Ellen Gottesdiener
www.ebgconsulting.com
www.DiscoverToDeliver.com
Agile Product Management:
Do the RightThings, Not Everything
© 2019 by EBG Consulting, Inc.
10 May 2019

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Ellen Gottesdiener
CPO, Founder, CSM, CSPO, CPF
Ellen helps product and development communities create valuable outcomes
through product agility. She is known in the agile community as an instigator
and innovator for collaborative practices for agile product discovery using
skilled facilitation to enable healthy teamwork and organizational learning.
twitter: @ellengott
blog: ebgconsulting.com/blog
linkedIn: ellengottesdiener
tips newsletter: www.ebgconsulting.com
EBG is a global leader in agile product management and ownership and collaborative practices
for technology products. EBG helps organizations amplify discovery to accelerate delivery.
Volunteer:
Agile Product Open ~ Boston (Co-Founder, Producer)
Agile Product Management Initiative (Director,Agile Alliance)

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@ellengott
Ellen Gottesdiener
#BASD2019

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5
product management/ownership
challenge…

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product “owner”
7

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“…responsible for
maximizing the value
of the product
resulting from work
of Development
Team.”
The Scrum Guide™ version November 2018
scrum product “owner”

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product views

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Define and champion the product vision
Research and test customer/market needs
Identify high-value product options
Decide on release dates and content
Make backlog items “ready” for planning, dev
Accept “done” work
Conduct product demos
... (and there is more!…)
product work

© EBG Consulting, 2019 | @ellengott
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product
management
product
ownership
product
development
strategic tactical
external internal
customer code
market making
business technology
discover deliver
disciplines & focus
discover deliver
11

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13
product
management
product
ownership
product
development

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collaboration pattern:
Decide How to Decide
a group needs to reach closure on a specific issue
people must know when and if a decision is made

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ConsensusDecision
Leader
Decides
after
Discussion
Arbitrary
Spontaneous
Agreement
Majority
Vote
Negotiation
Delegation
decision
rule
Decision
Leader
Decides w/o
Discussion
participatory
common decision rules

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endorse
disagree
cannot
support
agree,
can support
I veto
this
proposal
gradient of agreement
Adapted from Sam Kaner: Participatory Decision Making training
Ref: Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision Making

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10
which decision rule is
appropriate?
why?
Choose 3 product work items with a “D”
on top left of the card.
Select one from each location:
* discovery (strategic)
* delivery (tactical)
*Venn overlap

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collaborate
mutually support
delegate
assign
We will play an Jurgen Appelo’s “Delegation Poker”
modified to explore decision making
and the work of product management and ownership
Thank you Jurgen!
https://management30.com/product/delegation-poker/

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Consensus
Delegation
Decision
Leader
Decides w/o
Discussion
}
Decision
Leader
Decides w/o
Discussion
(then sells)
Decision Leader
Decides after
Discussion

© EBG Consulting, 2019 | @ellengott
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10
which delegation level is
appropriate?
why?
1. Read a card (the work of Product Management or Product Ownership)
2. Privately select your delegation level
3. Simultaneously share your card
4. Discuss for several minutes
5. Select the next work card, rinse, repeat …

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Transparently — and collaboratively — examine the
work of agile product management.
Make decisions collaboratively. This builds trust.
Tap into the wisdom of the product ecosystem
Benefits:
better products
better teams
in sum…

© 2019 by EBG Consulting
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