Gabrielle Benefield, inventor of the Mobius loop, discusses the importance of outcome-focused delivery and improving decision speed. They explore why organizations struggle with focusing on outcomes, the problem with contracts, and how to implement an experimental approach. They also highlight the challenges of agile implementation and the need to measure outcomes rather than just delivering features.
Focusing on outcomes instead of outputs is crucial in product development, as it allows teams to deliver value to customers and align efforts with desired outcomes.
Creating an environment that supports desired outcomes through designing systems and processes that make it easy to do the right thing fosters collaboration, simplicity, and user-friendliness.
The Mobius Loop framework, consisting of discover, decide, and deliver stages, offers a scalable and adaptable approach to product development, allowing for continuous learning and optimization.
Deep dives
Focus on Outcomes over Outputs
Gabrielle Benafield emphasizes the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than outputs in product development. By defining the problem, identifying who it is for, and determining how success will be measured, teams can shift their focus towards delivering value to customers and aligning their efforts with desired outcomes.
Making it Easy to Do the Right Thing
Gabrielle highlights the importance of designing systems and processes that make it easy for people to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing. By creating an environment that supports and encourages the desired outcomes, teams can foster collaboration, simplicity, and user-friendliness.
The Mobius Loop Framework
The Mobius Loop framework, developed by Gabrielle Benafield, offers a simple structure for approaching product development. The loop consists of three parts: discover, decide, deliver. Teams start by understanding the problem, defining measurable outcomes, and generating options. The focus then shifts to rapid experimentation and delivering value to customers. Throughout the process, teams continuously measure outcomes and adapt their approach based on feedback.
Scalability and Adaptability
The Mobius Loop framework is highly scalable and adaptable. It can be applied to small projects as well as large-scale initiatives involving multiple teams. By embracing a fractal approach, teams can shift their focus from the deliver what stage to the discover and decide stages when necessary. This flexibility allows for continuous learning, experimentation, and optimization.
Overcoming Organizational Challenges
Implementing an outcome-focused approach may face resistance due to organizational cultures that prioritize outputs and traditional ways of working. Gabrielle emphasizes the need to address political challenges and align incentives with the desired outcomes. By changing how contracts are structured, promoting collaboration, and measuring outcomes, organizations can overcome these challenges and drive innovation.
Join Murray Robinson and Shane Gibson as they as they chat with Gabrielle Benefield, the inventor of the Mobius loop, an outcome focused delivery framework. Gabrielle shares her journey in agile product development from Silicon valley to Yahoo. And the importance of focusing on outcomes of outputs and improving decision speed. We discuss why organisations don't focus on outcomes, the problem with contracts and scaling an outcome based approach. And finally, we talk about how you can use an experimental approach to bring an outcome driven, focus to your organisation.
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