Last week, I had the immense pleasure of attending Agile on the Beach 2024 (#AOTB2024) in beautiful Cornwall, UK. The second day was as enriching and fulfilling as the first thanks to incredible talks, engaging discussions, and a few delightful surprises. Here’s a recap of Day 2:
The day started with a delicious breakfast, setting the perfect tone for a day full of learning and growth 😅
Janet Bumpas’ Keynote
Janet Bumpas kicked off the day with her keynote and emphasized the importance of having a bold, clear vision to guide product development, sharing insights from Marty Cagan and Bill Campbell. Janet introduced the concept of the Product Vision Sprint, a week-long intensive process to create a compelling vision storyboard. This method, inspired by Walt Disney and used by companies like Airbnb, helps teams align on a visionary narrative for their product. Her talk left me with practical strategies to develop a strong, inspiring product vision.
But also a bittersweet taste as most of her insights and take-aways were the same i planned to share in my sessions 😅 so i had to figure out how to rewrite my slides to avoid the pain of redundancy for the audience, and did so by simply integrating her (and some screen shots of her keynote) in my narrative and slide deck !!! That was fun 🙂
Vinnie Gill: Embracing Experiments in Agile Coaching
Next, I attended Vinnie Gill’s session, “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls – Stick to the Experiments That Will Guide You.” Vinnie shared her experiences as an agile coach navigating a traditional waterfall environment. Through an interactive case study, she illustrated how to introduce experiments, impact culture, and foster leadership and communication in such settings. I appreciate her pragmatic approach and real-life examples.
Evie Brockwell: Creating Impact in Product Management
Evie Brockwell’s talk, “From Chaos to Calm: 4 Techniques to Actually Carve Out Time to Create Impact in Product,” was a game-changer. She offered us four key techniques to manage time and increase collaboration within product teams. Evie’s strategies for breaking down silos, improving product direction, and giving teams time to focus on impactful work were both practical and empowering. Her talk left lot of us feeling more in control, and looking forward to implement these changes.
Then was my talk: “How We Do Product at Spotify”
I completely rewrote this talk that already gave twice, to make it more engaging and more sticky in audience’s souvenirs. And the new structure and narrative worked well, the slide deck is shared here.
Daniel Merriman: Product Lessons from Teaching the World to Type
Daniel Merriman’s session, “40 Million Students in 8 Months – Product Lessons from Teaching the World to Type,” was both entertaining and educational. He shared the story of leading a team through an ambitious project to teach typing to millions of students. His humorous anecdotes, including the importance of turning critics into advocates and the benefits of engineers taking camping holidays, provided valuable lessons in product leadership. This talk was on my Top 3 talks at #AOTB2024 !!!
Stephen Janaway: Building Great Teams in Challenging Times
Stephen Janaway concluded the day and the 2024 conference with his talk on “Return of the Rockstars? Building Great Teams in Challenging Times.” He discussed the changing landscape of software engineering, emphasizing the need to build efficient, innovative teams in an era where AI is enhancing productivity. Stephen’s insights into reducing waste and delivering more with less, by obstrcuting the come back of RockStars engineers – were particularly relevant in today’s economic climate. And also really funny to listen 🙂 big kuddos to his son for all the Lego !
#Gratitude
Unfortunately, I missed the infamous boat party due to fatigue and the uninviting weather. Nevertheless, I heard it was a fantastic event, filled with laughter, music, and camaraderie. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have attended Agile on the Beach 2024. The speakers’ wisdom, the engaging discussions, and the warm community made this conference an unforgettable experience.
Thank you to all the organizers, sponsors speakers, and attendees for making #AOTB2024 a success. And now I am already looking forward to #AOTB2025 ! 🌊🚀
#Agile #AOTB2024 #ProductManagement #Learning #Community