Itcanbeachallengefindingcustomerstoworkwithsobecarefulto makesurethecustomersyouchoosearerepresentativeofthemarket asawhole. 4. Build credibility with development Whetheryou’reindailycontactwiththedevelopmentteamsasthe productownerorworkingwithabacklogmanager youneedtobuild yourcredibilitywithdevelopment.Developmentneedstohavefaith thatyouunderstandthemarket,havethoughtthroughtheproduct directionandcanleadtheprioritisationofrequirements,otherwise theymightjustgooffanddotheirownthing. Youcandothisbymakingsureyou’veclearlycommunicatedyour visionfortheproduct,respondingtoquestionsinatimelyfashionand bymakingyourselfawareofthemaindevelopmentissuesandany potentialimpacts. 5. Embrace Agile to get the benefits Agiledoesbringhugebenefitstosoftwaredevelopmentandasa productmanageryoucanreapthebenefitsofanAgileapproachifyou strivetomakeitwork.Rememberthatasaproductmanager whoisalsoaproductowner,Agileholdsyoutoaccount!You havethefreedomtodirectthedevelopmentteams,respond tochangingmarketsandcustomerrequirements–thereisno excuseforlaunchingwithaproductthemarketdoesn’twant. HoweverforAgiletobesuccessfulthewholeorganisation needstoembraceit.Thistakestraining,processdevelopment andongoingsupport.So,asaproductmanager,don’tbeafraid toaskforsomeAgiletraining. 16 ProductManagementJournalVolume 7 BEST PRACTICE “In my experience,one of the biggest challenges implementing Agile is the cultural change. It’s not that hardto change processes,tools oreven skills – but changing hearts andminds can be a huge challenge.” Derek Britton, Independent Product Management professional and Agile commentator