Why you want your team to feel like they are in a band, not an orchestra. Matt Walton's Mind The Product Presentation on growing agile teams at FutureLearn. Blog version here: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/2017/04/band-not-orchestra-grow-agile-product-team/

1. Be in a band, not an orchestra:
How to scale agile teams
@matt_walton

2. Band
Orchestra

3. Informal
communication
Self organising
Autonomous:
creates their own part
in collaboration

4. Top-down
communication
Directed:
plays composed part
Formal
and
hierarchical

5. Band
Self-organising
Creates their own part
Informal communication
Orchestra
Formal hierarchy
Plays a composed part
Top-down communication
Vs

6. Band
Orchestra

8. Help everyone fulfil their potential
in a changing world,
by transforming access to education.
OUR PURPOSE IS

9. Use design, technology and partnerships,
to create enjoyable, credible and flexible
courses and qualifications
that improve working lives.
OUR MISSION IS

10. Founded by the UK’s Open University

11. 150 Course Creators

12. 1,000 short courses

13. 6.5 million
registered learners

14. 112 staff

15. 1. Band
2. Gig
3. Festival

16. 7 Lessons

17. Coda

18. 1. Band

19. Have a vision

20. and a ‘manifesto’

21. Make a demo!

26. Big Band

27. Change sooner than you think
LESSON 1

29. Learn from others
LESSON 2

30. Band
Orchestra

31. 2. Gig

32. Growth
Experience
Commercial
mmm
mmm
mmm

36. Let the team own
their own roadmap
LESSON 3

37. 3. Festival

39. Cross functional teams
Copy
writer
Partnership
manager
Software
engineer
Product
designer
Product
manager
Marketing
manager
Copy writer
Marketing
designer
Video
producer
Marketing
exec
Software
engineer Software
engineer
Software
engineer
Software
engineer
Software
engineer

40. Keep teams small…
but make sure they can play all the parts
LESSON 4

41. Mission
&
Metric

42. LEARNER GROWTH
Grow the number of Advancers actively
using FutureLearn who will pay for an
aspect of a course or qualification

43. LEARNER SALES
Increase the proportion of Advancers
who become paying learners and how
often they purchase

44. “What product
do I own?“

45. Give teams autonomy
and purpose
LESSON 5

46. DISCOVE
RY
&
ACTIVATION•DI
SCOVERY&ACTIVATI
O
N
•DISCOVERY&
AC
TIVATION •
D&A
CLIENT EX
PERIENCE•CLIENTEX
PERIENCE•CLIENTEX
PERIENCE•CLIENTEX
PERIENCE •
CX
LEARNE
R
SALES•LEARNE
R
SALES•LEARNE
R
SALES•LEARNE
R
SALES •
Premium Peas

47. Encourage everything that creates
a shared sense of identity
LESSON 5

48. How do you make your
festival coherent?
Image by Kate Chidley

49. Product management
Design, UX & research
Technology
Marketing
Content
Business development
Growth Portfolio
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
Sales
m
m
m
m
m
m
Disciplines & teams
Leadership

50. Refresh
Product
strategy
Refresh Refresh Refresh
Product
strategy
Refresh
Reviewing
Product
strategy
Product
strategy
August November February May August
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

51. Now
6 weeks
Next
This quarter
Later
Next quarter
Someday
6 months +
Roadmap
timescales

53. Team moves

55. Create ways to communicate
and collaborate across teams
LESSON 7

56. 1. Change sooner than you think
2. Learn from others
3. Keep teams small… but make sure they can play all the parts
4. Give teams autonomy and purpose
5. Encourage everything that creates a shared identity
6. Let the teams own their roadmap
7. Create ways for people to communicate and collaborate across teams
7 lessons

57. Band
Orchestra

58. Coda

59. Mastery Purpose
Autonomy
“Our deep seated desire to direct
our own lives, extend our abilities
and to live a life of purpose.”

60. Day
Sprint
Roadmap
Strategy
Vision
Purpose
You are here

61. Spend time creating
a shared sense of purpose
LESSON 8

62. Chief Product Officer
Head of “x” Product
Senior Product Manager
Product Manager

63. People
manager
Product
specialist
Hybrid
Product Manager

64. Make sure people have the
opportunity to grow
LESSON 9

65. Orchestra?
What can we learn from an

66. Don’t be afraid
to change your tune
LESSON 10

67. @matt_walton