This post is intended primarily for Product Managers and Delivery Managers working within a Digital group of a large enterprise. However, the principles of transparency, progressive elaboration, and autonomous alignment can be applied by anyone concerned with Digital Product Delivery.
Core Assumptions:
- You are set up using some variation of the Spotify model (small teams).
- You follow an Agile approach where resources and time are fixed, and scope is the lever (flexible).
What We Mean by Success
When we discuss success, we mean success for everyone (the team, the group, and the enterprise). This may involve adopting practices that benefit the wider organisation, even if they don't seem to directly benefit your specific role.
Starting Point: The Digital Leadership Team (DLT)
The process begins with the Digital Leadership Team (DLT).
Let's assume three things about the DLT:
- They hold the budget for the coming year.
- They are accountable for the returns generated by that budget spending.
- They are focused on strategy and the big picture, not the technical details of design, build, or testing.
DLT Goals and Strategy
DLT goals are driven by enterprise strategy and almost exclusively focus on these four outcomes:
- Greater Revenue
- Lower Costs
- Improved Customer Satisfaction
- Risk and Compliance Control
To meet these goals, the DLT:
- Organises resources into the operating model (e.g., Spotify Model).
- Distills the enterprise strategy into a handful of high-level Initiatives each year.
- Allocates a portion of funding to each Initiative.
Key Interfaces Introduced
DLT Summary: As part of annual budget planning, the DLT refines Initiatives and passes them to the Digital Tribes, who are then expected to track milestones and costs in the Enterprise Planning Tool.
Progressive Elaboration by Product Management
The DLT governs several Digital Tribes. To maintain focus, they typically pass no more than five or six Initiatives to each Tribe.
Introducing the Roadmap
This is where the Product Managers (PMs) come in. PMs are the experts on their products and must refine the DLT's high-level Initiatives into smaller, sequential increments.
- The refinement is done using a Roadmap.
- The Roadmap is highly visible and uses a wall-and-card system (not a static document).
- Visibility is critical: It must connect reporting up to the DLT and refinement down to the Squads.
Roadmap Structure
Timing: This initial roadmap (the Roadmap of Intent) must be created by the Product Managers annually, before the year starts, and must be connected to DLT reporting.
Tracking: Delivery Management uses this roadmap to forecast resources and milestones in the Enterprise Planning Tool.
Cadence: Roadmaps are not fixed. The Tribe will meet regularly (normally fortnightly) to review, update, import new 'Oranges,' and update DLT commentary.
PM Summary: Product Managers detail how Initiatives will be met in increments across quarters on a visible Roadmap that connects DLT goals to Squad execution. Delivery Management uses this to manage forecasts in the Enterprise Planning Tool.
Progressive Elaboration by Squads - Intent
The Oranges on the left side of the Roadmap (due in the first quarter) are now taken to the Squads for further elaboration.
This work is often accelerated during a Quarterly Planning event, but PMs must ensure the intent of the 'Orange' is clearly documented.
Part 1: Breaking Down Oranges into Segments
The planning event is often split into two parts. The first part focuses on breaking the 'Orange' into its component parts, which we will call Segments (you may call them Features, Key Results (KRs), etc.).
- Segments are parts of the 'Orange' and collectively meet all of the 'Orange' outcomes.
- They are placed on an Integrated Plan that visually connects the Squads' work to the DLT's Initiatives.
- Dependencies between segments must be identified (including those for other Tribes/Squads).
Define Intent: Document the intent of each Segment.
Endorsement: High-level solutions are endorsed by the Tribe's technical and customer experience leads.
Alternative: If no quarterly event is held, a continuous Segment Intake Session can be used to manage this elaboration.
Intent Summary: The Squad leaders, with support from technical and experience experts, further split the first quarter's Orange into Segments ready for the Squads to plan the delivery.
Progressive Elaboration by Squads - Plan
The input for this stage is the clearly defined, endorsed Segments. This is often the second part of a Quarterly Planning event, but it can also be continuous.
The output is always the same: A Plan of what Segments the Squad's fixed capacity can deliver over the next 12 weeks.
Detailed Planning (Bytes)
To help with delivery certainty, Squads further elaborate Segments into smaller, plan-able units, which we will call Bytes(you may call them User Stories, Tasks, or Product Backlog Items).
- Bytes are what are planned and executed within Sprints, making the day-to-day operations very Scrum-like.
- The 12-week plan includes dependencies, risks, issues, and releases for the period.
Plan Summary: The Squads create a plan of Bytes, allowing them to forecast which Segments are achievable based on their capacity and historical pace. This plan is detailed on the Integrated Plan for the Tribe.
Tracking Cadences
Success requires constant communication and tracking at all levels of the organization.
DLT Tracking (End of Sprint Cycle)
To keep the DLT updated, the following must be maintained, ideally at least at the end of each sprint cycle:
Tribe Tracking (Mid-Sprint)
Daily Standup: Used to track risks and issues, involving Product Management, Delivery Management, and Tribe
Leads.Integrated Plan: Maintained through intake sessions to ensure Squads are supported and to hold off on new work until current work-in-progress is closed.
Squad Tracking (Sprint Cycle)
To maximize effectiveness, Squads should follow Scrum events and backlog practices:
Showcases: Held every Sprint to gain feedback from peers and leads.
Metrics: Measures of pace, frequency, and quality are shared at the end of Sprints to objectively qualify success and inform Retrospectives.
