Many companies struggle with their product and tech organization because they experience slow delivery and see few outcomes. We all need to understand that crafting good software is no longer enough to be competitive in the modern digital landscape. Building digital product is what we need! It is way different than building software but is much more effective, much more rewarding and much more fun! How can we do that?

1. “Working software” is not
enough, we need “working
products”
A new approach to deliver value to
the our customer in the digital era
Lorenzo Cassulo 2021

2. I’m Lorenzo and I love SCRUM!

3. My journey into product
I worked as Product
Owner in a
consultancy company
Then in a digital
company in the
travel industry
Now I work in a
digital scale up in the
real estate market

4. A new challenge
In Casavo I joined a
young product
department where I
can address since the
beginning all the DOs
& DON’Ts saw in my
experience

5. ...with a top-down endorsement to agile!

6. ...different context, same old problems
Despite all the
endorsement and all
the commitment I came
across to the same old
problems that I think
we all have
experienced at least
one time in our career.

7. WHY?!?!?
I was a different
person, I had all those
experiences, I was in a
different context and
still I experienced the
same old problems.
This time I was able to
acquire information,
feedback and reflect.

8. 20 years of Agile Manifesto
Agile Manifesto has 20
years ago: software
was supporting
company business,
now software IS the
business
To avoid running out of
business now software
must support change
and evolve in the same
way as the company
business.

9. A good software can be very bad in supporting change
The systems that
power unemployment
benefits in New Jersey
is a prefect example of
a good software very
bad in responding to
change.
It worked perfectly for
40 years but when
covide came imploded.
Like the pyramids, we have built something perfect in the
past and then we forgot how we did it.

10. Running a business means adapt to change and
requires a new approach The development of
every software created
to run a business will
never end as long as
the company is alive
and this is literally the
definition of digital
product.
We need a wider
approach, a new
approach based on
product.

11. Your REAL customer The first step to foster
a product approach is
to identify the real
customer and be sure
that everyone in the
organization is on
board.
The real customer is
not always easy to
spot and it’s a mistake
to take for granted that
everyone in the
company agrees on
who is.

12. Then you can create a common definition of “value”
A common definition of
value allows to agree
on priorities and
maximize the work not
done.
Conflicts in terms of
priority are generated
by misaligned about
the definition of value.

13. A new structure to foster collaboration: the Product
Community People will get along
easily because they
will have the same
goal and shared way
to measure how much
they are getting closer
to it.

14. Foster collaboration also with product architecture
The product
community needs to be
independent not only
in terms of skills but
also in terms of
product architecture.
Along with
independence,
product architecture
should foster also
transparency.

15. This is the environment where product can evolve
These are the four
steps: customer, value,
community and
architecture create the
environment where the
digital product can
evolve and prosper
because is a
collaborative
environment that can
change over time.

16. It will not be easy… this is a cultural change
Structure will be
reviewed several times
because emergent
organizational
structure and
technology are the
enabler for this cultural
change.

17. Nurture product skills
Every member of the
product community
must focus on
customer value

18. From a software approach to a product approach
from knowledge to culture
from communication to relationships
from team to community
from stakeholders to product contributor
from departments to skills

19. www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzocassulo
None of this would have been possible
without the contribution of my past and
current workmates