A lot of product teams like to say they are agile, but when it comes down to it most teams continue to be driven by sales, roadmaps, and the same “waterfall” strategy of the past. 

“Most teams are good at delivery but lacking in discovery,” says Marty Cagan, author of Inspired. Cagan notes that frequently product teams are just shipping products and features to launch and don’t give enough attention to the step that actually qualifies a team as agile.

Agility is “not about the religion or process of building a product,” Cagan advises, rather it’s about constantly testing assumptions, uncovering new problems, and learning from your customers. 

Conducting continuous discovery will allow your team to answer three key questions prior to building (risk, solutions, and end goals) and therefore help mitigate risk and ensure you are investing in products that your customers will love. 

 

On this episode of People Driven Products, Marty Cagan defines the true meaning of “agility” and how product teams can partner together to deliver valuable, innovative solutions to solve customer problems.