The visible part
Discovery
- Less waste
- Focus on risks
- Fast learning
- Testing ideas
New
Accelerator
Where does your product organisation lose oxygen?
We look at how your whole organisation delivers value, using the Oxygen model. First the system, then the skills.
The story of every product organisation
“We have completed our agile transformation, but we don't see the results.”
Then the question comes: how do I help my Product Managers get to grips with their role? And what does our product actually revolve around?
A different perspective
Product thinking shifts the focus
Vision, value, validation
Charters, plans, milestones
A clear product vision, maximum value, continuous validation. No project charters, no plans built around time, budget and scope.
Real product teams
Feature teams
Teams that solve problems, discover and deliver, and are responsible for the results. Not teams that please the business and deliver as much as possible, without a product strategy.
The product management vacuum
More project focus
Many organisations fill it with more project focus. When did you last remove a feature? Are you in love with building solutions, or with solving problems?
Based on Marty Cagan: responsibility instead of unguided autonomy, and a radical customer focus.
Oxygen model
Six areas, one question: where are you missing oxygen?
A product organisation needs oxygen in all six areas, and from the product role alone they are hard to influence. This is the lens we use.
The visible part
Delivery
- Small releases
- Business metrics
- Ops metrics
- Everything automated
The visible part
Technology
- Modern and maintainable
- Modular and scalable
- Low complexity
- Loose coupling
The invisible part
Strategy
- Informed by insight
- Clear and known
- Considered choices
- Laser focus
The invisible part
Values
- Driven by principles
- Trust
- Innovation
- Curiosity
The invisible part
Autonomy
- Solving problems
- Customer outcomes
- Ownership and responsibility
- Collaborating as a team
Above you see the work. Below sits what carries it.
Where do you stand?
From heroes to product management
Rockstars in an organisation at level 1 don't last long. The system limits what one person can do.
1
Heroes
Optimising for productivity and speed
Craftsmanship leans on heroes. Results are a lottery. The culture is ad hoc and focused on output.
Output / cost
2
Teams
Optimising for quality
Fewer heroes, more teams. Stable results, some feedback loops on KPIs. The question becomes: are we doing the right things?
Value / cost
3
Process
Optimising for agility
Craftsmanship is a process, even when things go wrong. Reliable results. A mostly agile culture, focused on dealing with uncertainty.
Change / time
4
Product Management
Optimising for impact
Mature Product Managers steer the product and get the organisation behind them. Organic growth. Product is central to the culture.
Growth / time
Approach
Eight steps, from kick-off to multiple products
Timings are indicative and depend largely on the size and scope of your organisation.
Kick-off and scan
01
Kick-off
1 day
Agree the scope and identify stakeholders and navigators.
02
Scan
4 to 8 weeks
Assess and benchmark the six areas, with a report.
Onboard and first team
03
Onboard
Train directors and leaders. Build tools for change together and define the products.
04
First team
As soon as the scan gives you insight
Set up metrics, teams, infrastructure, value and validation, in about 8 weeks and usually alongside the rest of the scan.
Learning and growing
05
Learning Journeys
Learning in the group
For product leaders, and for teams and coaches where needed. The scan shows where.
06
Co-pilot
Guiding on the job
Walking alongside the product leader and facilitating workshops, for a safe journey.
07
Observe
Following over time
A personal growth path, so the improvement continues.
08
Expand the portfolio
Scaling up
Bringing the next products into the journey.
First the system, then the muscles. The scan shows where a Learning Journey is needed.
View the Learning Journey →The scan
What happens in the first weeks
01
Kick-off
Align and collect. We decide on change pilots and how often we sync, agree the scope and who belongs in it, and collect the org chart, team structures, vision, roadmaps, backlogs, metrics and job profiles.
02
Scan
The six areas. Online questionnaires, interviews with key people and observation of teams at work, for example during refinement and planning. Each area ends up at one of the four levels.
03
Report
Where you stand and what comes next. Per area with the evidence, a closing workshop on what to improve first, and the plan for the next phase.
The scan has a fixed price. After that we work by the hour or per Learning Journey, depending on the size of your organisation.
Call usProof
The first organisations
VWE and Zorgweb are the first organisations to use the Accelerator. Their case study follows.
Trainers
Who works alongside you
Questions
How does it start?
With a one-day kick-off and a scan of four to eight weeks. As soon as the scan gives you insight, the first team starts. The scan ends with a report, a workshop on what you improve first and a plan for the next step.
Do we have to tackle everything at once?
No. The Oxygen model shows where to begin. The organisation grows one area at a time, with the first team as a flywheel.
How is this different from a Learning Journey?
A Learning Journey trains the people. The Accelerator works on the system around them. The scan shows where a journey is needed.
What do we get after the scan?
For each area, where you stand and the evidence behind it. A workshop on what to improve first. And a plan for the next phase.
Start with a conversation and a scan.
Tell us where it hurts. Then we'll see together whether the scan helps.
