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Product management, Engineering, Leadership

Product Delivery

A methodology for developing and delivering products quickly and efficiently, using iterative and incremental development cycles.

Also called: Agile Software Delivery

See also: Agile Definition of Done, Agile Product Development, Agile Product Owner, Agile Program Management Office, Agile Release Train, Agile Roadmap, Product Manager, Burn-Up Chart, Burndown Chart, Product Discovery

Relevant metrics: Time to Market, Customer Satisfaction, Product Quality, Cost Efficiency, and Team Morale

In this article

How to calculate Product Delivery: 

Product Delivery = Speed + Quality + Adaptability

What is Product Delivery?

Product Delivery is a methodology used in product management and user experience design that emphasizes the importance of collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement. It is based on the Agile Manifesto, which outlines four core values: individuals and interactions over processes and tools; working software over comprehensive documentation; customer collaboration over contract negotiation; and responding to change over following a plan.

Product Delivery is a process that focuses on delivering value to customers quickly and efficiently. It is based on the idea that the best way to deliver value is to break down a project into smaller pieces and deliver them in short cycles. This allows teams to quickly identify and address any issues that arise, as well as to make changes and improvements as needed.

It is a:

  • A collaborative process that involves all stakeholders, including product managers, user experience designers, developers, and customers. It is based on the idea that the best way to deliver value is to involve all stakeholders in the process and to ensure that everyone is working together towards a common goal.
  • An iterative process that focuses on continuous improvement. It is based on the idea that the best way to deliver value is to continuously refine and improve the product based on customer feedback and data. This allows teams to quickly identify and address any issues that arise, as well as to make changes and improvements as needed.
  • A flexible process that allows teams to quickly adapt to changing customer needs and market conditions. It is based on the idea that the best way to deliver value is to be flexible and responsive to customer needs and to be able to quickly adjust to changing market conditions. This allows teams to quickly identify and address any issues that arise, as well as to make changes and improvements as needed.

Product Delivery is a process that focuses on delivering high-quality products quickly and efficiently. It is based on the Agile methodology, which emphasizes collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement. Product Delivery focuses on delivering value to customers quickly and efficiently, while also allowing for changes and improvements to be made along the way. It is a great way to ensure that products are delivered on time and meet customer expectations.

Where did Product Delivery come from?

Product Delivery is a term that originated in the software development industry. It is a methodology that focuses on delivering products quickly and efficiently. It was first introduced in the early 2000s as a way to improve the speed and quality of software development. Product Delivery is based on the principles of iterative development, which means that the product is developed in small increments over time. This allows for faster feedback and more frequent updates, which helps to ensure that the product meets customer needs. Product Delivery also emphasizes collaboration between developers, designers, and stakeholders, which helps to ensure that the product is delivered on time and within budget.

What is good Product Delivery?

Product Delivery encourages the use of automated testing and continuous integration. Automated testing allows for the product to be tested quickly and efficiently, while continuous integration ensures that the product is always up to date and meets the customer’s needs.

It also emphasizes the importance of flexibility. The development team is able to quickly adapt to changing customer needs, and the product can be quickly modified to meet those needs. This allows for a more efficient development process, as the customer’s feedback is taken into account and incorporated into the product.

To successfully aply Product Delivery, establishing clear goals and objectives, creating a shared understanding of the product, breaking down tasks into smaller chunks, and having regular meetings to review progress are important. Additionally, it is important to have a clear process for resolving conflicts and to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Product Delivery Best Practices

Product delivery best practices serve to ensure that software is delivered on time, within budget, and meets the needs of the end-users. Here are some best practices to consider:

