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Revitalizing a cross-functional product organization

Lara Hogan
April 24, 2018

Revitalizing a cross-functional product organization

The product and engineering teams at every company size have the same goals: positive team health, high-velocity shipping, and strategic execution. Yet we often get in our own way -- from ill-defined roles and responsibilities to toxic communication patterns, to well-meaning but under-equipped managers.

Lara Hogan and Deepa Subramaniam of Wherewithall will candidly share the approaches they took to revitalizing a cross-functional product organization in 9 months. As Engineering and Product leaders, they worked together to diagnose and treat issues holding back design, engineering and product management teams in order to ensure communication flowed better, inter and intra-team dynamics improved and the organization shipped more (and better!) software. As two VP’s who faced these specific challenges and more, Lara and Deepa will cover evidence-based tactics for improving the overall health of your product organization when time is of the essence.

Lara Hogan

April 24, 2018
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Transcript

  1. Revitalizing a cross-functional
    product organization
    Deepa Subramaniam
    @iamdeepa
    Lara Hogan
    @lara_hogan

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  9. Positive team health, 

    high-velocity shipping,
    and strategic execution.

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  10. Yet we often get in
    our own way.

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  11. Clarify roles and responsibilities
    Create living product documents

    and processes
    Lead difficult conversations
    Demonstrate mindful communications
    Join forces
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5

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  12. Clarify roles and
    responsibilities

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  13. Seamless collaboration 

    requires clarity.
    Who does what, when?
    “Well, That’s not my job.”
    “Wait, I already did that.”
    “Uh, who was supposed to do that?”

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  14. Lack of role clarity
    manifests as inertia, 

    chaos or ambivalence.

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  15. Discovery Design Development
    Testing and
    Deployment
    Post-Deployment
    and Iteration
    Product Development Flow

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  16. Discovery Design Development
    Testing and
    Deployment
    Post-Deployment
    and Iteration

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  17. Discovery Design Development
    Testing and
    Deployment
    Post-Deployment
    and Iteration
    Product
    Manager
    Product
    Designer
    Engineer
    QA

    Engineer
    Product
    Manager

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  18. Discovery Design Development
    Testing and
    Deployment
    Post-Deployment
    and Iteration
    Product
    Manager
    Product
    Designer
    Engineering
    Manager
    Data 

    Scientist
    Engineer
    QA

    Engineer
    Product
    Manager
    Strategy
    Engineering

    Lead

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  20. EM ∩ EL ∩ PM:
    Understand, own, and

    share the story of “why”
    Product Manager
    owns the story
    of “what”
    Eng Manager
    owns the
    story of
    “who”
    Tech Lead
    owns the
    story of
    “how”

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  21. Product Manager
    owns the story
    of “what”
    Tech Lead
    owns the story
    of “how”
    Product Manager + Tech Lead
    scope and estimate
    project work

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  22. Product
    Designer
    Product
    Manager
    Business
    Strategist
    Data
    Scientist

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  23. Defined roles, 

    ratified across teams,

    produce better accountability 

    and higher velocity.

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  24. Create living 

    product documents
    and processes

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  25. Without it, you risk 

    re-inventing the wheel,
    duplicating efforts and
    unnecessary disagreement.

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  26. Product Workflow
    Documents Meetings Milestones

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  27. Framing the problem, opportunity, and approach
    Discovery
    Documents Meetings Milestones
    Narrative Doc
    (aka Spec, PRD)
    Feature Kickoff “Discovery Complete”

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  28. Based on the problem, identify solutions
    Design
    Documents Meetings Milestones
    Design Brief Product Review “Design Complete”

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  29. Build the feature
    Development
    Documents Meetings Milestones
    Technical Plan Architecture Review “Code Complete”

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  30. Test and ship the feature
    QA and Deployment
    Documents Meetings Milestones
    Test Plan — “Test Complete”
    Deployment Plan Pre-Deployment Sync “Shipped”

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  31. Based on how the feature is doing, what next?
    Post-Deployment and Iteration
    Documents Meetings Milestones
    Post-ship

    Feature Update
    Post-Ship Sync
    --
    --

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  32. Re-evaluate the documents,
    milestones and meetings 

    that will make your product
    development smoother

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  33. Use your product
    processes to benefit you
    by sharing insights 

    and staying aligned.

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  34. Lead difficult
    conversations

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  36. Amygdalas are threatened by:
    • Receiving feedback
    • Causing someone 

    else to freak out
    • Being kicked out of 

    the cool kids group
    • Someone else 

    thinking you’re wrong

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  37. Amygdalas like it when 

    you have a sense of:
    • Belonging to a group
    • Progress towards a goal
    • Choice/Autonomy
    • Equality or fairness
    • Certainty/predictability

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  38. We rarely have models of 

    (or support for) how to have
    difficult conversations

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  39. Set ground rules
    for meetings

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  40. My fav ground rules:
    Stay curious
    Everyone is smart and trying
    No open phones/laptops
    Vegas Rules

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  41. It’s awkward to talk

    about your struggle 

    with another coworker

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  42. Practice difficult
    conversations

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  43. Create an environment to
    roleplay those conversations

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  44. Find a great
    conflict mediator

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  45. Be mindful when you
    communicate

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  46. Poor communication 

    will dilute impact, 

    frustrate employees 

    and result in failure.

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  47. Mindful communication
    is ✨magical✨

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  49. Reflect on the
    dynamics in the room
    1

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  50. Be aware of your medium

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  51. Consider the room’s

    power dynamics

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  52. Is this person in a 

    position to take the
    action I’m suggesting?

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  53. Elevate the

    conversation
    2

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  54. Meet transparency
    with responsibility

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  55. Assume best
    intentions
    3

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  56. Practice empathy

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  57. Listen to learn
    4

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  58. Prepare to be surprised

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  59. Reflect on the dynamics in the room
    Elevate the conversation
    Assume best intentions
    Listen to learn
    1
    2
    3
    4

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  60. Join forces

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  61. Disjointed things 

    happen in siloed teams

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  62. Lead cross-org meetings

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  63. Answer questions
    together, publicly

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  64. Jointly lead meetings

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  65. Write cross-org emails

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  66. Roll out information to
    everyone in tandem.

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  67. Share context 

    across the board.

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  68. Celebrate across 

    the board.

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  69. Our teams saw us
    coordinating and holding
    each other accountable

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  70. Honesty +
    Candidness
    Trust +
    Accountability

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  71. Join forces with your
    peer leaders

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  72. Clarify roles and responsibilities
    Create living product documents

    and processes
    Lead difficult conversations
    Demonstrate mindful communications
    Join forces
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5

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