In line with agile ways of working, the Digital team at the University of Exeter is made up of Chapters. One of these is our Product Chapter, which works to solve real user problems in a way that meets the needs of the organisation by combining research, data, design, and technology. The Product Chapter is made up of Product Owners (PO’s), and they are responsible for the product vision and strategy which supports the University’s Digital Strategy, but most importantly for creating products that our users love to use.
Read this blog to hear what Rob, our Attendance Monitoring Product Owner, has learned so far in his first year as a PO.
Also take a look at this blog post to learn some handy Agile terminology definitions.
The Agile framework, particularly Scrum, champions the idea of initiating work promptly without drowning in exhaustive paperwork or overbearing project management. This methodology enables a squad (the name for a Scrum development team) to embark on delivering value while maintaining a keen focus on broader aspirations.
One year ago, I became a PO after a number of years working in digital transformation and change management. My first product is Attendance Monitoring, a system where students can record their attendance in timetabled teaching sessions to provide data both for institutional reporting and satisfactory student outcomes. To sum up, the past year has been simultaneously the most challenging and the most rewarding! Hereās a few things Iāve learned along the way.
- Deliver value and mitigate risks
A product like Attendance Monitoring would have an intimidating scope if we tried to deliver it for 30,000 student users with many different needs all at once, so weāve prioritised. In this specific example, the product is really focused on delivering high value to just one group, providing the foundations to build on for many users in the future. Next we broke down the product into smaller, more manageable parts that yield maximal value with minimal effort. This is the essence of agile product development. The benefit is we can manage risk. The challenge often lies in determining the next most impactful task to undertake, balancing value and effort and risk effectively. User research and our stakeholders help us do this.
2. Design Thinking and a user-centric approach
Living āuncomfortablyā with a problem is the first step towards uncovering its genuine solution. There is no perfect solution to Attendance Monitoring, so understanding the problem thoroughly before attempting a solution was paramount. Design thinking allows us to rapidly evaluate the core problems to solve and then supports how we balance the risk by testing our conclusions with rapid prototyping. The other advantage is both stakeholders and users (the students in this case) get the chance to validate the final solutions.
3. Harnessing the power of user research
User research is the linchpin that validates assumptions, defines the next steps, and drives product development. Itās the natural next step from design thinking. For Attendance Monitoring, weāve done multiple rounds of user research and this informs both immediate development needs but also clarifies future developments. This is not to be confused with functional testing; it’s about understanding the needs of users deeply and utilising that knowledge to build solutions that truly cater to their needs. Sometimes we get fantastic surprises too that inform the future product development.
4. Stakeholder engagement and understanding
Valuing stakeholders and their perspectives has been pivotal for Attendance Monitoring as they help ensure we are only working on the most valuable activities. For Attendance Monitoring it has been very valuable working with the business stakeholders to understand the lessons learned in the past and to seek wider business support for our product. Their inputs guide decisions and ensure alignment between the product vision and business objectives.
5. Embracing change and adaptation
The digital landscape is ever-evolving, making it imperative to recognise that what’s valuable today might not hold the same importance in the future. Hence, the product roadmap should remain flexible and adaptable to changing needs and trends. This is when delivering a product, rather than a project really shines as flexibility is key. If itās valuable and risks are low, do it, donāt wait! In Attendance Monitoring weāve been able to adapt the scope to either reduce work or adapt to mitigate risks.
6. Focus on outcomes, not just outputs
It’s easy to fall into the trap of making visible changes without addressing the root problems. Emphasising outcomes ensures that the changes made gradually (or significantly) improve the user experience and business outcomes when solving the problems users face. We donāt just make a cosmetic or low value change unless it leads to a better outcome.
7. Product vs. project mindset
Understanding the distinction between a product and a project is crucial. While a project has defined boundaries and constraints, a product exists as long as it continues to provide value to its customers, those could be the organisation (the business) or they could be the end users, or even both. It’s a continuous journey of evolution, not a one-time delivery.
8. Balancing user value vs organisational value
Agile methodology teaches that we should always be prioritising delivering value for our customers, but knowing who the customer is in the setting of the University is sometime a fuzzy area! Are our customers the students? Yes of course, but the University ābusinessā also must see value. In the case of the product Iāve been working on there is a regulatory need for the University to enable the students to use it. Compliance requirements mean that for the student to see value the University needs to see value first. The past year has shown me there always needs to be a balance, for example improving usability of the product for students at the same time as improving reporting for the institution.
In essence, being a Product Owner involves a delicate balance between progress and practical execution. It’s a journey of constant learning about the needs of stakeholders and users, adapting to change, and ultimately, crafting solutions that genuinely make a difference. This amalgamation of agile methodologies, user-centricity, and managing change is something that can be applied almost to anything.
– Written by Rob Court, Product Owner for Digital
Visit our website to learn about the other products and services we provide, and get in touch with the team to learn more.