  • Continuous Integration (CI). Continuous Integration is a software development practice that involves integrating code changes from multiple developers into a shared repository on a regular basis, typically several times a day. The code is automatically compiled, tested, and verified for correctness and compatibility, allowing issues to be identified and resolved quickly.
  • Continuous Delivery (CD). Adopt a continuous delivery/deployment approach to software development where software is delivered in small increments on a regular basis. This approach allows feedbackor continuous feedback from end-users, which can help improve the software over time.
  • Automated Deployment. Automated Deployment involves automating the process of deploying software to production environments, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This ensures that deployments are consistent and error-free and reduces the risk of issues occurring during deployment.
  • Automated Testing. Use automated testing to ensure that software is functioning properly before it is released. Automated testing can help identify issues early in the development process, which can save time and money in the long run.
  • Pipeline Monitoring. Pipeline Monitoring involves monitoring the entire software development pipeline, from code commits to deployment, to identify issues and optimize performance. This involves tracking metrics such as build times, code quality, test coverage, and deployment success rates, and using this data to identify areas for improvement.
  • Iterative Development. Use iterative development to refine software over time based on feedback from end-users. This approach allows for continuous improvement of the software, which can help ensure that it meets the evolving needs of the end-users.
  • Collaboration. Foster collaboration between the development team, stakeholders, and end-users throughout the development process. This approach can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the software meets the needs of all stakeholders.
  • Agile Product Management. Adopt an agile product management approach that allows for flexibility and adaptability throughout the development process. Agile product management can help ensure that the project stays on track and that changes can be made quickly if needed.
  • Continuous Feedback. Continuous Feedback involves regularly soliciting feedback from stakeholders, including developers, end-users, and customers, throughout the development process. This feedback can be used to identify areas for improvement, validate assumptions, and ensure that the software meets the needs of its intended users.

Together, these best practices can help ensure that software is developed and deployed efficiently, with high quality, and meets the needs of end-users. By adopting these practices, software development teams can improve collaboration, reduce errors, and deliver value to their customers more quickly and consistently.

A culture that supports effecient Product Delivery

Efficient product delivery requires a culture that fosters collaboration, transparency, trust, and empathy. Here’s a breakdown of what that means:

  • Collaboration. Agile development teams work collaboratively, with members from different functional areas working together to develop and deliver software. This requires a culture that values teamwork, open communication, and mutual support.
  • Transparency. Agile development is built on transparency, with stakeholders having visibility into the development process and progress. This requires a culture of open communication, with team members and stakeholders sharing information and updates openly and frequently.
  • Trust. Agile development teams rely on trust, with team members and stakeholders trusting each other to do their jobs well and work towards a common goal. This requires a culture of respect, where team members and stakeholders value each other’s contributions and opinions.
  • Empathy. Agile development teams prioritize empathy, with team members and stakeholders considering the needs and perspectives of end-users throughout the development process. This requires a culture of customer focus, where team members and stakeholders prioritize the needs of end-users in their work.

To implement efficient product delivery, organizations need to eliminate barriers that hinder collaboration, transparency, trust, and empathy. These barriers may include:

  • Silos. Silos can prevent effective communication and collaboration between different functional areas, hindering the ability of teams to work together effectively.
  • Lack of Visibility. Lack of visibility into the development process and progress can make it difficult for stakeholders to understand the status of the project, leading to miscommunications and delays.
  • Fear of Failure. Fear of failure can lead to risk aversion, which can slow down development and prevent teams from taking risks and trying new approaches.
  • Lack of Empathy. Lack of empathy towards end-users can lead to products that do not meet their needs or provide a poor user experience.

By addressing these barriers and fostering a culture that prioritizes collaboration, transparency, trust, and empathy, organizations can create an environment that supports efficient product delivery in the context of agile software development.

Advantages of Modern Product Delivery

The benefits of modern Product Delivery include faster time to market, improved customer satisfaction, increased collaboration between teams, and improved quality of the product. Additionally, Product Delivery allows for more frequent feedback from customers, which can help to identify and address issues quickly.

  • Increased Efficiency. Product Delivery allows teams to quickly identify and address issues, resulting in faster delivery times and improved efficiency.
  • Improved Quality. Product Delivery encourages teams to focus on quality assurance and testing, resulting in higher quality products.
  • Increased Visibility. Product Delivery provides teams with greater visibility into the progress of the project, allowing them to make more informed decisions.
  • Improved Collaboration. Product Delivery encourages collaboration between teams, resulting in better communication and more efficient problem-solving.
  • Increased Flexibility. Product Delivery allows teams to quickly adapt to changing customer needs and market conditions, resulting in more agile products.

Challenges of Implementing Modern Product Delivery

The challenges of implementing modern Product Delivery include the need for a high degree of collaboration between teams, the need for frequent communication, and the need for a high degree of flexibility. Additionally, modern Product Delivery requires a high degree of trust between teams, which can be difficult to achieve.

