The Accountability Problem
21 hours ago
- #Accountability
- #Agile
- #Software Development
- The keynote discusses 'The Accountability Problem' in software development, emphasizing the need for software departments to define their own accountability to prevent business partners from imposing unrealistic expectations.
- The speaker highlights the importance of understanding biases and how they distort perceptions of software development, comparing it to medieval interpretations of elephants based on limited knowledge.
- Software development is portrayed as a process of discovery and coordination, not just coding, contrary to common misconceptions influenced by media portrayals and school projects.
- The concept of 'Product Bets' is introduced as a strategic approach to accountability, focusing on business outcomes rather than feature delivery dates. Each bet includes a business outcome, a high-level means to achieve it, a sponsor, estimated value, and a maximum wager.
- The speaker shares personal experiences from OpenSesame, where implementing Product Bets shifted the conversation from features and dates to value and outcomes, though it required significant effort and leadership buy-in.
- The importance of trust and demonstrating accountability through actions, such as reducing 'muda' (waste) and improving forecasting accuracy, is underscored as critical for changing organizational perceptions.
- The talk concludes with the idea that software development, though a 'foreign country' to the rest of the business, can become a trusted partner by focusing on results and new opportunities, similar to other departments.