Jeff Patton AgileProductDesign.com

Jeff Patton jpatton@acm.org AgileProductDesign.com
The Scrum Product Owner Practice Surviving the Agile rollercoaster as part of a product owner team Jeff Patton AgileProductDesign.com

PEOPLE Learn Skills in a 3-stage Progression:
Follow / Break Away / Achieve Fluency Level 1: following ( shu ) Learn “a technique that works” (Success = following the technique) Level 2: breaking away ( ha ) Learn limits of the technique Learn to shift between techniques Level 3: fluent ( ri ) Shift techniques at any moment Possibly unable to describe the shifts We will use this progression throughout the course. Slide 3 Alistair Cockburn 2005-6 © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Today I’ll cover 3 areas 1. Models to help us understand product design 2. Practice that supports product design 3. Product design practice in the Scrum Product Owner team

Before we start, on a bit of paper, or in a notebook, write down your biggest, most burning question regarding: Scrum, Agile Development, the Product Owner Role, or life in general.

By “Design” I mean the decisions we make regarding the software solution we choose to build.
“The hardest single part of building a software system is deciding precisely what to build.” -- Fred Brooks In his 1987 essay “No Silver Bullet” "A requirement is a relationship to a decision: If you get to make or change the decision, it's design to you; if you don't get to make or change that decision, it's a requirement to you." -- Alistair Cockburn © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Garrett’s Elements of User Experience Model describes a series of dependent decisions.

Software user experience is built from dependent layers
Jesse James Garrett’s Elements of User Experience: © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

The surface layer describes finished visual design aspects
Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

The skeleton describes screen layout and functional compartments in the screen
Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Structure defines navigation from place to place in the user interface
Surface task panes Skeleton Structure modal dialogs Scope modal wizards Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

The “places” in the user interface are built to support user-task-centric scope
user tasks: enter numbers enter text enter formulas format cells sort information filter information aggregate information graph data save data import data export data print ….. Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Business goals drive user constituencies choices and contexts supported to form strategy
displace competitive products motivate sale of other integrated products establish file format as default information sharing format … user constituencies: accountant business planner housewife usage contexts: office desktop laptop on airplane pda in car Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Garret’s Elements of UX stack can apply to the user experience of other complex products
These layers of concern apply not only to software but a variety of products. In particular, products that support a wide variety of user tasks benefit from this kind of thinking. © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Let’s look at the strategy for a product we all use: the place we live
goals: live comfortably eat well stay clean be healthy keep up with Jones’s … user constituencies: me spouse child usage contexts: suburban neighborhood near good schools near shopping Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

What might I, and my other user constituencies, do to reach our goals?
user tasks: store food prepare food eat food sleep bathe store changes of clothing stay out of rain entertain guests entertain self … Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy
Arranging tasks by affinity allows me to think about contexts that best support tasks. Contexts in a home have common names we all know. Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy
When designing a particular interaction context such as a “kitchen,” I optimize layout and tool choices to support tasks I’ll do there Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

“I’m going to spend a lot of time here, I want my experience to be as pleasant as possible…”
Surface Skeleton Structure Scope Strategy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Underneath Garrett’s model is a simple 3 layer model

Norman’s simple model for a human in pursuit of a goal
problem or goal How I’d like to feel, or what I’d like to achieve goal evaluation is my goal met or problem resolved? take some action action evaluation did that action deliver that results I expected? the world information and tools © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Distilling this down to goals, tasks, and tools
problem or goal How I’d like to feel, or what I’d like to achieve goal take some action action evaluation did that action deliver that results I expected? goal evaluation is my goal met or problem resolved? task the world information and tools tool © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

goals tasks features tools
Software contains features that support a number of tasks and a number of goals goals tasks software features tools © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

One last model looks at a design process that alternates between problem analysis and solution definition

Design alternates between analyzing the problem context and exploring possible solutions
task analysis (how do users achieve goals today?) user modeling user research user story writing problem analysis user interface design solution definition user scenario writing Incremental release planning business problems & goals analysis task design (how might users better reach goals?) time Often, design starts with a candidate solution in mind. Exploring the problem helps validate the solution. As time passes, problem analysis activities are replaced by solution definition activities. © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Now let’s look at practices that a product owner users to move from problem analysis through to solution definition

Let’s look at a few of many possible product owner team practices
Facilitated collaborative work Modeling business objectives Modeling Users Modeling workflow as user stories: User Story Mapping Paper prototyping and usability testing Planning & road-mapping © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Collaborative centers around model building
[a model is] a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed - Merriam-Webster on-line A goal of a model isn’t completeness or accuracy, but communication For our purposes: a model is any visual representation of our current understanding of a concept We’ll build models to understand our problem context, and explore solutions © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Often when we verbally discuss ideas, we may incorrectly believe we have the same understanding
© Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Representing our ideas as models allows us to detect inconsistencies in our understanding

Through discussion and iterative model building we arrive at a stronger shared understanding

Using that common understanding we can work together toward shared objectives

Low fidelity card models are used to facilitate discussions and build common understanding
Common model forms include: Affinity diagrams Chronological models Decompositions Ad hoc charts Mix and match as you see fit © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Collaborative modeling looks like this

