Mik + One: The Official Project to Product Podcast by Dr. Mik Kersten

Joining Mik in this episode of Mik + One is Carol Houle, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Financial Services and Insurance at Atos. With over two decades of experience in building and renovating businesses seeking to focus on strategic digital transformations, Carol shares success stories and challenging lessons she has learned in her professional journey. Carol and Mik talk about the complexities of agile transformation, and the role that education can play in optimizing value streams.   Mik and Carol also have a transformative discussion about how the shift from project to product is actually a shift of mindset, and for a shift of mindset to occur acknowledgment from a higher place within individuals, and fundamentally within the organization, is crucial.  Key discussions include:   Carol’s background and history in the industry  Improving technology in the last decade  What is agile transformation?  How to measure improvement and maintain autonomy   The need for shifting mindsets and education  Special focus sessions for executives and how they can be utilized  The value of servant leadership and empowerment   Setting up systems that include feedback loops to create a sense of control  Instrumentation of business value to connect to your business strategy  Why digital transformation is the vehicle for building relationships Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review.  Follow Mik on Twitter:  @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne  www.tasktop.com  Additional Resources:  Connect with Carol  Portfolio SAFe  Dean Leffingwell on the Mik + One Podcast: Part 1, Part 2  MarTech  Dave West - podcast episode  Scrum Studio  Greenfield project  Skunkworks  Bimodal IT  Agile Release Train  Mik + One Podcast Episode 20: Justin Watts  For more information on Carol Houle, please visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/carol-houle/  

Joining Mik in this episode of Mik + One is Mark Fields, Senior Advisor to TPG Capital, a member of Planview's board of directors, and former CEO of Ford Motor Company. Mark has presided over three decades of strategic and digital transformations at global businesses and shares how he consistently succeeded with a focus on product. He discusses the value of possessing agility, a unified vision, and a rallying cry as a business to create a product that delivers more value and potentially diverts a company off more common value streams.  In this episode, Mik and Mark also discuss drive-by-wire and how a point of view on what the future is, creates a demand for businesses to create organizational structure that can support strategy. Key discussions include:  Early steps in Mark’s career Turning Mazda around in Japan Functional divides between business, technology, and operations Focusing on product is how you get customers Unifying vision and having a rallying cry in a business Turning products into platforms  Diverting off common platforms to deliver customer missions ECUs in vehicles and the cost AWS and Azure bills for organizations Ford’s Mach-E Digital companies Mark is on the board of and how he is helping them thrive Learnings and agility Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com Additional Resources: Connect with Mark Portfolio SAFe Dean Leffingwell on the Mik + One Podcast: Part 1, Part 2 MarTech Dave West - podcast episode Scrum Studio Greenfield project Skunkworks Bimodal IT Agile Release Train Mik + One Podcast Episode 20: Justin Watts For more information about Mark Fields and to view the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/mark-fields/

Joining Mik in this episode of Mik + One is Brendan Hopper, is the CIO for technology at Commonwealth Bank Group. He is responsible for ensuring the bank has a world leading IT engineering capability and is making the right technology investments and decisions. Brendan shares what drives his passion for driving innovation and flow at organizations and why technology should become an accelerator, not a disruptor for organizations and their customers.  In this episode, Mik and Brendan also discuss org structure and the core principle that to be evolutionary means focusing on small increments and not just major redesigns. Key discussions include:  Brendan’s professional journey in strategy and engineering How velocity can drive safety Building technology that real people delight in Creating a transformation network that is course correcting Lessons Brendan has learned in shifting from project to product  The need for feedback cycles in transformation Understanding data that bottlenecks at the value stream level and the organization level. Restoring and repairing organizational design Why org structure has to continually change Moving teams between value streams when roadmapping what is next What Brendan is focused on today Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com Additional Resources: Connect with Brendan Portfolio SAFe Dean Leffingwell on the Mik + One Podcast: Part 1, Part 2 MarTech Dave West - podcast episode Scrum Studio Greenfield project Skunkworks Bimodal IT Agile Release Train Mik + One Podcast Episode 20: Justin Watts For more information about Brendan Hopper and to view the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/brendan-hopper/

Joining Mik on this episode of Mik + One is Steve Berez, advisory partner at Bain & Company and co-author of Doing Agile Right, Transformation Without Chaos. In this episode, Mik and Steve discuss: Insights into Steve’s 30+ year journey developing Bain’s technology practice Real examples of implementing agile practices and how to do it right How to get buy-in from Finance teams and demonstrate the value of a capacity-based mindset Strategies organizations can take to realize Agile benefits more quickly How Doing Agile Right can improve the business technology dialogue Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com   Additional Resources: Connect with Steve Doing Agile Right Dean Leffingwell on the Mik + One Podcast: Part 1, Part 2   For more information about Steve Berez and to view the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/steve-berez/

