The Lean-Agile Dilemma

Over the last decade, Lean-Agile principles have become the standard methodology by which product and technology teams operate. However, Lean-Agile was written for small companies seeking new markets to buy their innovative software products, not for an average corporation with a catalogue of existing software products that must be maintained and rebuilt. The typical tech-enabled business isn't a lean startup; it's a chunky corporate. This book offers an alternative software development methodology perfectly suited for chunky corporate product management.

You'll quickly find out how individual players in the corporate organization impact business performance. You'll follow the story of Blake, a well-meaning but ultimately naive, CEO of a fictional company called Acme Tech. As he and Acme struggle to maintain business performance, it becomes apparent how embedded and complex his challenges are. Lean-Agile principles are regularly misapplied in the corporate environment, causing tension, missed deadlines, and inefficient working practices.

You'll see that managing software transformation at a large, mature business requires a new set of tools. Popular development methodologies are not well-suited for the replatforming exercises that chunky corporates inevitably face. This book helps product and technology leaders navigate software development projects at organizations grappling with the constraints of investor ownership.

Chunky corporates have a lot going for them: The Lean-Agile Dilemma reveals that, when managed well, they have the potential to be safe havens in a relentlessly unstable world.

You will:

• Understand how replatforming differs from new product development
• Learn how to manage existing data when updating or building new software
• Gain tools to prioritize items in your overstuffed product roadmap

Who This Book is For

Product managers, product owners, product leadership, tech leadership, and business leaders at mature tech-enabled businesses.

Chapter 1. The Luxury of a Lean Startup. - Chapter 2. Execution Not Innovation. - Chapter 3. Putting on Weight. - Chapter 4. Chief Poo-Poo Officer and Saying No. - Chapter 5. Deciding what to Build and How. - Chapter 6. The Challenges of Replatforming. - Chapter 7. Replatforming the Right Way. - Chapter 8. Dealing with Data. - Chapter 9. Managing Customer Demands. - Chapter 10. Products Don' t Sell Themselves. - Chapter 11. Good Communication Leads to Good Products. - Chapter 12. Driving Cross-Functional Collaboration. - Chapter 13. Conclusion.