SCALING LEAN:
PROJECT, PROGRAM, PORTFOLIO
JEFF GOTHELF / @JBOOGIE / JEFF@GOTHELF.CO

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
NO ONE WANTS TO BUY EXPERIMENTS

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LEAN STARTUP REDUCES RISK

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LEAN + AGILE =
CONTINUOUS LEARNING

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AT THE CORE OF CONTINUOUS LEARNING
IS EXPERIMENTATION & HUMILITY

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FOR STARTUPS, IT’S
EXPERIMENT OR DIE

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AT THE ENTERPRISE LEVEL,
NOT SO MUCH

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AND YET, IN THE ENTERPRISE,
IT’S ALL AGILE & LEAN (LANGUAGE)

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AND YET, IN THE ENTERPRISE,
IT’S ALL AGILE & LEAN (LANGUAGE)

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
WHEN STRETCHED TO BIGGER ORGS
LEAN STARTUP BREAKS

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WHEN STRETCHED TO BIGGER ORGS
LEAN STARTUP BREAKS

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WHY DOES LEAN SEEM TO
BREAK AT SCALE?

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
WHY DOES LEAN SEEM TO
BREAK AT SCALE?Established corporations are too concerned about tarnishing their brand with an MVP
— David Baldie (@DavidBaldie)
Process. Everything has a process and 85 approvals and a mysterious “they” blocking anything that’s not the old way.
— Emily Tate (@thedailyem)
"Good enough" doesn't get respected as viable option to SHIP IT!
— Jeremy Caverly (@JeremyCee)
Silo'ed managers unwilling to release team members
— Dan Weingrod (@dweingrod)
Valuing business need over user need (not realizing they are the same thing)
— Simeon Poulin (@simeon_P)
"To approve that we need to see a detailed plan and cost benefit analysis, and you must commit to specific deadlines and targets."
— John Waterworth (@jwaterworth)
"We already know what we need to do. Why do we need to waste time 'learning'?"
— John Waterworth (@jwaterworth)

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
HOW CAN WE MOVE BIG ORGS
PAST THESE HURDLES?

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SEVERAL WAYS TO THINK ABOUT
SCALING

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SEVERAL WAYS TO THINK ABOUT
SCALING
PROJECT
How do we
incorporate more
learning into each
initiative?

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SEVERAL WAYS TO THINK ABOUT
SCALING
PROJECT
How do we
incorporate more
learning into each
initiative?
PROGRAM
How do we coordinate
multiple discovery/delivery
efforts focused on the same
goal?

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SEVERAL WAYS TO THINK ABOUT
SCALING
PROJECT
How do we
incorporate more
learning into each
initiative?
PROGRAM
How do we coordinate
multiple discovery/delivery
efforts focused on the same
goal?
PORTFOLIO
How do we coordinate
multiple programs, enforce
governance and meet
shareholder expectations?

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SCALING CHALLENGES AT EACH LEVEL
PROJECT PROGRAM PORTFOLIO

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIESCALING CHALLENGES AT EACH LEVEL
PROJECT PROGRAM PORTFOLIO

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIESCALING CHALLENGES AT EACH LEVEL
PROJECT
•Optimizing for throughput
(velocity)
•Parallel path discovery &
delivery
•No autonomy to make
decisions
•Incremental, not iterative
•Perceived risk to brand/
current customers
PROGRAM PORTFOLIO

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIESCALING CHALLENGES AT EACH LEVEL
PROJECT
•Optimizing for throughput
(velocity)
•Parallel path discovery &
delivery
•No autonomy to make
decisions
•Incremental, not iterative
•Perceived risk to brand/
current customers
PROGRAM PORTFOLIO
•Cross-team coordination
•Knowledge management
•Legacy systems
•Offshoring
•Distributed teams

