Organizational buy-in

Learning from Scars: Why Mistakes are Valuable Lessons

On this episode of The Product Perspective, host Jon Tobin speaks with Casey Brown about the challenges of gaining organizational buy-in. Brown shares advice on how to approach senior professionals and frame meeting requests clearly, as well as the importance of providing information and agreeing on a source of truth to ensure smooth communication.

Brown also discusses the benefits of building integrations and having user stories and sprint plans in place, while being transparent and upfront with changes, and how pre-engagement with stakeholders can create smoother meetings. They also delve into the hurdles of implementing new projects or processes and how fear of change and resistance to change can be addressed. Brown draws from their own experience in projects including CRM, loyalty, field force, and analytics tools and offers advice on how to reduce stress and achieve objectives by aligning with stakeholder objectives and being honest about potential impacts.

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Today’s Guest: Casey Brown

Casey Brown is an experienced professional who specializes in navigating the challenges of balancing waterfall projects with agile execution. With the current financial situation, Casey has witnessed a rise in the demand for agile project management, even in situations where waterfall funding and financing are in place. This approach can lead to friction as fixed budgets and scopes clash with the need for flexibility in agile sprints. Casey understands the importance of meeting release dates while also accommodating changing requirements.

However, when faced with complex demands, Casey takes a step back to assess the impact on timelines and the overall project scope. Casey’s expertise lies in finding practical solutions to these challenges, ensuring efficient and successful project delivery.

The best bits:

00:01:22 Agile funding and execution causes challenges.
00:06:01 Working with remote teams requires coordination.
00:08:59 Pre-engagement and stakeholder agreement for success.
00:11:04 Effective communication with senior colleagues: strategies.
00:15:09 Align stakeholders, be honest, communicate goals.
00:20:29 Overcoming stress: Relationship building and communication key.
00:22:25 Product expert Casey Brown shares management insights.