In this #mtpcon SF+Americas 2022 Spotlight session, sponsored by Split, Tu Nguyen, Practice Director of Data and Experimentation, and Danielle Glass, Senior Manager of Product Success explained the agile mindset and how it can be applied to effective product management.
Watch this video or read on for key highlights from the talk:
Applying it in the work that we do
To execute agile effectively, Tu mentions to move fast by breaking things down. Figure out how you can break your challenge into smaller pieces. She goes on to explain how getting feedback early and often is key to product development and an important part of the agile mindset. Iterate regularly and pivot constantly to embrace this culture to the full, she adds.
Progressive delivery model
Danielle explains the lessons learned from building Split’s new platform, Split Arcade which provides customers with insights on how to best use the Split platform. She says how they have iterated along the way which has been key to succeeding in its product launch.
The progressive delivery model can be used in product management to collate feedback at any stage of the roadmap, Danielle says.
The first stage was to create the foundation for that feedback in understanding personas and outcomes. It’s important to see that goalpost at the end of the journey before commencing the project.
Phase two of progressive delivery was to reach out to your internal testing team, the value of receiving negative feedback from this team is extremely important. After stage two, Danielle explains how they sent this to their Beta customers, and then 50% of their user base to collate feedback. The final stage was to send this new feature or product to all of their users.
Dealing with feedback
When you receive feedback, don’t fear failure, Danielle says. If you don’t receive negative constructive comments about your product, then you’ll have nowhere to go with future product decisions. While we have this fear of missing the mark, the reality is that the feedback provides an opportunity to have a deeper understanding of what your users think. Get that feedback early so you can pivot and iterate accordingly.
Internal and external feedback are both as valuable as each other. With internal feedback, however, you receive a fresh unbiased perspective on your product. While externally, you have to consider a wide range of new personas that you may not have encountered before.
Feedback with experimentation
Once you have collated this feedback, Tu mentioned how important it is to experiment with different methods. Flag new features by making informed decisions based on your feedback. Measure whether it is having an impact and note down your lessons learned along the way.
Monitor your metrics. Use this information to understand what step you want to take next, whether this is to carry on iterating, stick with what you have, or discontinue a feature. Doing this will ensure that you’re giving the customers what they are looking for which, in turn, will give you what you’re looking for, she says. “The more you add measurements and experimentation, you can see those teams become more adaptable and more effective with agile” making those data-driven decisions is key.
There’s more where that came from!
Explore more #mtpcon SF+Americas 2022 video content or use our Content A-Z to find even more product management insights.
