Customer Reviews

Flexible Product Development: Building Agility for Changing Markets

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This is the second book of Preston's that I have read, and they are both excellent books. He has his finger on the pulse of change in product development.
This one, "Flexible Product Development: Building Agility for Changing Markets" is a book that describes a successful future of product development and project management. The flexibility concept Preston describes is essential to managing products and projects in the future. The speed of business continues to require teams to get projects done faster with less resources and information.
I think he is right on with his flexible approach to requirements development. A lot of product innovation success is tied to customer involvement in requirements development in an iterative way, much like the agile techniques for software development. the great thing about this book is it offers techniques for non-software products.
His flexible approach is fairly close to the Earned Value Management (EVM)technique called "rolling Wave Planning". In this technique the team detail plans near future work and leaves farther out work in planning packages. Rolling wave periods are usually 3 or 6 months long, but can be modified to suit the project. Unfortunately, implementing a total EVM system is not a possibility for fast projects, it is a very cumbersome methodology.
As we move into the future I think PMI methodology will have to become more like Preston Smith's. The use of their methodology will dwindle unless it can be applied flexibly.
I think Preston is on his way to creating a viable methodology for product development and project management, that fits the increasing speed of business.
This is a must have reference for those of us who want to stay agile and current in the business of project and product management.

Flexible Product development is a hard book to write a review about. I believe it's an important book. As Preston Smith already points out in the beginning, it's the first book that focuses on flexibility in product development (also outside the software domain). It heavily draws from the Agile SW Development ideas and brings these ideas to product development in general.

One reason why the book is hard to review is because the value of reading this book will depend much on what you already read earlier. If you are familiar with Agile development AND you have read Smith and Reintertsen's earlier work, then it doesn't add much, I would just rank it 3 stars and wouldn't recommend it. If you are new to either Agile development or the earlier work, this book will be 4 stars and worth reading. If you not very familiar with either then this book is a must read (5 stars). So depending on your previous reading and experience, you'll have to decide whether its worth reading.

The book is set up as a collection of tools for making product development more flexible. The first chapter provides the theoretical basis for why you want your development to be more flexible and also introduces agile development.

Chapter three talks about the importance of modular architecture. The fourth chapter talks about experimenting. I found especially the talk about rapid prototyping and 3d printers very interesting. Next chapter talks about set-based design, a technique Toyota has used in their car design. Building so that you do not make one decision but keep a set of decisions open. I felt some real examples were missing in this part of the book.

Chapter 6 is probably the most important chapter in the books and talks about people and teams. Much of it was similar than earlier work from Smith, though this time it seemed to be stressed even more than before. Excellent chapter.

Chapter 8 talks about the difference between flexible product development project management and traditional project manager. An important subject. The next chapter covers processes. This chapter has been postponed to the end to de-emphasize the focus on processes. As the agile community says "individuals and interaction over process and tools". Yet, process is also important.

The book ends with a chapter on change and change management and how to proceed in making the product development in your organization more flexible.

Conclusion. A well-written book. An important book as the first in a potential new series of books. A great summary of earlier material. Worth reading if you have not read much on the subject yet.

"Flexible Product Development - Building Agility for Changing Markets" is a collection of insights from an experienced, well-informed adviser.

Smith declares, "This may be the first book on product development flexibility, but I did not invent the material." (p. xiii) Smith continues, "The benefits of flexibility connect directly with the degree of innovation you seek." (p. 7) This is possible because "The customer is the starting point - and the ending point - for all effective product development, so it is appropriate to start by exploring ways businesses can improve flexibility through their relations with customers." (p. 31) In flexible product development, requirements evolve. "Flexible process are emergent." (p. 205) Flexible projects "anticipate the future better." (p. 212)

Flexibility in development is contrasted with familiar management approaches like "phased development systems, project office, and Six Sigma" (p. x). Flexible product development has much in common with agile software development principles. (Chapter 1)

People such as Professor Alan MacCormack of the Harvard Business School, Barry Boehm from the University of Southern California, and Frederick Brooks, the author of "The Mythical Man-Month" are presented as paragons of excellence. The company most discussed is Toyota.

Chapter 6 begins by presenting Boehm's factors that influence labor costs for a development project. "People factors ... are by far the most important ones in determining project effort and thus cost." (p. 126). Smith has suggestions for development team composition. There should be an appropriate mixture of developers of process mastery levels 1, 2, and 3. Level X developers present a dilemma for management. (p. 131) The concept of levels 1, 2, and 3 is credited to Alistair Cockburn, an author of the Agile Manifesto. Level 3 people are fluent in their craft and "Able and willing to adjust and improvise without reference to specified methods." (p. 130) Level X developers are proficient but they often poison the team by behavior such as withholding information. Level X is credited to Boehm and Turner. Chapter 6 addresses the inefficiency of working on too many projects.

Chapter 7 presents the benefits of making decisions at the "last responsible moment." The last responsible moment is different that typical procrastination. It involves "identifying and collecting information now that will help you make a better decision." (p. 175)

Chapter 9 addresses the product development process. Two extremes are presented. One method is the process-centric process that is often described as a "best practice." The other approach is "We hire the best, make sure they have product development experience, give them what they need, and turn them toward their own judgment." The second approach is consistent with Chapter 9, "Trust in People," described in "The HP Way " by David Packard in 1995.

Chapter 9 presents the concept of Technical debt - "the unfinished work your organization owes to your product." (p. 228).

The title of Chapter 10 is "Implementing Flexibility." Smith warns "Tools are tangible and easy to learn, but it is the underlying values and principles that are critical to becoming flexible." (p. 231)

This is a very good and useful reference book for developing organization and product development in today's rapid-pace market.