The Curriculum

THe Curriculum...

We’ve created an evolving “curriculum” of bite-size writings, to help people get up to speed on our methodology for running successful technology efforts using a "product team" framework. The thinking here reflects a combination of lessons learned over the years and adaptations of existing methodologies.

Taken together, we have found it to be an effective framework for breaking the common cycle of technology dysfunction and debacles, and moving instead towards strategic, consistent, continuously-improving technology.

Table of Contents - READING TIME: 1-2 min PER post

• The Big Picture

  • Debacle Prevention

  • Expect More

  • You Need a Product Team

  • You Don't Want a Treasure Map

  • Continuous Investment and Smiley Faces

  • You're a Tech Company

  • Building Rocketships

  • You Can't Delegate Caring

  • Are We Too Small for This?

• The Right Structure

  • There's a New Layer in Town

  • A Stripe in Your Org Chart

  • This is Not Traditional IT

  • Two Great Reasons Not to Combine Digital Products and IT Operations (new)

  • You Can't Outsource the Brains

  • Dishwashers Don't Need Roadmaps

  • The Roadmap, Simplified

• The Right Boundaries

  • The Delicious Alignment of Distributed Ownership (The Blue/Gold Divide)

  • Everyone Likes to Geek Out On Something

  • Flight of the Bumblebee

  • Alignment Dissolves Resistance

• The Right Roles

  • Leadership, Technical, and Human

  • The Product Chief: “Protector of the Realm” and “Greatmaker”

  • Put the Chief on Your Leadership Team

  • The Product Manager

  • Show Me The Org Charts

  • Flood the Zone with User Support

  • Get Out From Behind Your Ticketing Queue

• The Right People

  • The Improver Personality

  • You’re Hiring for the Wrong Thing

  • Helping An External Firm Thrive

  • Finding Talent: All-Stars and Jedis

  • What You’re Getting for an Hourly Rate

  • Awesome Job Listings

  • Screening Like a Boss

  • Clear the Haters

  • Activate the Cavalry

• Power Ups (from the blog)

  • Detangling "Digital"

  • Nobody Cares About Your Website Launch

  • Coverage

  • Whose Money?

  • It Costs More Than That

  • Your Timeline is a Lie

  • You'll Never Be Satisfied / There is No Finish Line

  • Build Tanking

  • Changing Your Mind is a Feature, Not a Bug

  • Develop Slow, Respond Fast