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIESCALING CHALLENGES AT EACH LEVEL
PROJECT
•Optimizing for throughput
(velocity)
•Parallel path discovery &
delivery
•No autonomy to make
decisions
•Incremental, not iterative
•Perceived risk to brand/
current customers
PROGRAM PORTFOLIO
•Cross-team coordination
•Knowledge management
•Legacy systems
•Offshoring
•Distributed teams
•Discipline & business unit
silos
•IT as a service provider
•Business value > customer
value
•Annual planning
•Incentive structure
•Governance
•Conway’s Law but in reverse

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THERE ARE NO SHORTAGE OF
RECIPES

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THERE ARE NO SHORTAGE OF
RECIPES

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THERE ARE NO SHORTAGE OF
RECIPES

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THERE ARE NO SHORTAGE OF
RECIPES
I can see myself
in the picture. So
I like it!

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THESE ARE ONLY FRAMEWORKS

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SCALING PRINCIPLES,
NOT PROCESSES
“Process brings seductively strong near-term outcomes.”
- Netflix culture presentation (2009)

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PRINCIPLE #1
CUSTOMER VALUE = BUSINESS VALUE

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TACTIC:
MANAGE TO OKR’S
OBJECTIVE KEY RESULTS
@CWODTKE

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TACTIC:
MANAGE TO OKR’S
OBJECTIVE
•Qualitative
•Inspirational
•Time bound
•Actionable by the team independently
(particularly relevant in the enterprise)
KEY RESULTS
@CWODTKE

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MANAGE TO OKR’S
OBJECTIVE
•Qualitative
•Inspirational
•Time bound
•Actionable by the team independently
(particularly relevant in the enterprise)
KEY RESULTS
•Quantifiable
•How will we know we’ve met our objective?
•Difficult, not impossible
•Cascade down
•Rhythmic
@CWODTKE

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MANAGE TO OKR’S @CWODTKE

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MANAGE TO OKR’S @CWODTKE
EXAMPLE OF OBJECTIVE: BE THE DOMINANT PLATFORM FOR CAR DEALER INVENTORY MANAGEMENT BY Q4 2016
EXAMPLE OF KEY RESULT: 50% OF ALL INDEPENDENT DEALERS ARE OUR USERS
EXAMPLE OF KEY RESULT: 6 OF THE TOP 10 CARMAKERS MANDATE OUR PLATFORM FOR THEIR DEALERSHIPS
EXAMPLE OF KEY RESULT: 40% OF AUTO AUCTION HOUSES USING OUR INVENTORY API

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
EVIDENCE-BASED QUARTERLY PLANNING

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
EVIDENCE-BASED QUARTERLY PLANNING

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
EVIDENCE-BASED QUARTERLY PLANNING
SHIP
SENSERESPOND Q1: OKR’S

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
EVIDENCE-BASED QUARTERLY PLANNING
SHIP
SENSERESPOND Q1: OKR’S
STAKEHOLDERS
EVERY QUARTER
$/€/£

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
EVIDENCE-BASED QUARTERLY PLANNING
SHIP
SENSERESPOND Q1: OKR’S
STAKEHOLDERS
EVERY QUARTER
$/€/£$/€/£
NEW OKR

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
HORIZON 3: SHORT TERM

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TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
• Customer-related questions to answer: Is there a need? Can we find a solution that meets that need?
HORIZON 3: SHORT TERM

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
• Customer-related questions to answer: Is there a need? Can we find a solution that meets that need?
HORIZON 3: SHORT TERM
HORIZON 2: MID TERM

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
• Customer-related questions to answer: Is there a need? Can we find a solution that meets that need?
HORIZON 3: SHORT TERM
• Sustainability-related questions to answer: Is the market large enough/sustainable? Can we support growth?
HORIZON 2: MID TERM

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
• Customer-related questions to answer: Is there a need? Can we find a solution that meets that need?
HORIZON 3: SHORT TERM
• Sustainability-related questions to answer: Is the market large enough/sustainable? Can we support growth?
HORIZON 2: MID TERM
HORIZON 1: LONG TERM

