Moving from project-based to product-based work

When adopting value stream thinking, it’s important to change the view and mindset of development from project-based management to product-based management.

In Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework, Mik Kersten contrasts the success of integrating IT and software in assembling BMW models in Leipzig, Germany, with the failure of Nokia to continue its dominance in the smartphone industry as the iPhone and Android phones were introduced. He notes that although Nokia had successfully adopted Agile practices, it did not appear to foster change to the entire product development process or affect the entire organization. He identifies that for this Age of Software, product-oriented development using value streams allows for the creation and maintenance of successful products.

Mik Kersten highlights seven key categories where the differences between project-based management...