Foresight-informed Agile for Resilient Product Strategy

Summary#

This was my final research project for my master’s degree of Strategic Foresight and Innovation at OCAD University.

Abstract#

Agile is today’s dominant operational framework in software product development due to its effectiveness at helping teams overcome dynamic and uncertain conditions. As external uncertainties increase, some organizations are also adopting Agile as a strategic approach. However, we hypothesize that while Agile contributes to adaptability, it is insufficient for an organization to be resilient against major disruptions.

This research project studies the relationship between Agile software development and the strategic resilience of small-to-medium-sized organizations in Ontario, Canada. Using a mix of surveys and interviews with product leaders, we found that many teams’ strategic capability to be resilient is limited due to Agile’s narrow attention and short-term focus, encouraging teams to be reactive rather than proactive.

We designed the Resilient Product Strategy Toolkit, which integrates proven Strategic Foresight practices with existing Agile and product management processes to help teams broaden their attention and increase their capability to manage uncertainty. This research design contributes to the plausibility of combining Agile and Strategic Foresight as an ambidextrous approach to enhance an organization’s strategic resilience.

The full report can be downloaded here.

My Role#

The project was done in partnership with a fellow graduate student researcher, Caitlin Pannell-Evans. Professor Nabil Harfoursh was our advisor.

What we did#

• Literature review to understand context and background for problem
• Designed research with mix-method methodology
• Conducted interviews of Agile Product Managers
• Conducted interviews of experts
• Ran a survey to get input from Agile Product Managers
• Analyzed research data
• Designed a potential solution and framework

Outcome#

• Final report and presentation on data findings and solution
• A proposed solution: Resilient Product Strategy Toolkit, which integrates Strategic Foresight with Agile to improve the strategic resilience for Agile teams and organizations.