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.

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
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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
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54. Meet transparency
    with responsibility
    

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55. Assume best
    intentions
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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
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    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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