1.
How to avoid screwing
up technology
(and how product managers
can help)
Paul Lomax,
CTO, Dennis Publishing
@PaulLomax

2.
Me

3.
Felix Dennis (1947-2014)

4.
www.heartofenglandforest.com

5.
So, how do you do
tech if you’re not a
tech company?

6.
JFDI!

7.
The problem with
technology is
people.

8.
Buy, build or rent?
“If it flies, floats or fornicates,
always rent it..
It's cheaper in the long run.”
– Felix Dennis (1947-2014)

9.
Enterprise

10.
Problem people #1:
Developers

11.
Writing code should
be a last resort.

12.
"We'll just build our own..."
How much
work your
developers
think is
involved.
Stuff they
haven't
thought of.

13.
Pragmatism
(Your job is to stop this!)

14.
“You’re not here to write
beautiful code.
You’re here to create
business value.”
Me, to developers

15.
Technical debt
W
User story What was shipped

16.
The vicious circle of technical debt

17.
Record all borrowings
Agree a repayment plan

18.
Problem people #2:
Customers &
Stakeholders

19.
“I’ll know what I want
when I see it…”

20.
Problem people #3:
Product managers

21.
Solution people!
Product managers

22.
Product Managers

23.
Requirements
re·quire·ment
n.
1. Something that is required; a necessity.
2. Something obligatory; a prerequisite.

24.
Requirements
Discovery
Ban ‘requirements’!
Everything is negotiable

25.
As an Account Holder
I want to withdraw cash from an ATM
So that I can get money when the bank
is closed
Scenario 1: Account has sufficient
funds
Given the account balance is $100
And the card is valid
And the machine contains enough money
When the Account Holder requests $20
Then the ATM should dispense $20
And the account balance should be
$80
And the card should be returned
Story: Account Holder withdraws cash Scenario 2: Account has insufficient
funds
Given the account balance is $10
And the card is valid
And the machine contains enough money
When the Account Holder requests $20
Then the ATM should not dispense any
money
And the ATM should say there are
insufficient funds
And the account balance should be
$20
And the card should be returned
Scenario 3: Card has been disabled
...
Behaviour Driven
Development
(BDD)
http://dannorth.net/whats-in-a-story/

26.
Be lean & agile.

27.
Beware half-arsed agile
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Whilst the items on the left sound nice in theory, we’re an
enterprise company, and there’s no way we’re letting go of
the items on the right.
www.halfarsedagilemanifesto.org

28.
1. Eliminate waste
2. Amplify learning
3. Decide as late as possible
4. Deliver as fast as possible
5. Empower the team
6. Build integrity in
7. See the whole
Adopt lean principles

29.
https://twitter.com/jopas

30.
● Ban 'requirements'. Focus on objectives.
● Address technical debt & a repayment plan.
● Communicate business value through BDD.
● Wield a pragmatism stick:
beat developers and stakeholders with it.
● Help developers spot the icebergs.
● Avoid waste, prototype, spike, test & learn.
● Control scope, focus on a quality MVP.
● Kanban! Kanban! Kanban!

31.
Paul Lomax
Chief Technology Officer,
Dennis Publishing
t: @paullomax
e: paul_lomax@dennis.co.uk

32.
Picture credits
Men's Fitness: http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/
Silicon Way: https://www.flickr.com/photos/iamadonut
Code: https://www.flickr.com/photos/110751683@N02/
Donuts: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/
Post-it notes: https://www.flickr.com/photos/roxocubes
Ship-wreck:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/102537907@N03/
WTFs/min:
http://www.osnews.com/story/19266/WTFs_m
Tech debt matrix: http://philippe.kruchten.com/
Kanban:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jeff.lasovski
XKCD on Arbitrary Condiments: http://xkcd.com/974/
Mastercard: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shuttercat7
Technical Debt
https://twitter.com/khellang
Product Management Venn diagram:
http://www.mindtheproduct.com/
Iceberg: http://ralphclevenger.com/portfolios/earth/
I'll Know What I Want When I See It:
http://sharpsuits.net/Home
Baby Squirrels:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/_crazysanman/2391480258
/
Lean Startup: http://lean.st/
Agile Manifesto: http://blog.theworkinggroup.ca/
Dilbert on Requirements:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2006-01-29/
MVP: https://twitter.com/jopas