This document discusses product discovery and defines it as determining "what to build", "why is this product needed", "who has the problem", and "what should be built". Traditional product discovery is viewed as pre-work to generate ideas, but it faces challenges in fast-paced environments where needs change. Agile focuses on how to build well but not what to build. The document advocates for modern product discovery approaches like design thinking, lean startup, and dual-track development to focus on quick, validated learning through customer development and business model innovation. Key aspects of product discovery discussed are understanding customer pain points, jobs-to-be-done, and determining what customers would pay for.

1. Agile
Product
Discovery@TathagatVarma

2. We solve complex
problems…

3. Methods & Metrics
Using the latest…
Methodologies & Frameworks
Tools & TechniquesRituals & Ceremonies

4. To create our own…

5. But what if…?

6. Your problem might be
how to solve the problem,
but the real problem is…

7. Nature of problem-solving

8. Traditional Model

9. Discovery?
• In short, “what to build?”, or “building the right
product”.
• In long, “why is this product needed, who has the
problem, what should be built, when should it be
delivered, where to sell, how to price, etc…?”
• Traditionally viewed as: “Pre-work designed to discover
and uncover business opportunities and generate new
ideas”. An explicit focus on “measure twice, cut once”

10. Challenges
• Positioning as a “stage” has connotation of a time-
delimited activity
• Calling it as “pre-work” might indicate that “real work” is
everything else!
• A sequential, linear process might be unsuitable in fast-
paced and dynamic world -
• User needs change and evolve with time
• Technology capabilities change over time
• Ideas emerge anytime, and not just at the start
• Best solutions evolve over a period of time

11. Doesn’t “Agile” address
that?
• Agile focuses, by and large on “how to build products in
the right way”. We focus on building high-quality
products in a predictable manner.
• However, we are concerned with “operation successful,
but the patient died” problem. No point building a
product well that need not be built in the first place!
• We need something else to help us with “what product
to build in the first place?”. We need to focus on quick,
validated and actionable learning.

12. Delivery vs Discovery
https://blog.productboard.com/the-age-of-product-discovery-part-i-27ab7fc02e54

13. So, what is Product
Discovery?
• Building the right product
• Making products that matter
• Right product for right audience
• Making products that people want!
• Building the right product at the right time…
• Focus on right problem, rather than build the solution…

14. Modern Product
Discovery?
• Agile: feedback-driven development
in short iterations
• Design Thinking: human-centric
innovation
• Lean Innovation: customer
development, business model
innovation and lean startup

15. OK, so how to do it?
• Meta-process
• Frameworks
• Methods (we won’t cover them in this talk)

16. 1. What is the pain?

17. 2. Who has the pain?

18. 3. How do they deal?

19. 4. What would delight
them?

20. 5. (What) Would they pay?

21. Agile & HCD Methods
• Sprint 0
• Spikes
• Empathy Maps
• User Personas
• Customer Journey Map
• User Story Mapping
• Dual Track Development
• …

22. Dual-Track Development

23. Design Thinking

24. Design Sprint

25. Customer Development

26. Business Model Canvas

27. Value Proposition Canvas

28. Lean Startup

29. Recap

30. References
• https://svpg.com/planning-product-discovery/
• https://svpg.com/product-discovery-anti-patterns/
• https://www.chargebee.com/blog/product-discovery/
• https://blog.productboard.com/the-age-of-product-discovery-part-i-27ab7fc02e54
• https://herbigt.com/product-discovery
• https://www.productleadership.com/tathagat-varma-founder-ceo-
thoughtleadership-in/
• https://svpg.com/product-discovery-anti-patterns/

31. Thanks!