Re-Read Saturday, Project to Product, Week 11 – Conclusion and Final Notes

As 2021 comes to a close we bring our re-read of Project to Product to a close as well (buy a copy and dive into the book https://amzn.to/2WzvPac – Amazon Affiliate link). The conclusion of the book brings the discussion back as a reflection on the turning point of the Age of Software. Given that this is my third read of this book my perception may be different than yours. At a philosophical level, I think the discussion of the macro change model, Kondratiev Wave discussed in the Introduction and Chapter 1, is extremely powerful. Perhaps the current pandemic makes me more aware of the slowing wave of disruption and the gathering wave of consolidation – this is a feature of Kondratiev Waves. We have passed the turning point, and the survival of organizations requires focus.

The Flow Framework provides a way to gather information and look at how value is delivered. The idea of the four flow items is hugely useful for framing a discussion of output-based measurement. Many of the ideas in the book can be harvested and used to first visualize the flow of value and then to take action. The concepts are useful, at a lower level, if you are not going to actually do the hard work of defining value streams (and then building a value stream network). Teams and departments can approach their flow work as if it is a value stream. This will lead to local optimization; however, building a culture of improvement is valuable and may spread. Maximizing the value of the Flow Framework requires understanding whole value streams. Many organizations struggle with putting the effort and money into capturing and using the information. In the long run, they are trusting their survival to luck and heroics. I view this as a failure in leadership regardless of the outcome.

My third read of Project to Product has left me more hopeful. We have the tools to lead and manage change and some of us are using them.

Next Saturday is Christmas, and we will feature a re-printed post (I will be spending time with family). I have begun reading Agile Conversations: Transform Your Conversations, Transform Your Culture – https://amzn.to/3sfK55q (affiliate link). I bought this book in May 2020 and it has been near the top of my list since. With fewer airline flights, my reading time has been curtailed. When this book finished second in our last re-read poll I decided it would be next. So on January 1st, 2022 I will lay out the approach to the re-read (I intend to have an initial read by then). Until then happy holidays, stay safe, stay agile, and remember to listen more than you talk.