@EVANWOLF

Which projects are worthy?

Phil Wolff Product Manager OpenOakland

A few thoughts on product portfolio management for Code for America brigades

#prodmgmt #productmanagement

#openoakland #pmo #productportfolio

#planning #strategy #cfa #codeforamerica

#cfabrigade

配称 �

@EVANWOLF

“How would you score prospective projects for your brigade?”

Four legs for selection

@EVANWOLF

We talk about four factors

Value our product makes

Risks of the journey

Alignment with our values

Stakeholders engaged and affected

@EVANWOLF

We were opportunistic at the start

OpenOakland released five apps in our first 18 months. •  Relationship builders:

OO + City of Oakland •  Low risk:

Low difficulty, Low effort. •  Low value:

Low impact, Symbolic usage

@EVANWOLF

High

Low

Low High

Value

Risk

Value: •  Impact •  Users •  Usage •  Capacity •  Infrastructure

Risk: •  Customer

Clarity •  Effort & Cost •  Tech Difficulty •  Political Risk

@EVANWOLF

High

Low

Low High

Value

Risk

Project Name

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We are not here to augment the City’s IT budget.

Volunteers can’t make a dent in the City’s technology debt.

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What can we do with the handful of projects we can do each year?

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We can choose projects that matter more.

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Value

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We build to create value

Our apps and services create various flavors of value

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Impact

How are we changing someone’s life?

•  Access to Services

•  Convenience

•  Insight & Understanding

•  Engagement and Action

•  Social, Political, Economic Capital

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Impact

How much impact?

•  Low

•  Saving five minutes

•  Access to information

•  High

•  Saving a life

•  Reducing homelessness

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Users

How many people can this product serve? Some projects serve more people than others. How big is the potential “market”?

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Usage

How much is the service used?

How many times? How long each time?

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Capacity

How will this project increase the Brigade’s capabilities?

•  Will the experience leave us with new technologies we can use on future projects?

•  Relationships to build on?

•  Volunteers with deeper skills?

@EVANWOLF

Infrastructure

Are we adding to the commons?

Will this project leave knowledge, systems, and tools that others can build on?

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Value

•  Impact •  Users •  Usage •  Capacity •  Infrastructure

@EVANWOLF

Risk

@EVANWOLF

We pick projects that balance risk, effort, and reward We assess and manage project risk

@EVANWOLF

We pick projects that where we can manage the risk Some risks can’t be managed

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We pick projects with risks right for the team We assess and manage project risk

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Customer Clarity

Do we understand who we’re creating value for?

Can we quickly learn their needs deeply enough to make good decisions

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Stakeholder engagement

Naming the persons carrying the torch for the customers drives success

Finding our “Executive support”, “Citizen champion”, or “Issue advocate” can be the difference in building the right things for the right people in the right way with the best resources. Or not.

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Effort & Cost Projects are always resource constrained.

Is there enough of the right volunteer time, open data, technology, and capital to deliver?

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Tech Difficulty

Too easy or too hard for the available talent?

Can we make up for gaps with recruiting?

Are there process challenges that could disrupt the product lifecycle?

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Political Risk Could this “utility” app become a political football?

What enemies could this attract? Do we have the capacity to engage in that type of struggle?

Will this affect other CfA Brigades if we undertake this project?

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Alignment Risk

Is this consistent with the Brigade’s core values?

What is the potential for misuse, for drifting from our values, along the development cycle? Once released?

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Risk

•  Customer clarity •  Stakeholder engagement

•  Effort & Cost •  Tech Difficulty •  Political Risk •  Alignment Risk

@EVANWOLF

ALIGNMENT

@EVANWOLF

We want our efforts well aligned with our culture

We hold some truths dearly

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Well aligned with our culture

Open Culture Open Source

Open Data

Creative Commons

Free (as in freedom) Internet

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Well aligned with our culture

Government that works well for its people Effective

Efficient

Responsive

Strategic

@EVANWOLF

Well aligned with our culture

Pluralism Civic Engagement

Inclusion

Diversity

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ALIGNMENT

•  Open Culture •  Government that works well for its people

•  Pluralism

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STAKEHOLDERS

@EVANWOLF

Products build relationships

Our projects affect people.

We choose products for their direct benefits on Oaklanders

Who benefits from our products?

Who is harmed or put at risk?

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Brigade Volunteers

How will working on this product benefit the participants?

Will they learn new product-related skills, knowledge, awareness?

Will they be satisfied by the journey as much as the destination?

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Beneficiaries Who benefits directly from this product?

Are we serving them now with other products?

How will our serving them this way affect the services they receive from others?

What is the potential for harm through our actions?

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Interest Groups

What interest groups could be engaged to make this product better? To find users and drive usage?

What groups or organizations might oppose or support this product?

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Data Providers

Will this project improve the range, quality, and depth of open data from the City?

Will it build trust with those providers?

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City Staff How will this project help the City’s workforce better engage their publics?

Can this project build support for openness and transparency among City workers?

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Elected Officials

How will this product help elected officials like council members and the mayor be more accountable, effective, and engaged?

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City Commissions & Commissioners

How will this product help elected officials like council members and the mayor be more accountable, effective, and engaged?

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Code for America

Is this project consistent with Code for America’s principles and values?

Will this reflect well on the CfA Brigade program?

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STAKEHOLDERS

•  Volunteers •  Beneficiaries •  Interest Groups

•  Data providers •  City Staff

•  Electeds •  Commissions •  Code for America

@EVANWOLF

Value, risk, alignment, stakeholders Value Impact

Users

Usage

Capacity

Infrastructure

Risk Customer Clarity

Stakeholder Engagement

Effort & Cost

Tech Difficulty

Political Risk

Alignment Risk

Alignment Open Culture

Government that works well for its people

Pluralism

Volunteers

Beneficiaries

Interest Groups

Data providers

City Staff

Electeds

Commissions

Code for America

Stakeholders

@EVANWOLF

CHOOSE OUR PROJECT PORTFOLIO ON PURPOSE

Next steps?

@EVANWOLF

Project portfolio processes

•  Ideation activities •  attracting proposals we find

attractive •  Screening process •  Formal approval •  Ongoing portfolio management •  Including abandonment and

retirement

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Intentionality

We create more value, together, by choosing how we invest our time and build our relationships

@EVANWOLF

Phil Wolff Hi!

Email or tweet your stories, suggestions, referrals or just call/skype

Phil Wolff is a consulting product manager in Oakland, California. Phil co-founded four startups,

worked as a programmer, project manager, business analyst, technology architect, industry analyst,

operations researcher, and tech journalist at Bechtel National, Wang Labs, LSI Logic, Adecco SA, NavSup,

and privacy NGOs. He volunteers in Code for America’s #OpenOakland brigade.

e phil@LetMyDataGo.org skype evanwolf v +1-510-343-5664 t @evanwolf @letmydatago bio About.me/evanwolf cv Linkedin.com/in/philwolff blog Letmydatago.org