Understanding customer needs
PM has a deep understanding of customer needs and can provide insights into the most valuable features and characteristics for customers. By involving PM in the operational work, the team gains a better understanding of the customer's perspective and can direct their efforts towards delivering value that truly meets those needs.
One thing to try is inviting PM to some of the team's regular meetings. This allows PM to get an overview of the team's progress and challenges and provide valuable feedback based on customer needs. While it might not be feasible for PM to attend all daily meetings, a few times a month could be beneficial. Meetings like daily stand-ups or backlog prioritization sessions can be suitable occasions.
Include PM in customer visits and user testing. This provides an opportunity to directly interact with customers and users, gaining insights into their real needs and how the product is used in practice. It also allows PM to witness the feedback the team receives, guiding them on which features and improvements are most relevant to customers. Additionally, mapping out customer journeys with the team can provide better insights into user interactions and improvement opportunities.
By implementing these measures, you foster a culture centered on customer orientation, where the team actively works to deliver value that genuinely meets customer needs. It also allows PM to be an integral part of the operational work, contributing their deep understanding of customer needs to the product development.
System architecture and design
SA, with their technical expertise, can provide insights into system architecture and design.
Organize technical workshops and discussions where SA can share insights into the system's architecture and design with the team. Open discussions help the team understand technical challenges and opportunities. Additionally, complement this with technical assessments and reviews where SA participates to provide feedback on code and design. This ensures that technical decisions are well-informed and aligned with the overall system architecture.
Utilize SA's expertise to clarify technical aspects in the team's product backlog. You can also work with SA to manage technical debt and improve the system's architecture. Prioritize these tasks alongside other backlog items to maintain a balance between innovation and maintenance, as discussed earlier. Collaborating with SA to enhance CI/CD processes and implement automated tests and quality checks ensures smooth and secure code delivery. SA can provide valuable input to these processes that the team can utilize.
Promote team development by allowing SA to conduct technical training and share their knowledge with the rest of the team. This enhances the team's technical competence and strengthens camaraderie. Furthermore, consider having SA participate in some of the team's design reviews for new features and system changes. Early involvement of SA helps identify potential architectural challenges.
Lastly, SA can offer technical guidance in various contexts. Encourage the team to seek SA's advice and support on technical matters. This enables the team to make more informed technical decisions.
By involving SA in the operational work and leveraging their technical knowledge, the team can make better technical decisions, avoid technical debt, and ensure a stable and scalable system architecture. It also allows SA to actively contribute to the team, supporting their progress and development.
Understanding business needs
BO has a deep understanding of business strategy and goals and can provide insights into how the team's work contributes to the organization's overall success. Involving BO in the operational work can give the team a clearer picture of how their efforts align with business objectives and keep them focused on delivering value in line with the company's vision.
Involving BO in the team's work in a natural and concrete manner is crucial to ensure the team understands and acts in line with the organization's overall strategy and goals. Here are some concrete tips on how to do this without it feeling forced:
- Clear communication - Ensure there is a clear and open communication channel between the team and BO. Regular meetings and check-ins provide an opportunity to discuss the team's progress, challenges, and how it relates to the organization's overarching vision.
- Strategic guidelines - Ensure BO clearly communicates strategic guidelines and priorities to the team. This helps the team focus on the most valuable tasks and avoid getting bogged down in minor details.
- Sprint planning involvement - Invite BO to participate in sprint planning meetings where the team selects tasks to be completed during the sprint. BO's perspective helps the team understand which tasks are most relevant to the business.
- Business alignment meetings - Have regular alignment meetings with BO to discuss the team's work and how it contributes to the organization's success. This provides an opportunity to adjust and align the team's focus when needed.
- Gather customer feedback - BO can help collect and share customer feedback with the team. This provides valuable insights into how the team's work is perceived by customers and potential areas for improvement.
- Joint workshops - Organize joint workshops and meetings where the team and BO can collaborate to define goals and priorities. This creates a sense of involvement and shared ownership of the team's work.
- Providing feedback - Encourage the team to give feedback to BO on how their contributions and insights impact the team's work. This promotes openness and transparency in collaboration.
By involving BO in the team's work in a natural way, a greater understanding of the organization's overall vision and goals is developed. This gives the team direction and purpose in their work and helps them focus on delivering value that truly impacts the company's success. It also fosters mutual trust and commitment to working together towards common goals.
In summary, involving Product Manager, System Architect, and Business Owner in the operational work can provide the team with a competitive advantage by leveraging different skills and perspectives. This can improve decision-making, collaboration, and customer focus, leading to more efficient and successful teams. However, it's essential to balance their involvement so that their primary responsibilities are not negatively affected and they have sufficient time and resources to contribute meaningfully.
In the next article, we will delve deeper into the interaction between PO and ScM.
