Reflection – Learning Launch (Module 4)

Challenge & Selection

The tool I am using is directly linked with principles of Agilty, to better learn through the ideation  and product development. This approach is more than important in our modern era, as  uncertainty is everywhere, everytime. It is not possible anymore to develop products using old  methodologies, and not learn from success and failures. I implemented agile principles and  learning principles with my customers, who don’t know from the very beginning their  requirememts, and have a very outdated culture of delivery, also sometimes very much “top- down”, assuming the leaders know everything. I particularly enjoyed using this approach when  I had to develop a new HR solution, initially when no survey was conducted, and when the  budget was no known. The stakeholders of the project had many ideas but had no feedback  about users and employees’ expectations. Implementing the learning process was a way to  make sure we could re-align the product anytime a valuable feedback was received.

Application

You know that “culture eats strategy for lunch”, or for breakfast. That is the rea challenge,  changing the culture of the company in order to make sure learning becomes a key concept  understood by everyone. I started by explaining these principles to the top management,  explaining how important not learning from the employees could cost a lost in the end of the  product development cycle. That was only mathematics, but it proved that the cost benefit  ratio was high. I basically explained that adjusting constantly the product, using learning,  could be much more costly than delivering without feedback (~ + 20%). When it was  understood, I started to apply the “Lean Startup” principles from Eric Ries. This very useful  book describes how we should loop as much as possible and implement in small  increments, it also details the importance of conducting surveys. It also emphasizes the  importance to work with motivated people who can agree to disagree constantly, without any  judgment. So basically, we implemented small increments, we conducted surveys and got as  much as possible feedbacks from end users and sponsors.

Insight & Approach

What I have learned from conducting this project was that culture is all, and that it could take  time to change the mindset of people working in a way for years. I also learnt that, even if  understood by the top management, the old habits come usually back. So, it was my  responsibility to constantly reaffirm the benefits of Learning through the development  lifecycle. In the end, we saved a lot of money and the users were glad we what we delivered.  The culture has changed slightly but enough, so the big lesson is that we will need to  continue delivering this way for months / years before the culture changes.

