Process for a product team can be suffocating, or process can be liberating. And no process at all? Well that’s fun for maybe a week or two before everything starts to fall apart. Interesting read by Brian Donohue from intercom.com.
Their goal was to arrive at the minimal process that gives teams a framework to plan and structure their time, and most importantly, to prioritise and make the best tradeoffs.
Previously, they thought about building product over three timelines –- 6 weeks, 6 months and 6 years (catchily referred to as the “666 mindset”).
You should be releasing product the whole way through a cycle.
The article then explains:
- Why the 6 month timeframe didn’t work
- 6 week cycles are about execution
- Goals, not plans
- Accountability matters
- They’re not delivery cycles
- 6 weeks is the Goldilocks of timeframes – just right
Interesting how their planning and commitment timeframe is 6 weeks, but they don’t use that to artificially constrain projects. One project might be designed, built, and released in just a couple weeks, while others will span across a couple of cycles. You should be releasing product the whole way through a cycle. Sweet!
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