  • Unclear Requirements. Product Delivery requires clear and concise requirements to ensure that the product is delivered on time and to the customer’s satisfaction. Without clear requirements, it can be difficult to accurately estimate the time and resources needed to complete the project.
  • Limited Resources. Product Delivery requires a team of skilled professionals with the right skills and experience to complete the project. If resources are limited, it can be difficult to complete the project on time and to the customer’s satisfaction.
  • Poor Communication. Product Delivery requires effective communication between the team members and the customer. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and delays in the project.
  • Unforeseen Issues. Product Delivery requires the team to be able to quickly adapt to unforeseen issues that may arise during the project. If the team is not prepared to handle these issues, it can lead to delays and cost overruns.

Frequently asked question about modern Product Delivery

What are common Product Delivery Frameworks?

There are several product delivery frameworks that can be used in the context of agile software development. Here are some of the most common ones:

  • Scrum. Scrum is a widely used framework for agile software development. It emphasizes the use of short iterations, called sprints, to deliver working software incrementally. Scrum includes several key roles, including the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team.
  • Kanban. Kanban is a visual framework for managing the flow of work in a software development project. It emphasizes the use of a visual board to visualize the work and limit work in progress. Kanban focuses on delivering value continuously and improving the flow of work over time.
  • Lean. Lean is a framework that aims to eliminate waste and optimize the flow of value to the customer. It emphasizes the use of small batches, continuous delivery, and a focus on delivering value to the customer.
  • Extreme Programming (XP). XP is an agile software development framework that emphasizes the use of continuous feedback, testing, and improvement. It includes several key practices, including Test-Driven Development (TDD), Pair Programming, and Continuous Integration (CI).
  • SAFe. Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a framework that aims to scale agile practices to larger organizations. It includes several layers of planning, including Portfolio, Program, and Team levels. SAFe emphasizes the importance of alignment, synchronization, and collaboration across teams.

Each of these frameworks has its own unique approach to product delivery within the context of agile software development. The choice of framework will depend on the specific needs and context of the organization.

What is a product delivery checklist?

A product delivery checklist is a list of tasks and activities that need to be completed before a product is delivered to users or customers. The checklist ensures that all necessary steps are taken to deliver a high-quality product that meets user needs and expectations. Here are some items that may be included in a product delivery checklist:

  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Ensure that the product has been thoroughly tested by users or customers to ensure it meets their needs and expectations.
  • Performance and Load Testing. Verify that the product can handle expected user loads and is performant.
  • Security Testing. Verify that the product is secure and free from vulnerabilities.
  • Code Review. Ensure that the code has been reviewed by peers and meets coding standards.
  • Documentation. Ensure that documentation, such as user manuals, installation guides, and release notes, is complete and up-to-date.
  • Deployment and Release. Verify that the product has been deployed and released to the appropriate environments.
  • Monitoring and Alerting. Ensure that monitoring and alerting are set up to detect issues in production environments.
  • Feedback and Improvement. Establish processes to collect feedback from users and stakeholders and incorporate that feedback into future product releases.
  • Retrospective and Continuous Improvement. Conduct a retrospective to identify areas for improvement and implement changes to continuously improve the product delivery process.

The specific items on a product delivery checklist will depend on the needs and context of the organization. The checklist should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that it reflects the current state of the product delivery process.

How do you measure the effectiveness of your product delivery?

Measuring product delivery in the context of agile software development can be challenging, but there are several key metrics that can help teams assess the effectiveness of their product delivery process. Here are a few metrics that can be used to measure product delivery:

  • Lead Time. Lead time is the time it takes to deliver a new feature or functionality from concept to production. Measuring lead time can help teams identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement in the product delivery process.
  • Cycle Time. Cycle time is the time it takes to complete one iteration or cycle of work, from development to deployment. Measuring cycle time can help teams identify ways to improve efficiency and speed up the delivery process.
  • Velocity. Velocity is a measure of how much work a team can complete in a given period of time. Measuring velocity can help teams set realistic expectations and identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Quality Metrics. Quality metrics, such as defect rate, customer satisfaction, and user adoption rate, can help teams assess the quality and effectiveness of the product being delivered.
  • Agile Metrics. Agile metrics implemented in artefacts such as burndown charts, burnup charts, and cumulative flow diagrams, can help teams monitor progress and identify areas for improvement.
  • Feedback Metrics. Feedback metrics gained from user feedback, customer satisfaction surveys, and net promoter score surveys, can help teams assess whether the product is meeting user needs and expectations.
  • Business Metrics. Business metrics, such as revenue, profitability, and market share, can help teams understand the impact of their product on the business and assess the overall success of the product delivery process.