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
HORIZON PLANNING
Source: McKinsey, Intuit, et al
THREE TIME HORIZONS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
• Customer-related questions to answer: Is there a need? Can we find a solution that meets that need?
HORIZON 3: SHORT TERM
• Sustainability-related questions to answer: Is the market large enough/sustainable? Can we support growth?
HORIZON 2: MID TERM
• Growth-related questions to answer: How do we scale? How do we continuously improve? How do we stay competitive?
HORIZON 1: LONG TERM

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PRINCIPLE #2
VALUE LEARNING OVER DELIVERY

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PRINCIPLE #2
VALUE LEARNING OVER DELIVERY

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TACTIC:
YOU CAN’T TEST EVERYTHING

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TACTIC:
ALIGN TO A SINGLE METRIC OF PROGRESS

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TACTIC:
BUILD MOMENTUM WITH PILOT TEAMS

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TACTIC:
SANDBOXES

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TACTIC:
GET CREATIVE WITH EXPERIMENTS
Source: @evolvable, @tyro

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
GET CREATIVE WITH EXPERIMENTS
Source: @evolvable, @tyro

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
PRINCIPLE #3
RADICAL TRANSPARENCY

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
TRANSPARENCY THROUGH RITUALS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
TRANSPARENCY THROUGH RITUALS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
ACCESS TO DATA

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
IT’S DIFFICULT TO COORDINATE
LEAN ACTIVITIES ACROSS TEAMS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
IT’S DIFFICULT TO COORDINATE
LEAN ACTIVITIES ACROSS TEAMS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
IT’S DIFFICULT TO COORDINATE
LEAN ACTIVITIES ACROSS TEAMS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
CROSS-TEAM COORDINATION

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
CROSS-TEAM COORDINATION

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
PRINCIPLE #4
HUMILITY IN ALL THINGS

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PRINCIPLE #4
HUMILITY IN ALL THINGS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
PRODUCT DISCOVERY

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
PRODUCT DISCOVERY

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
PRODUCT DISCOVERY

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
PRODUCT DISCOVERY

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
DON’T OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
DON’T OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
“ORBITAL MODEL” FOR SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
“ORBITAL MODEL” FOR SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
CORE TEAM
LEGAL
BRAND
MARKETING

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MODERN STAFFING MODEL

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MODERNIZE TECH STACK

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TACTIC:
MODERNIZE TECH STACK
DevOps is a culture, movement or practice that emphasizes the collaboration and communication of both software developers and
other information-technology (IT) professionals while automating the process of software delivery and infrastructure changes. It
aims at establishing a culture and environment where building, testing, and releasing software, can happen rapidly, frequently, and
more reliably.
- Wikipedia

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MODERNIZE TECH STACK
Source: @billwscott (slideshare)

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
TACTIC:
MODERNIZE TECH STACK
Source: @billwscott (slideshare)

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THIS IS A TOP-DOWN EFFORT

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THIS IS A TOP-DOWN EFFORT
“Successful leaders embrace the reality that their models may be
wrong or incomplete. Only when we admit what we don’t know
can we ever hope to learn it.”
- Ed Catmull, CEO, Pixar

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SEEK OUT THE SHIT UMBRELLA

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SHOW THAT IT’S OK TO FAIL

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
SHOW THAT IT’S OK TO FAIL

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
LEAN PRINCIPLES THAT WORK AT
ANY SCALE

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
LEAN PRINCIPLES THAT WORK AT
ANY SCALE
PRINCIPLE #1: CUSTOMER VALUE = BUSINESS VALUE
PRINCIPLE #2: VALUE LEARNING OVER DELIVERY
PRINCIPLE #3: RADICAL TRANSPARENCY
PRINCIPLE #4: HUMILITY IN ALL THINGS

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
IF YOU CAN,
SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
IF YOU CAN,
SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW

GOTHELF.CO / @JBOOGIE
THANK YOU!
JEFF GOTHELF / @JBOOGIE / JEFF@GOTHELF.CO
NEW BOOK: SENSEANDRESPOND.CO (PRE-ORDER NOW)