Collaborative modeling sessions follow a simple, repeatable structure
Use Collaborative Modeling Sessions to: Build up tacit shared knowledge within the team Build communication and collaboration skills within the team Help the team to gel as an affective workgroup Prepare Write a short statement to set goals and scope for the session Identify participants – 4-8 is ideal Fill These Roles: Information Suppliers Information Acquirers Information Modelers Facilitator Documenter Schedule & set up work session facility Perform Kickoff with goals and scope Get information figuratively and literally on the table using brainstorming or discussion Model the information to clarify, add details, distill details, and understand relationships Close by summarizing the results, on camera if possible 1 2 3 5 (40) Document & Communicate Capture model with photo and/or movie Document as necessary Post in publicly accessible place Display as a poster © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Business objectives describes why we’d choose to buy or build the software

Look for benefit to the buyer or builder of the software
For software built for internal use: Save money Increase efficiency Solve problems that are costing money or decreasing efficiency Improve customer satisfaction Generate revenue by supporting or improving service offerings For software built for commercial sale: Generate revenue through sale Improve/expand market share Open new markets The IRACIS* mnemonic helps us remember to look for business benefit that will Increase Revenue Avoid Cost Increase Service * Gane & Sarson’s IRACIS model, 1977 © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Express goals as business problems or business outcomes
When asking for business goals look for expressions of business problems or desired outcomes Express goals as business problems or business outcomes It’s tempting for business stakeholders or users to describe their proposed solution as a goal Solution-centric goal: “I’d like a cost effective ski parka” Problem-centric goal: “I’d like to stay warm and dry while skiing” Use root cause analysis to get behind solutions to goals and problems Toyota’s “5 whys” describes root cause analysis Poking it with “the why stick” is often what my colleagues say © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

If we were making progress toward this goal, how would we know?
Use a Goal Question Metric approach to identify appropriate goal metrics Leverage a simple approach from the GQM methodology Identify and prioritize goals Question each goal: If we were making progress toward this goal, how would we know? What would change in the business as a result of reaching this goal? Use answers to these questions to identify metrics for goals Metrics help quantify ROI Metrics helps justify ongoing development expense The desire to track metrics often generate important product features © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Good business objectives help validate prospective solutions
A good set of business objectives help us validate the solutions we choose to construct A good set of business objectives are: short: a single page or slide prioritized measurable © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Common models such as actors, roles, profiles, & personas describe users
On-line Shopper: browse and purchase merchandise on line Customer Support Rep: aid customers over the phone and on line with issues Actor & Goal Often a job title or the common name for the type of user in a system User Role Short name describing a user in pursuit of a goal – users change roles as their goals change User Profile Adding summary information about the types of users who fill a role or perform as an actor begins a process of “profiling” Persona Choosing specific characteristics of a person and compiling those into a archetypal description of that person creates a strong design target © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Casual Browser: pass time by browsing products online Comparison Shopper: compare price and features for items I wish to buy Gift Shopper: find a gift for someone that likes the types of products this website sells Impatient Buyer: find what I need and get through the checkout process quickly Actor & Goal Often a job title or the common name for the type of user in a system User Role Short name describing a user in pursuit of a goal – users change roles as their goals change User Profile Adding summary information about the types of users who fill a role or perform as an actor begins a process of “profiling” Persona Choosing specific characteristics of a person and compiling those into a archetypal description of that person creates a strong design target © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Web Shoppers Users: 50,000 customer visit this sporting goods website monthly Activities: browsing, price comparing, gift shopping, handling returns Computer Skills: vary wildly from first time users to expert – although moderate computer skills are typical Domain expertise: typical customers are avid outdoor enthusiasts… Actor & Goal Often a job title or the common name for the type of user in a system User Role Short name describing a user in pursuit of a goal – users change roles as their goals change User Profile Adding summary information about the types of users who fill a role or perform as an actor begins a process of “profiling” Persona Choosing specific characteristics of a person and compiling those into a archetypal description of that person creates a strong design target © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Steve races mountain bikes competitively. He shops the web on a regular basis to keep abreast of new equipment releases on the market, and to make sure he has the best equipment he can afford. He’s used computers for years and considers himself an expert user. He maintains his own website and blogs about his races and upcoming schedule. Steve relies on reviews from his peers to judge the quality of equipment. He often writes reviews of his own for stuff he’s tried out. Actor & Goal Often a job title or the common name for the type of user in a system User Role Short name describing a user in pursuit of a goal – users change roles as their goals change User Profile Adding summary information about the types of users who fill a role or perform as an actor begins a process of “profiling” Persona Choosing specific characteristics of a person and compiling those into a archetypal description of that person creates a strong design target Steve Powell competitive mountain biker “I’m looking for stuff that’ll help me stay ahead of the pack” © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Software products support a variety of users and their goals.
tasks software features © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