It’s important to note that while these metrics can be helpful in assessing product delivery, they should be used in combination with other measures, such as team collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and overall team morale. A holistic approach to measuring product delivery can provide a more accurate picture of the effectiveness of the product delivery process.

What is the difference between project and product delivery?

Project delivery is focused on delivering a specific project within a set time frame and budget. The goal of project delivery is to complete the project successfully, within the constraints of time, budget, and scope. Once the project is completed, the team disbands, and the product may or may not continue to be developed and maintained.

On the other hand, product delivery is focused on delivering a product that meets user needs and expectations, and that can continue to evolve and improve over time. The goal of product delivery is to create and deliver a high-quality product that provides value to users, and that can adapt to changing user needs and market conditions.

In agile software development, the product delivery approach is typically preferred over the project delivery approach because it emphasizes ongoing collaboration with users, continuous delivery of value, and continuous improvement. Product delivery is more iterative and incremental, and it focuses on delivering a product that can evolve over time in response to user feedback and changing market conditions.

How does DevOps and DevSecOps relate to Product Delivery

DevOps is a software development approach that emphasizes collaboration, communication, and integration between development and operations teams. It is often used in the context of agile software development to improve the product delivery process.

DevOps practices involve the automation of processes, including continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), which enables teams to build, test, and deploy software changes rapidly and reliably. By automating these processes, teams can reduce the risk of human error and ensure that software changes are consistently integrated and deployed to production environments. In this way DevOps emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement. Teams are encouraged to regularly review their processes and identify areas for improvement, helping to ensure that the product delivery process is constantly evolving and improving.

DevOps practices also involve monitoring the production environment and collecting feedback from users to identify issues and improve the product. This feedback loop helps to ensure that the product is meeting user needs and that any issues are addressed quickly.

Collaboration and communication are also key components of DevOps. By breaking down the silos between development and operations teams, everyone is working towards the same goal and there is a shared understanding of the product delivery process. This helps to ensure that the product is delivered on time and to a high standard.

What is DevSecOps?

DevSecOps is an extension of the DevOps approach to software development that emphasizes the integration of security practices into the software development lifecycle. It involves collaboration and communication between development, security, and operations teams to ensure that security is integrated throughout the entire software delivery process.

DevSecOps aims to shift security “left,” meaning that security considerations are addressed early in the development process rather than at the end. This helps to reduce the risk of vulnerabilities and security issues in the final product.

Relevant questions to ask
  • What is the goal of the product delivery?
    Hint The goal of the product delivery is to ensure that the product is delivered on time, within budget, and meets the customer's expectations.
  • What is the timeline for the product delivery?
    Hint The timeline for the product delivery will depend on the complexity of the product and the resources available.
  • What resources are available to support the product delivery?
    Hint Resources available to support the product delivery include personnel, materials, and equipment.
  • What processes and tools will be used to ensure successful product delivery?
    Hint Processes and tools that will be used to ensure successful product delivery include project management software, quality assurance protocols, and customer feedback systems.
  • What are the risks associated with the product delivery?
    Hint Risks associated with the product delivery include delays, cost overruns, and customer dissatisfaction.
  • What are the expected outcomes of the product delivery?
    Hint The expected outcomes of the product delivery are a successful product launch, customer satisfaction, and increased revenue.
  • How will the product delivery be monitored and evaluated?
    Hint The product delivery will be monitored and evaluated through regular reviews of progress, customer feedback, and financial performance.
  • What are the key performance indicators for the product delivery?
    Hint Key performance indicators for the product delivery include customer satisfaction, on-time delivery, and cost savings.
  • How will changes and feedback be incorporated into the product delivery?
    Hint Changes and feedback will be incorporated into the product delivery through regular reviews and customer feedback systems.
  • How will the product delivery be communicated to stakeholders?
    Hint The product delivery will be communicated to stakeholders through regular updates, progress reports, and customer feedback.

You might also be interested in reading up on:

People who talk about the topic of Product Delivery on Twitter
Relevant books on the topic of Product Delivery
  • Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit by Mary Poppendieck and Tom Poppendieck (2003)
  • Succeeding with Agile: Software Development Using Scrum by Mike Cohn (2009)
  • Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business by David J. Anderson (2010)
  • Scrum and XP from the Trenches by Henrik Kniberg and Mattias Skarin (2011)
  • Scaling Lean & Agile Development: Thinking and Organizational Tools for LargeScale Scrum by Craig Larman and Bas Vodde (2009)

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