Watch “Owning Agile” by Jeff Patton

If the audience was expecting a speech which shot down agile methodologies, they were wrong. In this talk at Mind the Product 2018, Jeff Patton deconstructs agile from a product manager’s view.

We got waterfall and we all complained about it and now we all complain about agile. I’ve started to think the problem is us!

Jeff Patton

Jeff explains how “broken” agile felt to him in the days when he was in a product role and what helped him to fix it. But he also makes it very clear that so far agile is the best thing we’ve got to get work done.

Owning Agile

My Takeaways

Jeff is probably one of the few people that has been able to translate Agile into a User Centric practice, and there are many pearls in this talk, but a few thing really resonate in my previous research on Collaborative/Distribute Design and my design strategy work:

• He hits the nail in the head when he mentions the customer/vendor anti-pattern as a killer of collaboration!
• Stop talking about Outputs and talk about Outcomes!
• If the only way you have to measure value is to wait for customer to complain, that’s not good!
• Don’t mistake Velocity for Value!
• Really involve your team!

About Jeff Patton

Jeff Patton is the glue that connects good product management and strategy, lean user experience and agile delivery practices together. He has authored numerous articles, essays and, most recently, a book, “User Story Mapping.” An independent consultant with a unique teaching and speaking style, he uses hand-drawings and engaging story telling to share his passion for product design.

Jeff has a long, involved history in product design. He has designed and developed software for the past 20 years on a wide variety of projects from on-line aircraft parts ordering to electronic medical records. Jeff has focused on Agile approaches since working on an early Extreme Programming team in 2000. In particular, he has specialized in the application of user-centered design techniques to improve Agile requirements, planning, and products.

Jeff is an independent consultant, providing training, coaching and consulting services. He’s also available to lecture and speak at various conferences and events.

Recommended Reading

• Blumberg, S., Delaet, T., & Swami, K. (2020, July 21). Ten ‘antipatterns’ that are derailing technology transformations. Retrieved January 14, 2021, from Mckinsey.com website: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/ten-antipatterns-that-are-derailing-technology-transformations.
• Calabretta, G., & Gemser, G. (2016). Strategic design practices for competitive advantage: Eight essential practices every strategic designer must master. Amsterdam, Netherlands: BIS Publishers B.V.
• Gothelf, J., & Seiden, J. (2013). Lean UX: Applying lean principles to improve user experience. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media.
• Patton, J. (2014). User Story Mapping: Discover the whole story, build the right product (1st ed.). Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media.

Source: Owning Agile by Jeff Patton – Mind the Product