In this episode of Mik + One, Mik is joined by Razat Gaurav, Chief Executive Officer at Planview.  In this episode, Mik and Razat discuss the trillion-dollar opportunity ahead to rebuild the future of how the enterprise works. Topics include: How new market realities will impact the way we think about transformations Designing foundational capabilities with resiliency in mind to maximize flow and unlock value Deep dive into the three “waves” that optimize software value streams The fundamental nature of operationalizing with learning cycles and feedback loops How Tasktop joining Planview will dramatically accelerate the ability to help the world's organizations survive and thrive in the age of software Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com For more information about Razat Gaurav and to view the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/razat-gaurav/  

Joining Mik in this episode of Mik + One is Sejal Amin, current Chief Product and Technology Officer for Khoros, where she leads global product development teams to build great experiences for customers. In this episode, Mik and Sejal discuss a wide range of topics around continuous improvement, team health, organizational design, and flow. Key discussions include: Lessons Sejal learned from making the shift from project to product and barriers to overcome when making that shift The importance of team culture and emphasizing the health of the team Strategies to accelerate and make lasting organizational changes that focus on outcomes; including an example of a structure and data-driven environment in which teams can thrive Proven tools that increase team performance to effectively work around data and flow Structuring a product and team hierarchy that is conducive to a successful project to product transformation that enables continuous learning, improvement and innovation Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com  

Joining Mik in this episode of Mik + One is Geordie Henderson, General Manager of AWS Messaging and Streaming at Amazon Web Services, and previously the VP of Engineering at Hootsuite. In this episode, Mik and Geordie share insights into organizational design and innovation to build, integrate and lead successful software organizations, as well as other key topics including: An overview of Geordie’s experience in scaling high-performing teams at Amazon Web Services and Hootsuite, and advice to leaders on the missteps to avoid Implementing the correct team structures and dynamics when optimizing flow for business outcomes How to successfully approach creating microservices teams and managing product needs The concept of Single Threader Owners (STOs) and the role of product and engineering leadership when organizing around products vs. technology Input versus output metrics and the importance of having set goals when evolving team structure Advice to leaders on creating the dynamic and structure required for driving innovation within the organization Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com For more information about Geordie Henderson and to view the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/geordie-henderson/

In this episode of Mik + One, Mik is joined by Darrell Fernandes, Head of Product Technology at TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services organization that is the leading provider of financial services in the academic, research, medical, cultural and governmental fields. In this episode, Mik and Darrell discuss themes around driving organizational improvement and customer value, as well as other topics including: The five key accountabilities that all IT product managers should consider when thinking about how an IT product fits within the market Insights into successfully building out Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) that align with the business outcomes and deliver customer value Organizing cross-functional Agile Release Trains (ARTs) as capabilities and guidance for building them into the business and technology roadmap Operationalizing at a business level and advice on educating leadership and business counterparts when getting buy-in Recognizing success and building incentives that strengthen how the teams operate to become more innovative, efficient and value-focused Advice on how to approach and introduce Flow within the organization to deliver greater business value   Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com For more information about Darrell Fernandes and to view the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/darrell-fernandes/

Joining Mik in this episode of Mik + One is Manuel Pais, co-author of Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow. In this episode, Mik and Manuel discuss some of the key themes in Team Topologies, as well as other topics including: Manuel's learnings and key tips on how to effectively manage team collaboration in the shift to remote-first and hybrid working The relationship between the ideas behind the Flow Framework and Team Topologies Advice on how to set up value streams to enable and improve team flow and capacity when delivering digital experiences Implementing a reorganization and advice to leaders on how to approach this, and why it’s important to understand, implement and evolve the team topology Treating platforms as products and the importance of investing in platform teams to manage cognitive load and provide greater value to customers Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com For more information about Manuel Pais and to view the full list of resources featured in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/manuel-pais/

To kick off the first episode of 2022, Mik is joined by two guests from Bank of New Zealand: Paul Littlefair, Chief Technology Officer, and BMK Lakshminarayanan, Value Stream Architect. In this episode, Mik, Paul and BMK delve into how Bank of New Zealand has been applying the shift from Project to Product and Flow Metrics, and other key topics including: Insight into how Bank of New Zealand’s transformation journey started, and the goals they first set out to achieve The importance of investing in continuous improvement, and rewarding for improvement and not just output Getting leadership buy-in, and why reporting the developer experience at the board level is crucial to enabling flow and visibility Introducing education around flow at all levels to create continuous learning across the organization, and insight into how Bank of New Zealand has executed this How tenacity, pivoting and starting today has brought a large enterprise organization like Bank of New Zealand on a great trajectory to getting things deployed, and how they’ve adapted their learnings at scale Subscribe to the Mik + One podcast today so you never miss an episode and don’t forget to leave your review. Follow Mik on Twitter: @mik_kersten #MikPlusOne www.tasktop.com For more information about Paul Littlefair and BMK Lakshminarayanan and to view the full list of resources featured in this episode, as well as download the transcript, visit: https://projecttoproduct.org/podcast/bank-of-new-zealand/