10 Matters for Delivering Better Results

If you’re working on improving your product development processes, keep the following 10 matters in mind. These are some of the key points I wrote about in my book Deliver Better Results.

Measure only what you need to make better decisions.
→ Be careful: every metric will influence behaviour in various ways, not all of them positive.

Empowerment (autonomy) exists within boundaries. Be explicit about the boundaries.
→ Otherwise, people will play it safe and assume the boundaries are smaller.

Collaboration is probably your most powerful tool for improving product outcomes.
→ It’s probably the least used, too.

Assumptions can kill your product.
→ Articulate, question, and validate the most impactful ones.

Limiting WIP is one of the most accessible levers for improving flow and productivity.
→ Many people find the productivity part counter-intuitive.

Flow of execution and delivery is important, but doing the right work is more important.
→ Don’t focus only on flow.

Estimates won’t mean much if the system’s variation isn’t under control.

The system of value delivery (not practices or individuals) is responsible for the results you get.
→ Instead of using band-aid solutions, improve the system.

Incremental changes are often more sustainable than sweeping transformations.

Practices alone won’t make you adaptive, agile, customer-driven, etc.
→ You also need the mindset that makes the practices work.

You might like to print this list and use it as a visual reminder 🙂