Join Mik as he discusses the proven path of transitioning to a product-operating model. When it comes to increasing productivity, creating value, developing agility, and driving customer-centricity, there’s simply no better approach. Regardless of your starting point, Mik will share insights on just how far organizations have come in realizing the importance of such a paradigm shift.

The book Team Topologies points the way to profound changes for the operating model for organizations building and running software-enriched services. At the heart of Team Topologies is the principle of fast flow: multiple ongoing streams of changes to software-enriched services done safely and sustainably. By focusing on fast flow using Team Topologies patterns - especially decoupling and service-centricity - organizations can expect to see significant benefits, including: -Increased financial efficiency - typically $ millions per year -Increased end-to-end financial transparency -Shorter time-to-value -Better scaling ability without the slowdowns normally found with larger organizations -Marked improvements in detecting and meeting user needs (or customer needs) -Increased staff wellbeing and engagement (autonomy, mastery, purpose) -Greater overall organizational agility I n this talk, Matthew Skelton - CEO at Conflux and co-author of the book Team Topologies - explores some of the reasons why a focus on fast flow helps with much wider organizational and business goals, together with some of the key principles and practices that need to be part of everyday life in an organization that is set p for fast flow. Ultimately, using "fast flow" as a key organizing principle also results in more generalized business agility, mostly because we are encouraged to think about decoupling between separate "things" and the real value of what the organization provides. So although it is not the end goal, fast flow certainly helps significantly to help the organization to respond in a nimble manner.

Join Mara Puisite and Jeff Keyes for a compelling discussion on the 2024 State of the Industry Report, where they will reveal the critical findings on what drives better business outcomes at elite organizations - those defined by achieving their business goals more than 90% of the time. In an era defined by disruption, understanding how to adapt is essential for survival. From digital-native disruptors like Venmo and Tesla to established giants like Lego and Disney, successful companies are increasingly shifting their focus from traditional project models to a product-oriented operating approach. 

But what does it take to thrive in the Digital Age?

This webinar will explore:

• The key characteristics that set elite organizations apart from their lower-performing counterparts
• Eight common traits found in companies that excel in today’s competitive landscape
• The significant challenges that prevent organizations from fully adopting a product operating model

Drawing from extensive research involving insights from over 8,000 value streams, Mara and Jeff will provide actionable recommendations for leaders looking to enhance visibility, optimize workflows, and prioritize the human element in their organizations.

Mastering collaboration with Delivery Managers isn't always as intuitive as with the other pillars of the Product Trio (Engineering and User Design). However, unlocking the immense value they offer is crucial for Product Managers. By understanding their role and fostering better collaboration, Product Managers can leverage Delivery Managers to streamline processes and free up valuable time for focusing on the core aspects of product management. Let's explore how embracing this partnership can optimize efficiency and drive success in product development endeavors.

This session will guide you through the critical transition from project-based to product-centric approaches within PMOs. This presentation highlights how PMOs can evolve into powerful drivers of strategic outcomes by integrating strategy, execution, and realization into a cohesive process. Attendees will learn practical strategies for aligning their PMO operations with strategic goals, ensuring that every project contributes to sustained business value and successful strategy execution.

Your enterprise naturally evolves in response to changing needs… to a point. While effective for existing products, this organic change is insufficient for creating disruptive new products and business models. More intentional structural change is needed, but these changes also significantly disrupt your internal organization.

When establishing these new product value streams, you will face several critical decision windows that will make the ultimate difference between friction and flow. This talk highlights five specific moments where critical decisions and actions are needed when establishing new product value streams.

We conclude by showing how the validated learning later spreads and inspires the rest of the enterprise. Successfully navigating these decision points early in the product lifecycle allows you to introduce feedback-driven innovation, new enabling technologies, and improved ways of working. These in turn spread to improve the flow of value across your entire delivery ecosystem.

