An overview of how Spotify tries to stay agile and lean in product development and how we organize ourselves for increased velocity and innovation.

1. February 26, 2015
How Spotify Makes
Product
Ali Sarrafi
Product Owner

2. 2
Spotify

3. 2
Spotify Organisation

4. 2
Spotify Organisation Challenges

5. 2
Spotify Organisation Challenges
Our
Solutions

10. February 26, 2015
The right music for every moment
7

11. 8

12. 8
15 million subscribers

13. 8
15 million subscribers
60 million monthly active users

14. 8
15 million subscribers
60 million monthly active users
30 million songs

15. Growing fast
30
2009

16. Tribes
Provide fast and
reliable access to all
the world's music
Enable high product
development speed
while maintaining a
highly available service
P P P P
Squad Squad Squad Squad
Chapter
Chapter
P P P P
Squad Squad Squad Squad
Chapter
Chapter
Growing fast
300+
30
200+
10
Now

17. 11
We need to keep our velocity

18. 12
to stay ahead of others

19. Source:
Autonomy is the key
13

20. 14
Autonomy =

21. 14
Autonomy =
Local
Responsibility

22. 14
Autonomy =

23. 14
Autonomy = No blocking
dependencies

24. 15
Organisation that facilitates
autonomy

25. 16
Squad

26. 16
Squad
Setup to solve an end to end problem

27. 16
Squad Backend
Setup to solve an end to end problem

28. 16
Web
Squad Backend
Setup to solve an end to end problem

29. 16
Web
Mobile
Squad Backend
Setup to solve an end to end problem

30. 16
Web
Mobile
QA
Squad Backend
Setup to solve an end to end problem

31. 16
Web
Mobile
QA
Squad Backend
Agile Practices
Setup to solve an end to end problem

32. 16
Web
Mobile
QA
Squad
PProduct
Backend
Agile Practices
Setup to solve an end to end problem

33. 16
Web
Mobile
QA
Squad
PProduct
Backend
Agile Practices
Setup to solve an end to end problem

34. Pics of squad rooms

36. 19
P
Backend
Web
Mobile
QA
How Squads work
Product
Agile Practices

37. 20
Think it
Build it
Ship it
Tweak it

38. Section name 21
Evolving Agile Practices

39. Section name
Be Agile
But don’t limit yourselves
22

40. 23
Chapters
& Tribes

41. 23
PPP
Chapters
& Tribes

42. 23
PPP
C
Chapters
& Tribes

43. 23
PPP
C
C
Chapters
& Tribes

44. 23
PPP
C
C
C
Chapters
& Tribes

45. 23
PPP
C
C
C
C
Chapters
& Tribes

46. 23
PPP
C
C
C
C
Chapters
& Tribes

47. 24
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad

48. 24
People(CL)
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad

49. 24
People(CL)
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad
Product (PO)

50. 24
Process(AC)
People(CL)
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad
Product (PO)

51. 24
Process(AC)
People(CL)
Mastery
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad
Product (PO)

52. 24
Process(AC)
People(CL)
Purpose
Mastery
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad
Product (PO)

53. 24
Process(AC)
People(CL)
AutonomyPurpose
Mastery
POCLAC
support structure for the Squad
Product (PO)

54. 25

55. 25
P
C
PP
C
C
C

56. 25
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C

57. 25
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C

58. 25
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
PAL

59. 25
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
PALPAL

60. 25
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
P
C
PP
C
C
C
PAL PALPAL

61. 26
Being agile is about
culture and mindset
not frameworks and org

62. Section name 27
It all starts with the product

63. 28
Focus on feedback from customers and iterative development

64. 29
Minimising the cost of failure

65. Source:
Autonomy is
30
the key

66. Source:
Autonomy is
30

67. Source:
Autonomy is
30
a challenge

68. 31
We don’t want a Frankenstein software

69. 32
Well at least a better looking 2014 edition

70. Source:
autonomy is the key
33

71. Source:
autonomy is the key
33
Aligned

72. Section nameSection name
PANDA to the
rescue
34

73. Section nameSection name
PANDA to the
rescue
Priorities AND Achievements
34

74. 35
P
C
PP
C
C
C
Dynamic organisation

75. 35
P
C
PP
C
C
C
Dynamic organisation

76. 35
P
C
PP
C
C
C
Dynamic organisation

77. 35
P
C
PP
C
C
C
Dynamic organisation

78. Section name 36
How can we achieve all of that?

79. 37
Education

80. Bootcamp
Getting into Spotify mindset from day one
38

81. 39
Of course Data, Data, Data

82. 40

83. 40
Data

84. 40
Data Insights

85. 40
Data Insights Bets

86. 40
Data Insights Bets Strategy

87. Section name 41

88. Copyright
Napster pic by bixentro, cc 2.0
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bixentro/
Busy record store pic by gomattolson
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gomattolson
Empty record store pic by passetti
http://www.flickr.com/photos/passetti/
First Frankenstein screenshot form :
“Frankenstein” movie by Kenneth Branagh, 1994
Second Frankenstein screenshot form :
“I, Frankenstein” movie by Stuart Beattie, 2014
Automation screenshot from:
Startrek Next generation, TV show (1987–94)
Formula one picture from:
https://colourfast5.wordpress.com/
Bike Race picture from:
http://leverhawk.com/dont-underestimate-microsoft-in-the-enterprise-cloud-race-20130422248
Pande Picture from:
Kung fu panda movie

89. Thanks
Ali Sarrafi