Serverless Craic from The Serverless Edge

Send us a textWelcome to the latest episode of Serverless Craic! 🎙️ Today, we're diving back into our series on The Value Flywheel Effect, focusing on Chapter 6: "Obsess Over Time to Value." Join us as we explore the significance of delivering value quickly and efficiently in tech organisations. We discuss the concept of "Time to Value" over "Time to Market," reflecting on how innovation labs and agile structures can help companies pivot, react, and respond to both threats and opportunities.In this episode, we touch on key topics like:- The importance of creating a feedback loop to see real user value- The challenges of organisational inertia and how it can inhibit innovation- Real-life examples of experimentation and pivoting, including building "trap doors" to validate product assumptions- The role of situational awareness in overcoming barriers to changeWe also delve into how high-performing teams can increase an organisation’s "rate of turn," making it more adaptable in a rapidly evolving market. Whether you're dealing with big projects or experimenting with new technologies, empowering teams to focus on value, rather than just speed, can transform your business outcomes.If you enjoyed this discussion, don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share. Serverless Craic from The Serverless EdgeCheck out our book The Value Flywheel Effect Follow us on X @ServerlessEdgeFollow us on LinkedIn Subscribe on YouTube

Send us a textThis episode centres on Chapter Five of the book "The Value Flywheel Effect," focusing on the North Star framework. We explain how this framework helps teams align their work with a clear, meaningful metric (North Star) and its related leading and lagging metrics.  North Star Framework OverviewWe explain the North Star framework, emphasising its use in helping teams coalesce behind a mission or purpose with a visual, collaborative tool. And the importance of leading metrics and lagging metrics, explaining how the North Star framework helps teams reverse engineer leading metrics from lagging ones.Application of North Star FrameworkWe look at the usefulness of the North Star framework at both the small startup level and the enterprise level, where it helps link lead measures back to overall business impact.The North Star framework is powerful for team and individual morale by making work meaningful and aligning it with organisational objectives.We reference Dan Pink's "mastery, autonomy, sense of purpose" to emphasise the importance of knowing what you are doing and why.The North Star framework is complementary to mapping for strategy, helping to narrow down on value and focus conversations.Challenges and Benefits of North Star FrameworkIt is valuable to ask teams about their metrics and how their work influences them, leading to valuable conversations about measurement and alignment.We look at the importance of measurement, referencing Grace Hopper's quote about the power of accurate measurement.Having data and clear alignment to organisational strategy helps teams advocate for change more effectively.The North Star framework can sometimes reveal that teams are not aligned or that the overall strategy is flawed, likening it to the emperor's new clothes.Connecting North Star to Business ValueA structured North Star often reveals disconnects in the work being done and its impact on business value, serving as a corrective measure.We compare the North Star framework to impact mapping, both helping to create a compelling narrative and understand the story of what the team is working on.It is challenging to craft the North Star for behind-the-scenes teams, but the framework helps align value delivery with business goals.We discuss Amazon's working backwards process and its similarities with the North Star framework, emphasising the importance of understanding the customer's need and working backwards from there.Critical Thinking and LeadershipThese frameworks are enablers of critical thinking, challenging teams and organizations to question their assumptions and goals.North Star metrics and key input metrics make it easier to write a compelling press release that aligns with the company's strategy.Clarity of purpose is the foundation of everything, requiring leadership and courage to implement.Serverless Craic from The Serverless EdgeCheck out our book The Value Flywheel Effect Follow us on X @ServerlessEdgeFollow us on LinkedIn Subscribe on YouTube

Send us a textIn this insightful discussion, we explore mapping techniques from Chapter 3 of our book The Value Flywheel Effect and their applications in organisations. Key topics include:Anatomy of a Worldly Map: Breaking down the components of a map, including visible, aware, and invisible items in the value chain.Mapping Teams and Tech Stacks: How mapping helps in identifying team roles and modernising technology stacks.Starting with Maps and Collaboration: Tips for overcoming the blank canvas fear and leveraging tools like GitHub's "Awesome Worldly Maps" and VS Code extensions for map annotations.Open Space Collaboration: The value of engaging everyone in discussions and validating inputs.Mapping the Stack, Organisation, and Market: Using mapping for situational awareness, aligning teams with core domains, and understanding market dynamics to respond effectively to opportunities and threats.This conversation provides practical insights into using mapping for better organizational awareness and strategic decision-making.- Learn more about The ServerlessEdge - see link below- Explore GitHub's Awesome Worldly Maps for useful mapping tools.Don't miss this deep dive into mapping strategies to enhance your organisation’s situational awareness and tech evolution!Serverless Craic from The Serverless EdgeCheck out our book The Value Flywheel Effect Follow us on X @ServerlessEdgeFollow us on LinkedIn Subscribe on YouTube

Send us a textWardley mapping is a strategic tool to visualise the evolution of products or services. The two axes of a Wardley Map are visibility and evolutionary stage. Products and technologies evolve through four stages: Genesis, Custom build, Product or rental, and Commodity or utility. Understanding context and phase of adoption is crucial in the business world, especially with AI and LLMs. Identifying and moving commodities versus custom-built solutions is important, and optimizing organizational structure for autonomy involves concepts like movement, time planning, and sub-maps. We explain the anatomy of a Wardley map, starting with the anchor (customer) and emphasising the importance of understanding the map's axis and how space and position have meaning.Evolution of technology from Genesis to Commodity, with stages of Custom Build and Product.Product evolution from Genesis to Custom, Commodity, and ubiquity, tailored to specific contexts.We explain the evolution of products through usage and competition and product evolution is context-dependent.Leveraging AI and LLMs in business contexts.We highlight the varying perceptions of LLM and Gen AI across different contexts and note that DBT is marketed as a product or consumer depending on the context. We discuss the importance of understanding user needs and dependencies in designing a successful product.Mapping components to move from custom-built to commodity products.We look at the importance of mapping components to move a business forward and identify inertia as a challenge in moving components, and discuss ways to overcome it.The conversation highlights the importance of leveraging commodities and building a database in 2024. We discuss the evolution of AI, from its early stages to its current utility, and the importance of having the right team types, including explorers, settlers, and time planners. We emphasise the need for all three team types, as each one plays a crucial role in the AI development process, and spikes in team performance can be identified and addressed accordingly.Mapping for autonomous organisations, including optimisation, movement, and sub-maps.We look at the importance of optimising for movement in engineering teams, with different strategies for 'pioneers', 'settlers', and 'villagers'. And the need for organisation-wide alignment and the use of mixed methods within Wardley Mapping, with a focus on stacking boxes when necessary.We look at the importance of mapping in software development, highlighting different types of maps and their uses.And we provide tips for creating effective maps, including using sub-maps for detailed areas and avoiding too many components on the map.Wardley Mapping Resources: Ben Mosior and https://learnwardleymapping.com/Serverless Craic from The Serverless EdgeCheck out our book The Value Flywheel Effect Follow us on X @ServerlessEdgeFollow us on LinkedIn Subscribe on YouTube