Key takeaways for attendees of this session:

• Placing bigger bets on new products will not flow within your existing organisational structures due to friction with existing operations
• Isolating new products is a powerful option, but requires intentional decisions at key points to be effective
• Effective new product value streams can generate new capabilities and learning that lift the entire enterprise

In this session we will talk about the corporate world’s efficiency obsession, and how it has caused us to lose track of what really matters when trying to deliver faster value to customers. How many times have you heard managers talk about unproductive people ? How about people who aren’t following the process? What about teams who take on too much WIP? The unfortunate side effect of these sorts of questions, is that individuals feel pressure to create local optimizations in order to make themselves feel productive. The truth is, even if individuals are highly productive and following the process, the majority of waste still occurs between the seams of individuals and teams. Just like Johnny Lee was searching for love in all the wrong places, we've been searching for flow in all the wrong places. Leave this session with a better understanding of how to answer the real question, "Where do we need to invest?"

Flow is a simple concept. As change agents we use lots of metaphors to introduce the flow concept in our corporate environment. But what happens when you actually initiate a wide-scale implementation of flow measurement in an enterprise software development organization? First, we learned at the pilot level with 10 teams. Then, we learned at an expanded level with 25 teams. And then we took the huge leap to introduce flow to 750 teams! At Vanguard, we are in the midst of a journey with flow thus far moving from pilot to program and next to product. This talk will trace the steps we took along the way, the strategies and tactics we applied, and the takeaways from a front-line flow coach. As we know, flow is a simple concept, right?

The essence of lean is to start where you are and grow from there, and the journey from project to product is necessarily a lean journey. However, to start where you are you must first know where you are, and knowing where you are requires having the language to understand and discuss where you are and how you are progressing. The difference between a project portfolio and a product portfolio fundamentally lies in how an organization perceives the relationships between structures, systems, and work, and through those relationships how the portfolio engages in its aspirations and obligations. We share several common stopovers along this journey of perception and relationship, and how those stopovers can orient and align the portfolio leadership team. The shared clarity both informs the next steps you can take to grow your portfolio, and helps align leaders so they can embark on the journey together.

Moving from a project-based to a product-centric approach is more than just a shift in terminology – it demands a fundamental transformation of your organizational DNA. Within the Consumer Group of Verizon, a Fortune 50 Company, a dedicated, multi-year journey has seen teams embrace agile methodologies and a product and platform-driven model at scale. This talk, drawing on Verizon’s own experiences, delves into the strategies, challenges and tangible steps for aligning your organization with your product vision.

1. Challenges of traditional organizations
2. Patterns of organization structures
3. Ways of working to adapt to Product culture 
4. How partners collaborate in building Products

Debojyoti delves into a customer-centric approach to product development. He illustrates how starting with the end user in mind and working backwards ensures products meet real customer needs and minimises risk of product failure. By prioritising customer feedback and insights, this technique helps shape product vision, features, and improvements keeping the launch effectiveness in check. Debojyoti emphasizes that this method drives innovation, enhances user satisfaction, and leads to successful product outcomes. He will present real life case studies from amazon product launches to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique.

In today's saturated markets, product teams are transitioning from user-centric to revenue-centric roles. Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategies are reshaping product development to align with business outcomes and drive revenue. Integrating AI amplifies these efforts, optimizing operations and facilitating data-driven decisions for sustained growth. Product teams now bridge the gap between IT and business, assuming strategic roles like Growth Product Managers and Chief Product Officers (CPOs). This evolution underscores their significance beyond IT functions, demanding a reimagining of roles and collaboration methods. AI integration enhances efficiency and decision-making, positioning product teams as vital contributors to organizational success. In the face of economic uncertainty, product teams are challenged to enhance efficiency while retaining talent. Upskilling becomes paramount, empowering teams to navigate technological advancements effectively. AI automation streamlines tasks, but tailored training ensures its seamless integration and maximizes its impact on productivity and innovation. As we embark on 2024, these trends offer a glimpse into the future of product development. By embracing AI, aligning with business objectives, and investing in strategic upskilling, organizations can navigate evolving landscapes and drive sustained growth. The journey ahead demands adaptability, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to excellence in product management.

This presentation delves into the questions and strategies essential for productizing professional services.

A few of the most frequently asked questions covered in this presentation are:

• How is product management different in services companies?
• How can we create a product management culture and organization?
• How can we monetize productized services?
• Who has done this successfully?