Articles

By Andrew Park | 2024-08-23 In my experience, the role of Product Owner, as defined by Scrum, was originally created to give prominence to a single individual who would manage the product backlog and ensure development efforts aligned with the customer’s needs. Scrum, as an Agile framework, deliberately chose the term “Product Owner” to emphasize this person’s authority and responsibility over the product’s success. The intention was to create a single point of accountabilit

By Andrew Park | 2024-08-14 Product managers face significant challenges within Agile and Scrum frameworks due to their structured, sprint-based nature, which often conflicts with the broader, strategic responsibilities of product management. The role requires a long-term vision, extensive planning, and strategic decision-making, which clash with the short, iterative cycles of Agile sprints. Frequent interruptions from meetings and rigid sprint schedules disrupt the holistic

By Andrew Park | 2024-08-13 As a Vice President of Engineering since 2006, I’ve often worn the hat of a Product Manager on a part-time basis, particularly for our flagship analytics products. This dual role has provided me with unique insights into the critical importance of Product Management and the necessity of cultivating business empathy among technical performers. Throughout my career, I have guided my engineers to be willing and effective collaborators with their busin

By Andrew Park | 2024-08-09 Over the past 18+ years as a Vice President of Engineering, I've consistently managed to defy Brooks's Law in numerous situations when adding developers to late projects. Brooks's Law famously states that "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later" due to increased complexity and communication overhead. Here’s how I’ve successfully navigated this challenge: The first key factor is cultivating a culture where every software devel

By Andrew Park | 2024-07-26 In the world of software development, the drive for rapid deployment and continuous updates often overshadows the critical need for rigorous engineering practices, discipline, and comprehensive testing. This imbalance can have disastrous consequences, especially for applications where failure can lead to significant disruptions or damage. The recent incident involving CrowdStrike serves as a stark case study illustrating the potential pitfalls of p

By Andrew Park | 2024-07-17 Software engineering, while crucial to modern technology, is the most inefficient field of engineering. This conclusion is based on an analysis of 340+ companies, encompassing 9.6 billion lines of code and 557,000 full-time software developers. Our findings reveal that the shelf life of industry source code is notably short, with obsolescence increasing over time. Typically, organizations can expect that 50% of every dollar invested in software dev

By Andrew Park | 2024-06-18 The ultimate goals for any company should be great products and delighted users. Achieving this requires...