Slides for the talk delivered at the Agility Today Un-conference 2023, Bengaluru. Stories about product fails and learning.

1. PRODUCTFA!LS
THAT TIME WHEN A PRODUCT SCREWED-UP
Photo by Mike van Schoonderwalt on Pexels

2. Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels

3. • I’m obsessively compulsive about
Quality
• I’ve learnt to fail & laugh at my failures,
the hard way
• I genuiely want products & services to
improve
• When I witness mediocrity, my curiosity
calls it out, at times publicly*
*TWITTERBIO:TWEETS MOSTLY CRITIQUES ABOUT MEDIOCRE SERVICES & PRODUCTS
VISHALPRASAD
HEAD OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE @ THOUGHTWORKS INDIA

5. STORY#1
THE MORE WE FAIL THE BIGGER WE BECOME
Photo by Patrick Benais on Pexels

6. TATA
FROM SALT TO CARS, IT’S EVERYWHERE!

7. TATA

15. Photo by Afrika ufundi on Pexels

16. Photo by Afrika ufundi on Pexels

17. Photo by Afrika ufundi on Pexels

18. WHATARETHENOTABLE
FAILURES?

19. • That phone number is NOT mine
• The engineer assigned to
f
ix my ticket
changed my phone number to theirs
• Used it to reset my password because the
forgot password feature was “WORKING
ON THEIR SYSTEM”
• The changed password was emailed to me
in clear text
*HOW DO I KNOW THIS?
I’MLAUGHING
BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT WAS DONE*
Photo by Jonathon Burton on Pexels

20. BecauseIcalledthatnumber

21. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone

22. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone
ItoldhimwhoIwas

23. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone
ItoldhimwhoIwas
Andhecouldn’tunderstandhowIgothisnumber

24. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone
ItoldhimwhoIwas
Andhecouldn’tunderstandhowIgothisnumber
JohnthoughtIwasascammer

25. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone
ItoldhimwhoIwas
Andhecouldn’tunderstandhowIgothisnumber
JohnthoughtIwasascammer
ThenIaskedhimifhedidwhatI’mguessinghedid

26. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone
ItoldhimwhoIwas
Andhecouldn’tunderstandhowIgothisnumber
JohnthoughtIwasascammer
ThenIaskedhimifhedidwhatI’mguessinghedid
Andhesaidyes!

27. BecauseIcalledthatnumber
AndJohn(Alias)answeredthephone
ItoldhimwhoIwas
Andhecouldn’tunderstandhowIgothisnumber
JohnthoughtIwasascammer
ThenIaskedhimifhedidwhatI’mguessinghedid
Andhesaidyes!
JohnisaBackendEngineeratTCS!

28. AND HOW DO WE ENSURE THIS IS FIXED FOR THE FUTURE?
WHAT’S THE FAULT?

29. STORY#2
THE MORE WE FIX THE MORE WE BREAK
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

30. AEGON, TOH TENSION GONE … T&C APPLY
AEGON LIFE

31. DIRECT DEBITS TO SAVE ₹34 EVERY MONTH
₹1032 VS ₹998

32. DIRECT DEBITS TO SAVE ₹34 EVERY MONTH
₹408 ANNUALLY
₹1032 VS ₹998

33. DIRECT DEBITS TO SAVE ₹34 EVERY MONTH
₹408 ANNUALLY
₹8160 OVER 20 YEARS
₹1032 VS ₹998

34. DIRECT DEBITS TO SAVE ₹34 EVERY MONTH
₹408 ANNUALLY
₹8160 OVER 20 YEARS
₹21,470 EARNED INTEREST ON A FIXED DEPOSIT
₹1032 VS ₹998

35. DIRECT DEBITS TO SAVE ₹34 EVERY MONTH
₹408 ANNUALLY
₹8160 OVER 20 YEARS
₹21,470 EARNED INTEREST ON A FIXED DEPOSIT
₹816 CRORE ADDITIONAL PREMIUM COLLECTED
₹1032 VS ₹998

36. Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels

37. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

38. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

39. Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels

43. WHATDIDYOUDO!

44. Photo by Kate Che on Pexels
my tension on

45. TODAY IS 7TH OF JULY 2023
“WEAREINCONTINUOUSCOORDINATIONWITH
THERELEVANTTEAMSTORESOLVETHEISSUE
COMPLETELY.WEREQUESTYOUTOPROVIDEUS
TILL7THJULY2023TOREVERTTOYOU.”

46. WHATARETHENOTABLE
FAILURES?

47. • Direct Debits fail often, the usual action is
to retry and then it succeeds
• Aegon’s logic reset the premium when the
f
irst Direct Debit failed and on the retry
charged a higher premium
• After the team
f
ixed the above they
introduced the payment due feature
• While
f
ixing the payment due feature, the
team reset the earlier
f
ix for retry
I’MLAUGHING
BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT WAS DONE*
Photo by Jonathon Burton on Pexels
*ALLEGEDLY

48. AND HOW DO WE ENSURE THIS IS FIXED FOR THE FUTURE?
WHAT’S THE FAULT?

49. CONNECTWITHME
@VishalPrasadIN