By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Chris Jones argues that organizational transformation, like product development, should be rolled out incrementally rather than all at once. Because people adopt change at different speeds, a sweeping rollout can trigger resistance from the laggards who dislike change. Pilot teams offer a low-risk way to test new models, such as dual-track agile or business-outcome accountability, on a small group while the rest of the organization continues as usual. The piece explains how to choose pilot teams based on people, co-location, charter, and autonomy, and how to protect them from legacy processes. Running a pilot for one to two quarters produces evidence that either justifies a broader rollout or reveals obstacles to change.
01Key takeaways
- Roll out organizational change incrementally, since people adopt change at different rates and a wholesale rollout invites resistance.
- Start with one or a few pilot teams for a specific change, leaving the rest of the organization on its existing model.
- Pick pilot members who have the right skills and are genuinely enthusiastic about the change.
- Seat pilot team members physically together to support close cross-functional collaboration.
- Minimize dependencies so the team can focus on the model being tested.
- Protect pilot teams from legacy processes for one to two quarters, then use what you learned to decide on broader rollout.
02Key sections
- Adoption life cycle
- People differ in their appetite for change, from enthusiasts to resisters. A big-bang rollout risks provoking the laggards into resisting or sabotaging the effort.
- Pilot teams as a technique
- Transformation should be iterative, experimental, and validated, much like good product work. Pilot teams let a change be tested with a limited part of the organization before wider adoption.
- Choosing the teams
- Selection depends on the goals and should weigh the people involved, whether team members can sit together, how much the team's charter is framed around business outcomes, and how dependent the team is on others.
- Learning from the pilot
- Let pilot teams run the new model for one to two quarters while shielding them from legacy processes. Compare their business results against the status quo, even if the comparison is largely qualitative.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.