In organizations where users are paid to use the software, user goals are driven by business goals
tasks All these goals mean lots of tasks, and lots of potential features in our software software features © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Document these as design imperatives. Think about:
Design imperatives describe good characteristics the software should have based on the user type Inside your user model are clues about the type of user interface and user interface characteristics needed by your user. Document these as design imperatives. Think about: ease of learning retention of learning efficiency of interaction reliability of interaction user satisfaction user convenience necessity for proficiency importance of accuracy © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

A good user model helps:
A good user model helps us identify functional scope and necessary characteristics of the software A good user model helps: identify functional scope identify necessary characteristics of the software stakeholders understand and empathize with target users validate proposed software solutions An effective user model is prioritized to help rule out unnecessary functional scope and design imperatives © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Draw a left to right axis representing time
Use simplified workflow models to organize user tasks and represent workflow – this is a Story Map Fill in task details such as business rules or possible features that satisfy the tasks below each task. Identify high level activities performed by users of the system and place them above the time axis in the order that seams reasonable Within each activity, organize tasks in the order they’re most likely completed. There’s likely variation in how they’re completed – so arrange them in a typical order. If you had to explain the process to someone, arrange them in the order you’d tell the story. Draw a left to right axis representing time Activity 1 time Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Task 5 Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

A good User Story as used in Scrum and other Agile approaches describes the use of the system
The user story form considered “best practice” in Scrum references your user model and user goals. As a [type of user] I want to [perform some task] so that I can [achieve some goal] As a harried shopper I want to locate a CD in the store so that I can purchase it quickly, leave, and continue with my day. © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

fill in feature-centric stories till later
In practice user stories may be written to describe user tasks or the tools that support them software tasks features goals start with task-centric user stories early in product discussion and modeling fill in feature-centric stories till later More task-centric: As a harried shopper I want to locate a specific CD in the store user story More tool-centric: As a harried shopper I want to enter a CD title into the search box and initiate a product search © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Building a workflow model helps facilitate discussion – but requires a bit of space

Workflow or a reasonable sized system can fill a room

Discussions in front of workflow models are more productive

Build paper prototypes from repositionable components

Test paper prototypes to determine if they’re usable

Finished prototypes are pieced together from moveable and removable paper components

Build navigation maps and storyboards to communicate UI design

Draw a vertical axis to represent necessity
Prioritize task details by necessity to help visualize layers of functionality across the business process Draw a vertical axis to represent necessity Activity 1 time Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4 Task 5 necessity Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) Task Detail (Story) © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Identify releases in spans of coherent functionality
activity 1 activity 2 activity 3 activity 4 time necessary first release less optional second release optionality more optional third release Choose coherent groups of features that consider the span of business functionality and user activities. Support all necessary activities with the first release Improve activity support with subsequent releases © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Distill your release plan into a roadmap
A roadmap serves to clearly communicate release level objectives to stakeholders For each incremental release: Give the release a name or simple statement describing it’s purpose Write a short sentence or two describing what value the business gets from the release Write a short sentence or two describing what value the users get from the release EasyPOS Point of Sale Software Business: replaces gets rid of old manual cash registers and gets accurate up the minute sales information across locations Release 1: Replace the cash register Users: Cashiers get an easier to use cash register that helps them make less mistakes, correct them when they do, and save time balancing cash drawers every night. © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Where to do all those practices fit in a typical Scrum lifecycle?

The simple Scrum snowman process model

But, it’s commonly understood the snowman is missing a couple balls… Or, that it takes a taller snowman to model product concerns

Parallel Track Development Separates Design and Evaluation Into One Track, Building Into Another
Product Owner Team Composition Business Analysts Interaction Designers Prototypers Responsibilities Gather customer input for features to be implemented in later iterations Design next iteration features Be available to answer questions on current iteration development Test features implemented in the previous iteration Development team Composition Smaller number of seasoned developers UI development skills & analysis skills Responsibilities Implement features for current iteration Collaborate with Product Owner team to acquire details to construct software design & plan build evaluate © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Design and Coded Features Pass Back and Forth Between Tracks
Sprint 0 Sprint 1 Sprint 2 Sprint 3 Product Owner Team planning data gathering design for iteration 1 features – high technical requirements, low user requirements gather user input for iteration 3 features design iteration 2 features support iteration 1 development gather user input for iteration 4 features design iteration 3 features support iteration 2 development validate iteration 1 features gather user input for iteration 5 features design iteration 4 features support iteration 3 development validate iteration 2 features coded features feature design feature design + bugs found in usability testing Development Team development environment setup architectural “spikes” implement iteration 1 features implement iteration 2 features fix iteration 1 bugs if any implement iteration 3 features fix iteration 2 bugs if any time © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

The product owner team steers development
The product owner team must: Understand layers of dependent decisions that lead to stories in a backlog Identify stories to meet release level business objectives Defer decomposing and detailing stories until necessary Re-prioritize and create new stories to allow business objectives to be met within time and budget constraints Business objectives and user objectives are targets – user stories are the tools that help you reach them © Jeff Patton, All rights reserved,

Jeff Patton jpatton@acm.org AgileProductDesign.com
The Scrum Product Owner Practice Surviving the Agile rollercoaster as part of a product owner team Jeff Patton AgileProductDesign.com

Jeff Patton AgileProductDesign.com

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