In Deutsche Telekom we started to apply Lean Start-up methods one year ago. During our talk we will share the challenges we face and how we tackle them while introducing entrepreneurial methods in our big organisation. Deutsche Telekom has applied Lean Start-up methods in product development and technology innovations projects. During those projects we face various challenges - sometimes based on human factors, sometimes associated to surrounding conditions. For example: Product managers who have worked differently during their entire working experience are very difficult to convince to apply the Lean Start-up way, especially while everyone else around them is still working as usual. Another Example: Publishing a fake sale is rather difficult in a company with an established brand and protected trademark, where passing several decision gates is required before publishing new content on our web sites is allowed. How we address these kinds of issues will be part of our talk. On top of accompanying selected projects with our Lean Start-up knowhow, we are in the process of transforming Deutsche Telekom as a whole: we want to change our traditional way of working within product development towards the Lean Start-up way. For that reason, we are running internal trainings and workshops targeted at business developers and product managers as well at the middle management. In our talk, we will share our experience on how we caught interest and targeted the ‘right’ people within our organisation. Despite some first success of our transition towards entrepreneurial methods, we discover much reluctance to new working methods and huge scepticism regarding the question ‘Can Lean Start-up methods be applied to a big organisation such as Deutsche Telekom?’. We believe in a successful adoption of entrepreneurial methods and we will share our plan on how to progress with this very important transition for Deutsche Telekom.

1. Applying Lean Startup methods in big
organisations – does this work?
Our experience at a global 260,000 - employee company
Andrea Schmitt, Agnes Szejka – Leanconf 2014

2. where we came from

3. Where we came from

4. Where we came from
Scrum

5. Where we came from
Kanban
Scrum

6. Where we came from
Kanban
Agile Management
Scrum

7. Where we went

8. 1 Coaching teams - Changing things bottom-up
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnmanser/3532598208

9. 2 Adressing management and structure - Change
from the top
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cormacphelan/1468305626/

10. 3 Trainings and workshops - In the middle of the
enterprise

11. What we have encountered

12. What we have encountered and how we are responding

13. Silos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/5500714140/

14. Silos
„The customers
do not belong
to us.“
„The website
does not
belong to us.“
„Measurement is impossible.
There are so many parallel
initiatives. We never know
which one causes the
change in numbers.“
https://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/5500714140/

15. Silos Cross-functional Teams
Implementation
https://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/5500714140/
Marketing
Sales
Business
Owner
Impress with the results, so
that others want to participate.

16. Baggage from the past
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robef/5183105567

17. Baggage from the past
„Let‘s do some
classical market
research survays.
We always did it like
that. And it‘s faster
than what you are
proposing.“
„The VP has to
approve our
questions, before
we can ask the
customers.“
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robef/5183105567

18. Baggage from the
past
 respect the past
 introduce change gradually
 let them learn from experience
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4605220813/
lighten up your baggage
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robef/5183105567

19. comfort zone large enterprise
https://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgiles/4763526174

20. comfort zone large enterprise
„I am not allowed to
contact my customers
because of data
security policy.“
„Why should I go and
talk to the customers,
when I can pay someone
to do it for me.“
„I tried three times to
change how things are
working here. Now I
just live with it.“
https://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgiles/4763526174

21. comfort zone
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dierkschaefer/3156454732/ adapted
leaving comfort zone
 choose outstanding team members
 challenge the team, continuously
https://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgiles/4763526174

22. execution is focus
https://www.flickr.com/photos/blumenbiene/4592509570/

23. execution is focus
„Validation is
spare-time work
for me.“
„The release will go live
next week. We need to
get things done.“
„I don‘t have time now.
I have to attend an
important meeting.“
https://www.flickr.com/photos/blumenbiene/4592509570/

24. execution is focus
 accept time constraints of the team
 let them discover importance of validation
outcome is focus
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zivkovic/https://www.flickr.com/photos/blumenbiene/4592509570/ 6156008702/

25. The gut feeling of managers
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hey__paul/6121575575/

26. The gut feeling of managers
„Trust me, I know this
will work. The market
is just not ready, yet.“
„Steve Jobs
never listened to
his customers!“
„Ask our
customers … and
you‘ll get 1000
different answers.“
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hey__paul/6121575575/

27. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hey__paul/6121575575/
the gut feeling of
managers
Managers believe in actual
customer behavior
 talk about it e.g. Agile LeadershipTraining
 start with existing products and show savings
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cjsorg/391690572/

28. bad measurement culture
https://www.flickr.com/photos/franganillo/3678747186/

29. „Download numbers
demonstrate success.
Revenues will follow
soon.“
bad measurement culture
„User behavior?
We don‘t have
those numbers.“
https://www.flickr.com/photos/franganillo/3678747186/

30. bad measurement
culture
1. ???
2. abandon personal target agreements
3. introduce actionable metrics
Measure to learn and
improve
https://www.flickr.com/photos/franganillo/3678747186/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/sahdblunders/8644936719/

31. So: Applying Lean Startup methods in big organisations – does this work?

32. undo structure join them talk about it
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnmanser/3532598208 https://www.flickr.com/photos/cormacphelan/1468305626/

33. What do you think?

34. Thank You!