From Product Tank Boston meet-up on Feb. 26, 2014. What's the right product process? It depends on your goals and priorities. I speak through my experiences at three very different companies: Pixar, Zynga, and RunKeeper, and discuss how each company uses a product process that reinforces it's product goals and cultural values.

1. PROCESS IS BORING,
BUT YOU NEED ONE

2. WHO AM I?
VP Product, RunKeeper (11/2012-present)
GM, Director Product, Zynga Boston (8/2010 -10/2012)
Director Product, Engineer, Conduit Labs (5/2008-8/2010)
Technical Director, Pixar (2002 - 2008)
Sc.B. Brown University, Math / CS 2001

3. SOCIAL MEDIA!
@far33d
fareedmosavat.com
fareed@runkeeper.com

4. WHAT’S THE RIGHT
PROCESS TO BUILD GREAT
PRODUCTS?

5. SCRUM? KANBAN? WATERFALL?
METRICS-DRIVEN? OKRS? LEAN?
!
SOME OTHER NEW THING?

6. ALL OF THEM….

7. PIXAR CHARACTER PROCESS
Modeling
Shading
Rigging

8. PIXAR CHARACTER PROCESS
Modeling
Character
Design
Model
Packet
Shading
Shading
Packet
Rigging
Animation
Design

9. PIXAR CHARACTER PROCESS
Modeling
Character
Design
Model
Packet
Shading
Shading
Packet
Rigging
Animation
Design

10. PIXAR CHARACTER PROCESS
Modeling
Character
Design
Model
Packet
Shading
Shading
Packet
Rigging
Animation
Design
Between 7-10 director reviews on EVERY model.
Director-driven process.

11. PIXAR PROCESS OPTIMIZES FOR
PREDICTABLE HAND-OFFS AT
EXTREMELY HIGH QUALITY OVER
TIME AND BUDGET.

12. ZYNGA PROCESS
Pipeline
Spec
Dev
Release
Product
Review

13. ZYNGA PROCESS
Pipeline
Spec
Dev
Release
Product
Review
go as FAST as possible.

14. ZYNGA PROCESS
All the focus was on
ESTIMATES and RESULTS.
Pipeline
Spec
Dev
Release
Product
Review
Goals-driven process.

15. ZYNGA PROCESS OPTIMIZES FOR
DATA-DRIVEN LEARNING AND HIGH
CONTENT CADENCE OVER
INDIVIDUAL FEATURE QUALITY.

16. RUNKEEPER PRODUCT PROCESS
Define target
user and their
problem
Analyze
Define goals,
expected
outcomes
Release
Design a
proposed
solution
Build solution
Usability testing
with real users

17. RUNKEEPER PRODUCT PROCESS
Define target
user and their
problem
Analyze
User-centric
process.
Release
Build solution
Usability testing
with real users
Define goals,
expected
outcomes
Design a
proposed
solution

18. RUNKEEPER PROCESS OPTIMIZES
FOR HIGH USER VALUE AT MINIMAL
ENGINEERING EFFORT OVER TOTAL
SPEED.

19. WHAT DOES YOUR
COMPANY, CULTURE
VALUE AND CARE ABOUT?

20. WHAT MAKES YOUR PRODUCT
DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE
IN THE MARKET, AND HOW DOES
YOUR PROCESS REINFORCE THAT?

21. FUNCTIONAL vs DIVISIONAL
!
EXPERIMENTATION vs VISION
!
ENGINEERING vs PRODUCT
!
GREAT vs GOOD ENOUGH
!
INDEPENDENCE vs CONTROL

22. THERE’S NO ONE RIGHT
WAY TO BUILD GREAT
PRODUCTS.

23. YOUR PROCESS IS A PRODUCT.
!
REFINE IT.
ITERATE ON IT.
CARE ABOUT IT.

24. QUESTIONS?

25. SOCIAL MEDIA!
@far33d
fareedmosavat.com
fareed@runkeeper.com