The problem with the holy triad of Design Thinking, Lean & Agile
The pioneering methods of Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Agile are starting to lose their shine. These new ways of working contained a promise of so much potential, yet in reality, have fallen short of meeting expectations. Why have these seemingly complementary methodologies failed to bring teams together for ultimate success?
My contention is that its not necessarily the methods that are the problem, it is how we employ them. The shortcuts we take, the early answers we so desperately want, the cycles of moving onto the next big, shiny thing rather than sticking it out to execute when the going gets tough. The human psychology of avoiding discretionary effort and seeking short term rewards means we sometimes overlook the foundation of these methods that yield success.?We are drawn to the ‘quick fix’ or first phase solutions that fall short of meeting the desired outcomes for our customers and our business.
Hang on, isn’t that what some of these methods are all about? Empathise with customer needs, research, design, test, learn, refine and ship it. Take action and learn by doing. Yes! Except that, in reality, we rarely stay the course of continuous improvement to go beyond those first releases to iterate and refine the service or product for ultimate success. So we get a whole bunch of minimum viable products and services that contribute to a build of legacy problems over time, and they become really hard work to address with other competing priorities.
Join the conversation right here or sign up here to make sure you don't miss out as I explore this issue with a series of blogs on how we can make a shift to Design Doing by bringing in the best of Lean Startup and Agile to accelerate the outcomes from Design Thinking.
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For more perspectives on this, check out this article by Design Sprints Studio.
We are at risk of throwing out some of the benefits of these contemporary ways of working. Rather than moving onto the next set of trending methodologies, why don’t we iterate and refine the way we use our current approach?
Imagine if we could achieve what we so desperately need with an emphasis on Design Doing - the effective execution of our strategies…that is flexible and responsive to change!?
I Help Startups Find Clarity to Do Hard Things | Leadership & Executive Coach | Former Product & Design Leader
9 个月Looking forward to following your posts on this topic Jo Clancy
Strategic Designer | Facilitator | Partnership Broker | Founder of The Good Cartel - stewarding better relations for futures we can be excited about ?
9 个月Love this Jo Clancy and absolutely agree that we’ve lost the ability to create solutions of endurance. I came to design through architecture and what I really admired and got inspired by were those who had a stubborn attachment to getting the execution right. They would try the same passive solar idea over 15 different houses - adjusting, tweaking and reflecting each time. I really believe that this is how we honour those we affect through what we design.
Facilitator | Organisational Effectiveness | Turn collaboration from a strategic barrier to a strategic advantage
9 个月Daniel Keddie Short article with some food for thought!
Curious coach / strategic thinker & doer / people-first
9 个月Understanding the problem before jumping to solutions is so critical. However there was a great challenge at an event tonight that sometimes we need to stop creating and start doing - getting that mix of planning and action right (or at least trying to!) is a delicate balance. Great food for thought
Facilitator I Coach I Leadership I Complexity and Systems Change
9 个月It’s much harder but more meaningful work to address the underlying systemic conditions that create the patterns ans outcomes we see!