Business Agility - A Cargo Cult of Innovation

A CARGO CULT OF INNOVATION ThoughtWorks Atlanta — 24 August 2016

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HELLO!

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POST HOC, ERGO PROPTER HOC after this, therefore because of this

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INNOVATION

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YOU AREN’T STEVE JOBS, AND YOUR COMPANY ISN’T APPLE.

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INNOVATION IS A TERRIBLE GOAL

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UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS YOU REALLY WANT AND WHY

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WORK TOWARD YOUR FIRST PRINCIPLES

data —> insight —> beliefs —> bets

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MAKE BETS AGAINST BELIEFS; UPDATE BELIEFS

data —> insight —> beliefs —> bets

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THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

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THE LONG, HARD, STUPID WAY

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MAKE BETS WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE ODDS

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LISTEN TO YOUR DAMN CUSTOMERS

data —> insight —> beliefs —> bets

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EXPERIMENTATION STILL NEEDS A PLAN, AND A VISION

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MAKE SMALL BETS DON’T EXPECT SUCCESS KILL RUTHLESSLY

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REMEMBER THAT IDEAS ARE CHEAP

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LET YOUR TEAMS SOLVE PROBLEMS, NOT DO TASKS

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EASIER SAID THAN DONE

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IF YOUR CULTURE DOESN’T ALLOW FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, GET AWAY FROM YOUR CULTURE.

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YOU CAN GET HELP, BUT YOU MUST ULTIMATELY DO THIS FOR YOURSELF

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STOP LOOKING FOR SILVER BULLETS

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THESE ARE LEAD BULLET PROBLEMS

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THANKS.

Coleman Collins ccollins@thoughtworks.com