic Planning: Flexible planning allowed teams to pivot based on real-time feedback.

4. Cross-Functional Teams: “Quads” of product, design, and engineering improved collaboration.

5. Unified Teams: Onshore and offshore teams were integrated for consistent, scalable delivery.

🎯 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬

1. Outcome-Focused Reviews: Sprint reviews and retrospectives shifted focus toward product results.

2. Enhanced Collaboration: Communication between product managers, designers, and engineers was improved to keep product goals central.

🎯 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬

1. Clear Pathways: Career paths emphasized product strategy, design, and collaboration.

2. Retaining Talent: A product-focused approach attracted and retained talent driven by tangible results.

🎯 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬

1. Better Product Alignment: Stronger collaboration between product and engineering teams improved outcomes.

2. Higher Customer Satisfaction: Teams responded faster to market needs, boosting satisfaction.

3. Scalability & Flexibility: A more flexible, scalable model met evolving demands.

📚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

David Luke’s approach shows how adapting Agile to be more product-oriented benefits product managers and engineering leaders. By embedding customer feedback, adjusting development cadence, and fostering alignment, teams become more responsive.

Read the full article here, and for more actionable strategies, check out my book, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄):