The Unjustified Reign of Keyword-Driven Candidate Screening: A Hard-Hitting Analysis

In today’s competitive job market, organizations are inundated with a deluge of resumes for every open position. To streamline the hiring process and manage this influx, many companies have turned to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that rely heavily on keyword matching to screen potential candidates. However, this automated approach is not only inefficient but also unjustified, leading to significant drawbacks and missed opportunities in identifying the best talent for the job.

The Unjustified Reign of Keyword-Driven Screening

The use of ATS software has become ubiquitous in modern recruitment practices, with the promise of saving time and effort by quickly filtering through a large volume of resumes. These systems are programmed to scan resumes for specific keywords related to job requirements, skills, and qualifications set by the hiring team. Candidates whose resumes contain these keywords are then flagged for further review, while those lacking them are often discarded without human intervention.

However, this reliance on keywords overlooks the nuances of a candidate’s experience, achievements, and potential cultural fit within the organization. It fails to capture the full scope of a candidate’s capabilities beyond what is explicitly stated in their resume, leading to a narrow and incomplete view of potential candidates.

The Unintended Consequences of Keyword-Centric Screening

Keyword-driven screening can have severe consequences for the recruitment process and the future of the organization:

1. Ineffective Candidate Evaluation: Relying solely on keywords overlooks the nuances of a candidate’s experience, achievements, and potential cultural fit within the organization. It fails to capture the full scope of a candidate’s capabilities beyond what is explicitly stated in their resume.

2. Perpetuating Bias and Discrimination: Keyword matching can inadvertently perpetuate bias in hiring by favoring candidates who use specific industry buzzwords or have certain educational backgrounds. This can result in overlooking qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds or unconventional career paths.

3. Wasted Opportunities for Hidden Gems: Exceptional candidates who possess valuable skills or experiences not captured by standard keywords may be unfairly excluded from consideration. Creativity, adaptability, and potential for growth are often overlooked in favor of rigid keyword criteria.

4. Negative Candidate Experience: Candidates who feel their applications are being judged solely on keyword matches may perceive the hiring process as impersonal and dehumanizing. This can damage the employer brand and deter top talent from engaging with the organization in the future.

5. Identify incorrect candidates: This has been a recent experience, where in based on a few key words, the hiring team is short listing potential candidates, when reviewed / test evaluated / interview – these candidates are found lacking in their relevant skills as quoted on their problems.

The Need for a Holistic Approach

To address the shortcomings of keyword-driven screening and enhance the quality of candidate selection, organizations must adopt a more holistic approach to recruitment:

1. Define Clear Job Requirements: Instead of relying solely on keywords, hiring teams should clearly outline the essential skills, experiences, and qualities required for each role. This ensures that screening criteria are aligned with actual job needs.

2. Utilize Technology Wisely: While ATS systems can be valuable tools for managing high volumes of applications, they should be used as aids rather than substitutes for human judgment. Combining automated screening with manual review can help identify top talent more effectively.

3. Emphasize Soft Skills and Potential: Look beyond technical qualifications and prioritize soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. Assessing a candidate’s potential for growth and cultural fit can lead to more successful long-term hires.

4. Implement Diverse Hiring Practices: Actively seek out candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to foster innovation and inclusivity within the organization. Encourage hiring teams to look beyond traditional metrics and consider a wide range of perspectives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the reign of keyword-driven candidate screening is not only inefficient but also unjustified. It leads to missed opportunities, bias, and subpar hiring decisions. By adopting a more balanced approach that combines technology with human judgment, organizations can improve their ability to identify top talent that aligns with their values and goals. Embracing diversity, emphasizing potential over checkboxes, and prioritizing candidate experience are key steps towards building a stronger workforce capable of driving innovation and success in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Golden Quadrangle – A Choice between Scope, Quality, Cost and Time – Choosing the lesser evil

It is always known, observed, and seen that Project Managers use tradeoffs to provide decision-makers with data on the impact of a change on scope, time, cost, quality and risks (Though I mention this, I have never seen a proper and adequate level of impact analysis to the level as needed and required), then the sponsor understands the full impact whenever they have a variance or a change request.

Tradeoffs help maintain the project’s feasibility.

Check this fictional conversation:

Situation – Fixed Price, Fixed Scope, Quality Parameters have been agreed and Cost is Pre-agreed, The SoW is signed off. Contracts are in place. Planning is done and dusted, now the project is in execution phase.

And Bingo … we have an interesting request from the customer to the sponsor to change the dates of delivery and so the conversation happens somewhat like this:

The sponsor says to the project manager, “I want to move up the finish date from June 30 to May 30. Make it happen.” The sponsor starts to leave the meeting.

The project manager says, “Yes, I can shorten the duration of the project by four weeks. Your assistant told me about that, and I modeled it. To cut a month off the duration, I will need to have two additional developers and a tester for the month of April and the budget will increase by $10,000 for extra resources.”

A tradeoff has two sides. First, there’s the positive side where the PM shortens the duration of the project. Second, there’s the negative side where the project manager says they need an added budget for two additional engineers for the month and additional consultants.

The sponsor says,” No all I want is to cut the duration. No additional people or money.”

The PM says, “If I told you I could do that it would be lie. To shorten the date there will be other changes. It is not possible without consequences.”

The sponsor responds, “A good PM would be able to do whatever I want!”

Then the project manager replies, “But it would be a lie.”

Who wins this conversation / argument / decision making process, well it may seem that that the Sponsor would force the Project manager to agree to his / her ideas and thought process, but ultimately project drags on time and cost, has poor quality (a lot of defects, un-tested elements), team members have burnt out, the morale is low and customer is unhappy writing stinker of emails, there is a all-round loss and credibility issue, but who cares.

Did the sponsor review the impact of the new need / requirement where in the timelines / duration has been reduced?

Requirements for Trade offs

Tradeoffs are part of the toolset good project managers use. They must build the project plan with quantified measurable outcomes for every delivery. And the schedule must have work estimates and accurate precedence relationships. Then model every change with its compensating tradeoffs.

When project sponsors want to make a change, successful project managers never say, “Oh no, we can’t add that to the project.” What they say is, “Certainly I can add that to the project, but I will need three more people full time.” Other negative sides of the tradeoff could be, “We will have to increase the budget by $ XXX” or “We’ll have to reduce the savings in our scope by $ XXX.”

This is the language of tradeoffs. The project manager is not saying no. Instead, they are telling the sponsor or stakeholder what it will “cost” to bring about the change they want. Tradeoffs maintain the feasibility of the project. Merely shortening the duration does not.

There are no easy solutions and no easy decisions that one could make … Impact Analysis and Cost of Delay as a concept should be utilized for proper decision making.

Remember in any project, on one side we have the leadership / sponsors and others who at times have un-reasonable demands and the other end of the spectrum we have project manager who is trying to make the ends meet … Due to job constraints and lack of their ability to standup, the project manager looses the game and finally leadership and sponsors lose money, get poor quality and loss of face to the customers.

We have always tried to be penny-wise pound foolish

With all said and done, changes would occur and would be required to be managed. How should a tradeoff occur? What parameters should the Project manager be concerned about?

Juggling the 4 corners of the Project (Standing on 4 Pillars)

Any project would have to learn to live with these 4 corners of the game:

• Project scope (including quality of deliverables)
• Time / Duration
• Risk
• Cost (human resources and materials).

Which is more important? Given an option to make a choice, Let see a few permutation / combination to make a judgement call.

Let us say Scope is Changing, it is increasing … Then

Scope Change: Impact would be on: Quality, Cost, Time (atleast on one of them, but if you really think, it will impact all of them)

Where do we prioritize the approach, what should be the order of our decision making and relevant / related impact, Should it?                               

Order of Impact / Decision	Order of Impact / Decision	Order of Impact / Decision
Cost	Quality	Time
Time	Cost	Cost
Quality	Time	Quality

It is not an easy decision, but if quality is a thought, then as per me, it is a bad / poor idea. Spend more on Cost and try to minimize the impact on Quality and Time

The project is like a tube of toothpaste. When management / sponsors squeezes on a project’s duration corner by cutting the due date by a month, the toothpaste compensates by oozing out from one of the other corners. When the sponsor squeezes the duration, it will deliver less scope, cost more, or have a higher risk of failure and this is the kind of impact analysis that is required to be performed by the project and related stakeholders.

Changes in one parameter would always impact at least one other corner. That fact exists whether people recognize it or not. It’s not realistic to assume that making arbitrary changes to one corner of the project, like the duration, can happen without any compensating effects through the rest of the project.

Interestingly, the majority of the leadership and sponsors fail to recognize this impact. Because in most projects only one, or at most two, of these corners is measurable. The completion date is always measurable and is often rock solid. In some situations, the project budget is also measurable. But most internal projects have no other measurable dimensions. Even with the two measured dimensions of duration and budget, the business value of the project (the scope) and the risk of not delivering that scope on time are usually unmeasurable. So executives continue to make arbitrary changes to the duration and the budget and think that it will have no impact on the project’s scope, quality or risk.

What concerns me is that most of the leadership have no clue on this front, each of these leadership person must have risen through the ranks and would have faced these similar challenges in their project management days and now they behave very differently. Does change in position also impact the way a correct process should be adopted?

Is this science so difficult that we do not understand elements?

I recommend performing “What If” Analysis, where one can watch the impact of moving one parameter (or as we say one pillar) over others. This requires building some models (but once you do it, will serve the organization for its life), then performing different permutation and combinations can give all type of results, choose the lesser evil.

When doing such analysis, keep emotions out of the window and work on real and hard facts.

Do let me know your experiences on this front, would be an great discussion over coffee !!!

Ego Management – Challenges to manage Project Deliverables and Goals / Objectives

Ego, as defined in psychological terms, represents an individual’s sense of self-importance and self-worth. In project management, ego manifests as a personal need for recognition, power, and control. While a certain level of self-confidence is essential for effective leadership, an unchecked ego can lead to conflicts, communication breakdowns, and hinder project progress.

While having a healthy level of confidence and self-assuredness is generally beneficial, an excessively inflated ego can be challenging to handle and can have a significant impact on our work life.

In the realm of project management, achieving success requires more than just technical expertise and organizational skills. The human factor plays a pivotal role, and one aspect that can significantly impact project outcomes is ego management. Ego, often associated with self-importance and pride, can become a stumbling block or a catalyst for collaboration and success in project management. Today in this blog / article, we shall explore the concept of ego management and its critical role in project management, highlighting strategies to nurture collaboration and enhance project outcomes.

The Role of Ego Management in Project Success: Effective ego management fosters an environment where individuals can collaborate, share ideas, and work together towards a common goal. By minimizing egotistical behaviors, project managers can create a culture of trust, open communication, and innovation. Ego management is particularly crucial in project teams that comprise diverse individuals with unique perspectives, experiences, and expertise. When ego is managed effectively, it paves the way for improved decision-making, conflict resolution, and overall project success.

Based on past experiences of managing and participating projects, I have observed others, my bosses, leadership, Project managers on how they managed Ego to ensure their project success … I am listing based on my bets memory recall a few of those approaches:

Strategies for Ego Management in Project Management

1. Establish Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and expectations helps minimize power struggles and conflicts arising from ego-related issues. When everyone understands their contributions and how they fit into the project’s overall objectives, it reduces the chances of ego-driven conflicts.

2. Foster a Positive Team Culture: Encouraging a positive team culture characterized by trust, mutual respect, and recognition of achievements helps diminish ego-related challenges. Recognize and appreciate individual contributions while reinforcing the importance of teamwork.

3. Implement Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: Despite efforts to manage egos, conflicts may arise. Implementing effective conflict resolution mechanisms, such as mediation or facilitated discussions, can address, and resolve conflicts before they escalate and impact project progress. In one of my earlier engagement, the Scrum Master implemented the concept of Team Agreement and Conflict resolution approach, She split the team into two and then asked the team to develop Team agreement (with one group) and Conflict resolution (with the other), Once it was done, then the teams were exchanged and asked to review and suggest chances to the data as written by the other team and finally come to an agreement – which then became the BIBLE for the team to behave and manage relationships internally

4. Promote Collective Ownership: Emphasizing shared responsibility and recognizing the team’s collective achievements helps to mitigate individual ego-driven tendencies. Celebrating team accomplishments rather than individual achievements creates a sense of unity and encourages collaboration. – This has been one of the major elements of implementation with one of my earlier managers – Approach was simple – celebrate the smallest of achievement – Even if that was a successful code review or a major bug fix found, or a Sprint Goal achieved.

5. Cultivate a Collaborative Environment: Project managers should prioritize building a culture of collaboration by encouraging open dialogue, active listening, and valuing diverse perspectives. By creating an atmosphere where team members feel heard and respected, ego-driven conflicts can be minimized. For instance in one of my previous organization, there was a process, where the Project manager would have at least 2 one on one with the team members daily and one meeting (called – “All Hand Meet”) – during this meeting – no project discussion, but more of personal touch, life discussions, general elements were discussed, this helped all the team members to know each other and value the skills and talent that others bought to the table.

Though we have a few interesting ideas for managing Ego, we also need to understand the reasons and challenges from the other side of the fence. Observations and better understanding after 3 decades of working gave me the following elements on Ego:

1. Intrinsic Nature: Ego is an inherent part of human psychology. It stems from our need for self-identity, self-worth, and recognition. It can manifest in various forms, such as the desire for power, control, or validation. Since ego is deeply rooted in individuals, managing it requires self-awareness and conscious effort. At times this can also happen due to our local environment at home or office
2. Lack of Self-Awareness: Ego management requires self-awareness, which can be lacking in individuals who are not introspective or reflective. Without recognizing and understanding their own ego-driven behaviors, individuals may inadvertently perpetuate conflicts, hinder collaboration, and impede project progress. Sometimes what a person does, may not realize that their actions are counter-productive, but they fail to understand & appreciate this
3. Resistance to Change: Ego often resists change, as it challenges our sense of self and disrupts established patterns of behavior. When confronted with alternative viewpoints, suggestions, or feedback, individuals with strong egos may feel threatened and resist adopting new ideas or approaches. This resistance can hinder collaboration and innovation in project management – This is a basic human nature to resist, we form opinions about things and do not want to change and this itself could be a showstopper in our life.
4. Fear of Vulnerability: Ego can serve as a defense mechanism to shield individuals from vulnerability. Admitting mistakes, seeking help, or acknowledging limitations can be seen as a blow to one’s ego. This fear of vulnerability can make it difficult to foster open communication and address issues proactively, leading to strained relationships and project challenges. This is the most dangerous part of the human character and nature.
5. Competition and Comparison: Ego often thrives in environments where competition and comparison prevail. When individuals feel the need to outperform others or maintain a superior image, collaboration and teamwork can be compromised. Project environments driven by ego-focused competition can undermine trust and hinder collective progress. At times this can be hugely negative element for the project and its team members – but at times it could be a savior in some manner.
6. Power Dynamics: Hierarchical power structures can exacerbate ego-related challenges. In environments where authority is concentrated and decisions are made unilaterally, individuals may feel the need to assert their own importance or protect their ego. This can lead to power struggles, lack of transparency, and diminished collaboration within project team.
7. Emotional Investment: Ego is closely linked to emotions and personal identity. When individuals become emotionally invested in their ideas, decisions, or positions, it becomes harder to objectively evaluate alternatives or consider differing perspectives. Emotional attachment to one’s ego can hinder rational decision-making and impede effective collaboration.

Last few words of wisdom:

Overcoming the challenges associated with ego requires a combination of self-reflection, open communication, empathy, and creating a supportive project environment. By promoting a culture of humility, self-awareness, and collaboration, project managers can address ego-related challenges effectively and foster an atmosphere conducive to project success.

To foster a healthier work environment, it is important for individuals to develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence, which can help them manage their ego and cultivate more constructive behaviors. Organizations can also promote a culture of collaboration, open communication, and continuous feedback, which can mitigate the negative impact of ego-driven behavior and promote a more productive and harmonious work environment.

Ego management plays a vital role in project management. By effectively managing ego-driven behaviors, project managers can create an environment conducive to collaboration, open communication, and innovation. Nurturing a culture of humility, respect, and shared ownership cultivates a high-performing project team that maximizes its potential for success. Embracing ego management strategies empowers project managers to navigate the complexities of human dynamics, ultimately enhancing project outcomes and achieving organizational goals.

It will always be the ownership of leadership to have the right environment and culture in the organization, This should also be reflected in our hiring practices, can we devise some approaches where these symptoms of Ego can be tracked and traced, this would help the organization and project at large in a long way post hiring of the candidate; but to have these ideas and thoughts implemented (at least on a pilot basis), it requires courage, forward thinking, ability to navigate thru a maze of negative and not so proactive thoughts and actions of people and finance (tools are not free)

Leadership / Management should see the writing on the wall before it is too late and the we miss the bus ….

See you later in some other thought provoking article ….

If you have ideas what you want to see me write – Pls let me know.

Work Life Balance – Is it a Myth or a HR Jargon or Practiced in reality?

Work-life balance in the IT world / industry can be a complex and a difficult issue, as the nature of the work often involves long hours, tight deadlines, and high-pressure situations. While achieving work-life balance in the IT industry can be challenging, it is not impossible, work-life balance is an essential concept, it can sometimes be challenging to implement effectively in real-life organizational setting, but many organizations within the industry are actively working to create a more balanced environment.

I remember during the pandemic, when the entire (I would say about 98% of us) were working from home, It was very worrying for me, if someone called me and I was not in front of my laptop (could be a washroom break, or gone to answer the doorbell), it was assumed that I am not working, Where as when you are in office and people see you once and then you are not on the seat / or your place, it is acceptable – I can spend a whole 1 hr. chatting with someone in cafeteria and that would be considered just fine. My issues are a little different as people behave differently as the policies and the leadership approaches are erratic.

Why do we have challenges in maintaining the Work-Life Balances at our workplace, with my decent experiences of working across the globe and for different types of organizations, I have got some interesting thoughts here – which may resonate with you, Do check them:

Inadequate Project Management and Planning: Poor project management and planning can play a significant role in work-life balance. Unclear communication, unrealistic deadlines, and no proper resource allocation – all these aid to excessive workloads and the need for constant overtime. Prioritization and efficient time management are crucial in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The 1^st principle for good work and time management – here goes for a toss.

Lack of Boundaries: In some work environments, there is a blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. With advancements in technology, employees may find it difficult to disconnect from work, as they are constantly connected to their devices and expected to be available outside of regular working hours. This lack of boundaries can erode work-life balance and lead to a sense of being “always available.”

Limited Support Systems: Despite having work-life balance policies in many companies, organizations may not provide the necessary support systems to help employees achieve balance. For example, inadequate childcare support or limited access to wellness programs can make it challenging for employees to effectively manage their personal commitments alongside their work responsibilities.

Cultural Expectations and Peer Pressure: In certain workplace cultures, there can be unwritten expectations that employees need to constantly be available and put work above everything else. Peer pressure and cultural norms within the organization may discourage employees from prioritizing their personal lives or taking time off, even when work-life balance policies are theoretically are existing. It is just a hoax to have such policies in the 1^st place – Not sure how employee (including me) falls in such trap.

Long Working Hours Culture: A variant of the above mentioned point, many industries and organizations have a prevalent culture of long working hours, where employees are expected to work well beyond their designated hours. This culture often undermines work-life balance, leading to increased stress, burnout, and a lack of time for personal commitments or leisure activities. Organizational culture and expectations can make it difficult for employees to truly achieve balance as needed in life.

Demand for 24/7 Operations: The IT industry often operates in a 24/7 environment, particularly in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and IT support (this is the nature of business). As we go global, the customer wants solutions and resolutions to their challenges and problems during their day-time – which could be off-hours for people working in different time zone.  This can lead to employees being on call or working irregular hours, which can impact work-life balance. However, organizations can implement measures such as shift rotations, adequate staffing, and clear expectations around availability to help mitigate the negative effects. (I would state a few organizations have performed Shift approaches, extra cash, transport facilities and others to help their employees work effectively)

Final Approach:

It is important to note that while these elements as stated exist, there are also organizations that prioritize work-life balance and successfully implement policies and practices that support their employees’ well-being. However, the challenges mentioned above highlight the need for organizations to go beyond policies and actively create a culture and environment that values work-life balance, promotes flexibility, and supports employees in achieving harmony between their personal and professional lives.

While work-life balance in the IT industry may present unique challenges, organizations are increasingly recognizing its importance and taking steps to address it. By implementing policies and practices that support flexibility, well-being, and effective project management, the industry can create an environment that enables employees to achieve a healthier work-life balance. However, it is important to note that the extent to which work-life balance is achievable can vary between organizations within the industry, and it may require individual efforts as well.

Business Analyst to Product Owner – A journey to unfold or it is a mismatch of roles and responsibilities.

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape with many disruptions, new technology changes, digitization’s, certifications, Customers becoming more demanding and , agility has become paramount for organizations seeking success.

As Agile frameworks continue to gain momentum, the role of a Business Analyst (BA) is also transforming. Many Business Analyst aspire to take on more strategic responsibilities and broaden their impact within the organization, many of them would like to be associated with Agile teams, but business analyst is not even a role as recognized by Agile world.

One such transition that often comes to mind is moving from a Business Analyst to a Product Owner (it seems a natural movement). Is it so simple to migrate to the new role in new ways of working?, If you are as confused as I was a few days ago, then continue to read and explore the thoughts that I have jotted down here.

In this blog, we will explore how a Business Analyst can upgrade / migrate to become a Product Owner in an Agile environment.

Before we delve into the transition process, it is essential to understand the key distinctions between a Business Analyst and a Product Owner. While both roles involve collaborating with stakeholders, their focus and scope vary.

A Business Analyst primarily acts as a bridge between business stakeholders and development teams. They gather and analyze requirements, identify business needs, and ensure alignment between stakeholders and the project team. BAs are skilled in eliciting, documenting, and managing requirements throughout the project lifecycle.

On the other hand, a Product Owner is a critical role within Agile frameworks such as Scrum. They represent the voice of the customer and are responsible for maximizing the value delivered by the team. Product Owners prioritize the backlog, work with the team and the stakeholders (including but not limited to End users) to define user stories, and ensure the team understands the product vision.

To transition from a Business Analyst to a Product Owner, it’s important to identify and address the skill gaps. While BAs possess valuable skills, they need to acquire additional competencies related to product management and Agile ways of working.

1. Product Management: Business Analyst should develop a deep understanding of product strategy, market analysis, user research, and product lifecycle management. They need to think strategically, define product vision, and make informed decisions to maximize product value. You need to master more tricks in the game to learn how to negotiate, prioritize and formulate the product backlog.
2. Agile Frameworks: BAs should familiarize themselves with Agile principles and frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, and others. They must understand the iterative nature of Agile, embrace adaptive planning, and learn to collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams and not worry about ever evolving requirements, but learn how to manage the stakeholders, keep expectation management in scope and manage the risk of not meeting the commitments.
3. Stakeholder Management: As a Product Owner, relationship management becomes vital. Developing skills in stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and conflict resolution will enable smooth communication and alignment with stakeholders throughout the product development journey. Product owner needs to be decision maker. Understand the different stances of the product owner and know when to en-act which stand with stakeholders at the different durations and time intervals with the stakeholders / customers.

To upgrade to a Product Owner, Business Analysts should actively seek opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for the role. Here are a few practical steps to consider:

1. Self-Study: Read books, articles, and blogs on Agile frameworks, product management, and the role of a Product Owner. Online platforms and communities offer a wealth of resources, webinars, and podcasts that can aid in self-learning, Participate in webinars, meetups, conferences, online sessions, review and listen to podcast – there is tons of data and information available in the industry – know the right source and the right place to acquire the available information. Again, a word of caution – do not read everything – follow some known Guru’s and experts from the market to get the right guidance.
2. Collaboration and Mentorship: Engage with experienced Product Owners, Agile practitioners, and industry professionals. Seek opportunities to shadow and collaborate with them, learning from their experiences and gaining practical insights. Try and seek a 1:1 session, exchange your queries and doubts, create situations and scenarios to gain insights into the thinking pattern of these experts – a lot of data to consume, filter the information for the right reasons.
3. On-the-Job Experience: Look for opportunities to take on Product Owner responsibilities within your current organization or in side projects. Start by actively participating in backlog refinement sessions, sprint planning, and user story development, at times participate (with permission) to only observe and see the whole flow getting worked out. – You may not be associated with the project, but by participating, observing one would gain tremendous thought process, which again should be harnessed by self-study and mentoring approaches
4. Training and Certification: Consider attending workshops, seminars, and certification programs that focus on Agile frameworks and product management. Certifications such as Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) can help validate your knowledge and enhance your marketability. Test your skills and knowledge via external validations, which can be easily done with different certifications from the industry, when you choose a training or workshop, evaluate the trainer, seek past feedback and references, do not evaluate over the cost.

Final element of this game should be to practice what we have gained, learnt or mastered, Transitioning to a Product Owner role requires effectively showcasing the skills and experiences gained as a Business Analyst. Highlighting these transferable skills will help demonstrate your readiness for the new role:

1. Requirement Analysis: As a BA, you have honed your ability to understand complex business processes and translate them into functional requirements. This analytical and problem-solving skill set is highly valuable for prioritizing features and defining user stories, Learn techniques such as Cost of Delay (CoD), MoSCoW, Force Field Analysis, Buy a Feature approach – these techniques would enable better management of the product backlog and meeting the needs and requirements of your customer.
2. Domain Knowledge: BAs often gain industry-specific knowledge through their projects. This domain expertise can be invaluable in understanding user needs, identifying market trends, and making informed product decisions. Understand the working of the industry, if the industry as you are associated with, is regulated, then learn about the issues, impact of decisions by the statutorily bodies on your product and services and how the requirements would evolve in the given situation and context.
3. Stakeholder Collaboration: BAs frequently interact with stakeholders, ensuring their needs are met throughout the project lifecycle. This experience in gathering and managing requirements and facilitating communication can be leveraged in the Product Owner role, this is no different for the Product Owner role, but learn to play the different stances of the product owner at different time to create the necessary impact on the product, its evolution.
4. Communication and Documentation: Business Analysts excel at clear and concise communication, as well as documenting requirements and user stories. These skills translate seamlessly into effective communication with development teams, stakeholders, and user groups as a Product Owner, Learn to communicate with minimum documentation, embrace the Agile manifesto and its principles – Interact with teams and stakeholders, have informal coffee chats. Get engaged with the people whom you work with or people who work with you.

Before you take the final call, be aware of these Anti Patterns when you move from Business Analyst role to a Product Owner one

1. Difficulty in prioritization: BAs often deal with multiple projects and requirements simultaneously, which can lead to difficulties in prioritizing features effectively. As a Product Owner, having a clear understanding of the product vision & strategy and the ability to prioritize based on user value, business impact, and market needs is crucial. Failure to prioritize effectively may result in a product that lacks focus or fails to deliver the most important features first. Remember Product Owner is a decision making role.
2. Lack of ownership and accountability: BAs typically operate within a structured framework and may not be accustomed to taking full ownership and accountability for the product’s success. As a PO, it is essential to take responsibility for the product, make tough decisions, and drive its overall direction. Without a strong sense of ownership, the product may suffer from indecisiveness or lack of direction. Remember in Nutshell PO = CEO of the product
3. Insufficient collaboration with development teams: BAs are accustomed to working as intermediaries between stakeholders and development teams. However, as a PO, close collaboration with the development team is crucial. Failing to actively engage and communicate with the team can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and suboptimal outcomes. The PO should work closely with the team, provide clarifications, prioritize features, and ensure the team’s understanding of the product vision. Note that the Agile teams work in clear autonomy approach, give them the product needs and requirements and allow them to function in a manner where in their creativity can emerge and provide the right value for the customer.
4. Requirement-driven approach: BAs often have a strong background in gathering and documenting requirements. However, it is essential for a PO to adopt a more holistic and strategic mindset, considering the overall product vision, market dynamics, user needs, and business goals. Look beyond the obvious and there is a wealth of information on needs and wants of the customer there to be address and resolved.
5. Lack of user-centricity: BAs sometimes prioritize the needs and wants of stakeholders over those of end-users. This can result in a product that doesn’t effectively address user pain points or deliver value to the target audience. A successful PO should place a strong emphasis on understanding user needs, conducting user research, and ensuring the product meets user expectations, use approaches such as “Gemba” or “HMW – How Might We”. Use thoughts and elements from Liberating Structures.
6. Resistance to change and agility: BAs typically operate within defined processes and methodologies. However, a successful PO needs to be adaptable, open to change, and embrace an agile mindset. Resistance to change can hinder the ability to respond quickly to market shifts, adapt to feedback, and make necessary adjustments to the product strategy. At times the product as developed could be required to be changed once the requirements are developed, this is an iterative approach, we work and act as we learn more about the users, their issues, pain points, technology capabilities and so on. Agility is all about responding to change.

It’s important to recognize these anti-patterns and address them proactively. By understanding the challenges that may arise, BAs transitioning into the role of a PO can develop the necessary skills, mindset, and behaviors to be effective in their new position. Continuous learning, collaboration, and a focus on user value are key to overcoming these anti-patterns and succeeding as a Product Owner

Last few words of Wisdom:

Transitioning from a Business Analyst to a Product Owner is an exciting journey for professionals seeking to expand their impact in an Agile environment. By identifying skill gaps, acquiring relevant knowledge, and showcasing transferable skills, BAs can successfully upgrade their role. Embracing continuous learning, collaborating with experienced practitioners, and gaining practical experience will empower Business Analysts to become effective Product Owners who drive value and contribute to the success of Agile team. Remember one key element – Product Owner is the Value Maximizer in the game.

Project Manager Cum Scrum Master? OR Scrum Master Cum Project Manager – Choose the Bigger or the lesser evil?

The demand for Scrum Masters to also have project management skills can be attributed to several factors and trends in the industry. While it is not a universal requirement, some organizations may prefer or require their Scrum Masters to possess project management capabilities. Here are a few reasons as per me to why this demand is existing in the market?

1. Overlapping responsibilities: Scrum Masters and project managers share certain responsibilities, such as facilitating communication, removing obstacles, and ensuring the smooth progress of product development or execution of the projects. By combining both roles, organizations can streamline their processes and avoid duplication of efforts.
2. Hybrid approaches: Many organizations adopt a hybrid approach to project management, combining agile methodologies like Scrum with traditional project management practices. In such cases, having a Scrum Master who is also familiar with project management can be advantageous, as they can bridge the gap between the two approaches and facilitate effective collaboration (question: Are the organizations getting the monies worth by doing this approach – would love to see a few case studies and experience sharing from others)
3. Project coordination: In larger organizations or complex projects involving multiple teams, a Scrum Master with project management skills can help coordinate and align the efforts of different teams or departments. They can ensure that the work being done by various Scrum teams is in sync and aligned with the overall project objectives (but is this not the pure role of a Scrum Master – Have we ever given a thought and management / leadership understand the pure meaning of the role called – Scrum Master)
4. Stakeholder management: Project managers often deal with various stakeholders, including clients, executives, and team members. Having a Scrum Master with project management skills can enhance their ability to manage stakeholders effectively, ensuring clear communication, managing expectations, and resolving conflicts (but again here we had Product Owner to deal with the stakeholders and manage their expectations, for resolving conflicts within the team – Scrum Master can handle the job)
5. Career progression: For individuals working in agile environments, gaining project management skills can offer opportunities for career advancement. By acquiring a broader skill set, Scrum Masters can expand their roles and take on project management responsibilities, leading to increased career prospects within the organization (but when the world is moving towards Agile and Agile adoption is increasing by the day – Not sure if any Scrum Master would care to become a career project manager – any takers?)

It is worth noting that while the demand exists to have a combo offer of Scrum Master Cum Project Manager, not all organizations require Scrum Masters to be project managers. The specific requirements may vary depending on the organization’s structure, size, and project management approach. Agile methodologies like Scrum prioritize flexibility and adaptability, so organizations may choose to have separate roles for Scrum Masters and project managers, depending on their specific needs and preferences.

Have we ever heard that Organizations are looking for Project Manager Cum Scrum Master? You would say Yes ….if you notice industry is looking for Scrum Master Cum Project Manager – Mind you there is a see change of difference between the two demands that the market is looking out for.

When such demands are placed, It gives me a lot more food for thought … in terms if the organization really wants to adopt Agile and do the implementation or it is just a new card that the leadership wants to use in the organization.

Has the management thought on these lines:

1. Conflicting priorities: Scrum Masters and Project Managers often have different priorities and approaches. Scrum Masters focus on facilitating the agile process, promoting self-organization, and removing impediments for the development team. Project Managers, on the other hand, may prioritize adherence to schedules, budgets, and overall project objectives. Balancing these potentially conflicting priorities can be challenging – It is like Chalk and Cheese, we mixing two elements together – Are we aware of the reactions and impact it would have on the moral of the person and the approach of agile adoption.
2. Time management: Both roles require significant time and effort to fulfill their responsibilities effectively. Juggling the tasks of a Scrum Master, such as organizing and facilitating ceremonies, coaching the team, and ensuring adherence to agile principles, along with the project management responsibilities like planning, tracking progress, and managing stakeholders, can be demanding and time-consuming (when a SM acts like a PM then the whole concept of Self-Organizing, Self-Managed goes out of the window, there is no concept of team autonomy – Time management for me would be a secondary thought)
3. Role clarity and expectations: Combining the roles of a Scrum Master and a Project Manager can lead to ambiguity in responsibilities and expectations. Team members may become uncertain about whom to approach for specific issues, and there could be confusion about the boundaries of each role. It is crucial to establish clear expectations and communicate them effectively to avoid role confusion. More than the team, I believe it would utter confusion for the person to play dual role – This is also an indication that Leadership of the organization does not even understand the concept of Agile and have little or no clue on how the work of a Scrum Master is performed. For them we all are just resources available to get some job done.
4. Skill set requirements: Being an effective Scrum Master and also a Project Manager requires a diverse skill set. Scrum Masters need expertise in agile methodologies, facilitation, coaching, and team dynamics. Project Managers require skills in project planning, risk management, budgeting, and stakeholder management. Finding individuals who excel in both areas can be challenging, as the skill sets required for each role may not overlap entirely. This is an interesting problem to have … if this logic can be applied for Scrum Master and Project Managers … then the same logic should be applied for all roles in the organization, like COO and CFO could be same or COO and CIO could be the same individuals and similar more. I hope the management wakes up and smells the coffee.
5. Potential burnout: Taking on the responsibilities of both a Scrum Master and a Project Manager can lead to increased workload and potential burnout. Both roles can be demanding individually and combining them may intensify the pressure. It is important to manage workload effectively, delegate tasks when possible, and prioritize self-care to prevent burnout. – Now the important question that I would have is where the HR policies of “Work Life Balance”, are these concept confined to the policies and to be used when recruiting people, later they have little or no meaning
6. Conflict of interest: Scrum Masters are advocates for the team, ensuring that they have the autonomy and support needed to deliver value. Project Managers, on the other hand, may have obligations to meet specific project objectives, timelines, and stakeholder expectations. Balancing these sometimes conflicting interests can be challenging and may require careful negotiation and communication. Meeting the timelines should be everyone’s job in the project or organization, At times we do not right resources (meaning skills), tools are missing, dependencies do not respond, client behaves abnormally, team members at times are moved across projects, no proper or adequate KT is done for the new joiners to the team – and with all these challenges, one expects ON TIME Delivery !!!

With my hand folded, I request leadership and decision makers across the globe to carefully consider these challenges and assess whether combining the roles of a Scrum Master and a Project Manager aligns with their specific needs and context. It is important to ensure that individuals in these dual roles receive the necessary support, training, and resources to succeed in fulfilling their responsibilities effectively. In a better world – one would not combine these two roles.

A small query – How many of us on a daily basis would combine / mix our tea and coffee together and enjoy the same – Any takers – On a daily basis (not experiment)?

Conflict – Is it Good or Bad – It depends on how you treat it within your Team

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Hiring of Leadership in an Agile Organization

This was in my Product Backlog for a long time, and I always wanted to jot down a few of my debatable thoughts (as others may not agree with my views) on how to identify the skills that we should look for when hiring for Leadership roles for an organization that follows Agile ways of working or is at very advanced stages of adoption and transformation.

Visualize that your organization is in a steady and stable Agile way of working. Across the board (including non-IT functions are also implementing Agile ways of working like Kanban and your product development teams are involved in Scrum or Kanban as the need may be). Your organizational Leadership is undergoing a massive change and restructuring is planned, wherein your company would be hiring Leaders (Heads for various Business Units) from the industry to take your organization forward. 

Now with the requirement in our focus, we should design our Job Description (Do remember every hiring and at all levels should have a JD). The Leadership of an Agile organization is responsible for leading and implementing the company’s strategic vision, objectives, and goals in an Agile environment. They are accountable for developing and executing strategies that drive the organization’s growth and success while promoting a culture of agility, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Having the wrong leaders in an Agile organization can have a significant negative impact on organizational performance and the team’s productivity. Here are some potential consequences:

• Slow decision-making: Agile teams require quick decision-making and responsiveness to changing requirements. If leaders are indecisive or take too long to make decisions, it can slow down the team’s progress.
• Lack of clarity and direction: Agile teams require clear goals and direction to work effectively. If leaders are unclear or constantly changing their minds, it can cause confusion and make it difficult for the team to focus on their tasks.
• Poor communication: Effective communication is critical in Agile teams. If leaders are poor communicators or don’t listen to their team members, it can cause misunderstandings, delays, and ultimately result in poor-quality work.
• Lack of trust: Agile teams require a high level of trust between team members and their leaders. If leaders don’t trust their team members or their abilities, it can create a negative atmosphere and lead to decreased morale and motivation.
• Lack of support: Agile teams require support from their leaders to be successful. If leaders are unsupportive or don’t provide the necessary resources, it can hinder the team’s ability to deliver high-quality.

If you or your organization has a dysfunctional leadership, then it can be challenging, but several steps can be taken to address the situation and promote a more collaborative and effective leadership culture. Hiring the right candidate is a critical element of the game and the first step that your company should be embarking upon.

In one of my previous engagements, we experienced a significant negative impact of Leadership approach and behavior on their organizations, agile teams, and employees. Listed here are some of the ways in which poor leadership had adverse effects on the entire journey:

• Low Morale: It created an environment of low morale and a lack of motivation among employees. This led to high turnover rates and low productivity and a lot of sick leaves. 
• Poor Performance: When we experienced ineffective leadership, it resulted in poor performance from employees. This led to missed deadlines, and sub-standard quality, and this resulted in missed revenue targets.
• Unhealthy Workplace Culture: Poor leadership in the organization led to a toxic workplace culture that was characterized by favoritism, discrimination, and harassment.
• Lack of Direction: Poor leadership did not provide clear direction and vision for the organization. This resulted in confusion (across all levels), frustration, and a lack of focus among employees, causing considerable wastage of resources and missed opportunities.

Now with this background, let’s identify what are the good attributes of a Leader in an Agile Organization and check for these thoughts and approaches when you engage any person who would be part of your leadership team:

• Visionary:  Good leaders have a clear vision of where the organization is heading and communicate it effectively to the team. They inspire and motivate the team to work towards a common goal.
• Agile Mindset: Having an Agile mindset and being open to change is vital. They embrace the Agile principles and values and lead by example. They promote a culture of continuous improvement and experimentation.
• Servant Leadership: Effective leaders practice servant leadership. They focus on serving the team and removing impediments that hinder the team’s progress. They empower the team to make decisions and take ownership of their work.
• Collaborative: A good leader in an Agile organization is collaborative and fosters a culture of collaboration. They encourage cross-functional collaboration and communication to ensure that the team is aligned and working towards the same goal.
• Effective Communicator: It is important for the leader is an effective communicator. They communicate clearly and regularly with the team and stakeholders. They provide feedback to the team and encourage feedback from the team.
• Decisive: Ideal leaders make informed decisions in a timely manner and are not afraid to take risks. They allow the Product Owner to prioritize the team’s work and ensure that the team is working on the most valuable work items (they would not and should not interfere in the working of the team).
• Empathetic: Empathy is an essential quality that leaders should imbibe. They understand the team’s perspective and concerns and consider them when making decisions. They create a safe and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
• Continuous Learner: Leaders must be lifelong learners. They stay up to date with the latest Agile practices and methodologies and encourage the team to do the same. They seek feedback and learn from their mistakes to continuously improve themselves and the team.

One would always want a leader who would provide support, and ensure the team has sufficient resources and support that they need to implement Agile. This may include providing training, coaching, or other support, led by example. Leaders must adopt Model Agile behavior and demonstrate how it can improve the team’s performance. This can help to motivate the team to adopt Agile principles.

Managing an organization that applies and adopts Agile requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to work with the team to find a solution that works for everyone. By educating the team, addressing concerns, starting small, providing support, leading by example, and monitoring progress, you can help the team become more open to Agile and ultimately improve their performance.

How to maintain and sustain a Scrum Team – The Secret Sauce (Engage the Scrum Team Member)

People engagement is a minimum expectation for any team, product, project, and organization. It is a never-ending journey, yet many projects or organizations go awry and lose the required focus. Many organizations fail to embark on that journey. As a result, they’re setting their people (and their bottom lines) up for failure.

Why is people engagement crucial? How do you measure it? Improvements can only come when you know what needs to be done and why, along with the relevant impact or desired change.

What is People engagement?

Many Scrum Masters recognize that engaging the team members plays a critical role in Agile success. But far fewer can define engagement and why it’s so important. What is the so-called engagement? What is the role of Scrum Master in this front?

Team Member engagement is the measure of how motivated a person is within their job, team, and organization. When someone is highly engaged, it means they’re invested in their work, energized by their peers, and committed to their product and/or company’s long-term mission and vision. 

Put simply, engagement measures an employee’s level of satisfaction at a given point in the employment lifecycle. The higher the level of engagement, the greater the likelihood that the person is enjoying a positive experience. By engaging your hard-working folks and low-performers alike, you ensure your people can come to work energized—and deliver their best.

Why is an engaged Scrum Team important?

Flip this question on its head: What happens when your team or a few members of the team are not engaged?

When team members feel disconnected their work begins to suffer which ultimately impacts the product / increment delivery. Team member is less likely to go the extra mile for their others and is going to do the bare minimum to stay afloat in their role. And when they decide their organization can no longer support their growth (professionally, monetarily, or otherwise), they’ll leave for a company that can.

Now imagine that effect multiplied across an entire workforce, and the dangers of disengagement become amply clear.

An engaged Scrum Team is critical to productivity—and, by that definition, it would impact your profitability and customers (directly). 

We do not even count the losses that we have made by hiring the wrong person or backfilling the position. If we start to calculate the amount of time, effort, and energy that is wasted, more so from the management level, our growth in terms of EBITA would be going north. But, alas, it is considered an element of doing business. No doubt that people would leave, but by retaining them for a longer duration, you are increasing your margins, as well as customer satisfaction.

Improvements to the employee experience can also carry over to the customer experience. If you’re taking steps to improve employee satisfaction, chances are your customer satisfaction ratings will get a boost, too. 

Habits of engaged employees and companies.

Engaged team members would have some habits you simply won’t find in other employees. They show up to work with energy and often a genuine smile. They go the extra mile in their role—by working late occasionally or offering to help employees with too much on their plate. Above all else, they’re excellent teammates who contribute to a healthy team dynamic. 

Benefits of engaged team members.

When a team member is engaged, that inner fire tends to spread. Others feel the energy. They spend more discretionary effort and aspire to be better team players. Given are a few of the many benefits of engagement:

• Higher productivity
• Greater profitability
• Lower employee turnover
• Fewer safety incidents
• Stronger customer loyalty
• Lower employee absenteeism

Consider this list of benefits, and the takeaway is clear: Employee engagement can transform your business. 

Make no mistake: A ping-pong table and office snacks aren’t enough to entice today’s talent. More than ever, people want a fail-safe environment—one where they can be their authentic selves, and work in a way that’s both stimulating and sustainable. 

The different levels of engagement

You may know an employee is highly disengaged, but unless you know what is driving disengagement, how are you supposed to take action?

There are four drivers of employee engagement:

• Job fit: Alignment between an employee’s responsibilities and their natural tendencies and career aspirations 
• Manager fit: The relationship between the employee and their manager.
• Team fit: Chemistry with teammates, and overall team cohesion
• Organizational fit: connection to senior leadership and the company culture

When a team member achieves fitment across all four factors of engagement, they’re more likely to be engaged overall. By contrast, when one or more factors are lacking—a person doesn’t gel with their team, the culture, etc.—they’re more likely to become disengaged over time. 

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to engagement. Job satisfaction may look wildly different to one team member as compared to another—it all depends on each person’s natural behavioral drives. By understanding how to motivate your scrum team members based on their unique needs, Scrum Master can ensure that they are taking an active approach to prevent disengagement and improving the experience.

Don’t try to boil the ocean. When in doubt, look for ways—even if seemingly small—to improve one or more of the four drivers of engagement. 

Here are some examples of ways to improve engagement:

• Have regular career pathing discussions with your team members.
• Build awareness as a Scrum Master and address relationship gaps.
• Encourage a healthy work-life balance (and lead by example).
• Build trust by leading remote-friendly team-building activities.
• Recognize your Scrum Team Members for a job well done, or when a Sprint has gone well (more so publicly than privately).
• Write personalized “thank you” cards for your team members.
• Embrace hybrid work by allowing people to choose where they work (as long as the work is getting done, the goals and objectives are achieved of the product/sprint).

Once the Scrum Master discovers effective employee engagement best practices, it’s time to think about the bigger picture with the strategy. Scrum Master should take a proactive approach by surveying the team members about their experiences with the project/organization. Identify the biggest opportunity areas, so one can swiftly act on their feedback.

Investing in and measuring engagement

Investing in engagement today can pay dividends in the long term—but only if you know how to measure your progress.

Collecting employee feedback has always been important, but now it’s mission critical. Organizations live in a post-COVID world—one dominated by discussions about mental health, social equity, and personal freedom. Throw economic uncertainty into the mix, and you could make a strong argument that employee engagement is in a recession of its own.

The impact of managers and leadership on engagement

As a Scrum Master, you have an outsized impact on engagement. It’s incumbent that you don’t just listen to your people, but that you advocate and fight for them.

Taking action is a collaborative process. Give your people the forum to voice their opinions and propose ideas for change. Once you’ve agreed upon a plan of action, see to it that you follow through on that plan. Lead by example and encourage other leaders / Scrum Masters across the organization to follow suit.

The role of engaged employees in your hiring process.

Engagement doesn’t just make for a great employee experience—it makes for a great hiring experience, too.

One of the best ways to create a world-class onboarding experience is to involve existing employees, preferably high performers already in the role. Doing so can help accelerate a new hire’s training while providing invaluable mentors they can lean on in their first 30 days.

By having engaged team members, you ensure new hires are exposed to the very best your organization has to offer. By contrast, if you let disengaged team members run the show, you risk discouraging new talent before they even wrap up their first day.

Identifying disengaged employees at your workplace 

A proactive approach to engagement isn’t without its flaws. Employees can still fall through the cracks and become disengaged.

Put simply, the four factors of engagement can double as “four forces of disengagement.” 

You can probe for these negative forces with the right conversations. If you sense morale is low among a group of employees, bring it up privately during your next one-on-one meeting. Consider asking the following questions:

• Are you enjoying your current role?
• Do you feel supported by the team?
• In what ways can I improve as a Scrum Master?
• How do you feel about the state of the company?

Disengaged employees are never a lost cause. Equip yourself with effective tools—and a positive mindset—and you’ll ensure you’re setting up your people for success.

Look forward for your feedback and comments … your personal experience on this front, we all can share and learn from each other’s experience

Indecisive – Use 2×2 matrix – A tool to narrow down options and help prioritize your ideas / Product Backlog

The 2×2 Matrix is a decision support technique where the team plots options on a two-by-two matrix.

Each axis represents a decision criterion, such as cost or effort. Each axis is divided into two sections (example: low cost/high cost and easy/difficult).

The matrix is drawn on a whiteboard, then the team plots the options along the axes. This makes it easy to visualize the options that are low cost and easy, and low cost and hard, for example.

The best results happen when the team defines the boundary between the quadrants. For example, if the horizontal axis represents the time it would take to complete a project, the boundary line between the Fast and Slow quadrants might be defined as 4 weeks.

Where is the value for 2×2 matrix in usage?

• It helps in quickly determining which ideas / thoughts or options should be pursed or rejected or parked for now
• Obtain a 1^st hand overview of ideas that have already have a certain qualification and maturity
• Carry out prioritization, innovations, identify market opportunities
• In cases where the problem statement is complex, it helps in breaking down the idea into individual components
• Use it when you have a decision to make

Use this tool in place of:

1. Kano Model
2. Dot Voting

Use this tool in conjunction with:

• Venn Diagrams for feasibility, economic viability and desirability
• Dot Voting for prioritization within a quadrant

This tool can be as versatile as a Swiss Army Knife (multiple purpose), It can be used across spectrums ranging from basic technical decisions to solution-oriented business models. Quantification in form a cost / yield chart can be of help, Sponsors are happy to use such a chart as a basis for decision making.

Steps to use 2×2 Matrix

1. Draw the 2 x 2 matrix and designate your X and Y axis as per your needs and requirements. Use opposite references such as High: Low / Important: Negligible / Cost: Savings and so on..
2. When evaluating for ideas, focus more on the benefits for the user and the feasibility and use measurable and tangible criteria for evaluation / opportunity analysis
3. Start with a board classification and question in which quadrant the idea should be placed
4. Place your current idea in relation to the other already existing ideas
5. Pay attention to the opinions of the team and try and find consensus
6. First take the idea and position it for X or Y axis, once a side is decided, then plan for the next axis, this approach would help in identifying the right or more suitable quadrant.
7. Repeat this process for all the ideas on the table
8. If there are several ideas in a quadrant, then select the top 3 for further discussions (do not attempt all)
9. Also check if there is any quadrant which are empty, they represent further opportunities and unfulfilled needs

Key elements to be aware of:

• Keep ideas as simple as possible – complexity means confusion on the matrix
• Rewrite or split the idea into several ideas if it helps to clarify the positioning
• Experiment with different possibilities and adapt the axes to the problem statement and the objectives

This tool can be used for Product Backlog Prioritization, Involve your customers to do the 1^st level review and then involve your scrum team to perform the 2^nd level of review from a technical stand point

Use different approaches and mix and match to get the best and the optimum results for your product, customer, end users and the team Innovate yourself, to engage the customer and keep your scrum team motivated