Singapore is a hotbed for technology and innovation

Even as an island with 6M people and finite physical space, it’s quite a progressive country that has made very strategic investments in innovation over the past 15 years

And the results speak for themselves!

Microsoft, LinkedIn, Google and Facebook are some of the technology giants with regional headquarters in Singapore

There are also many local and foreign startups, which makes Singapore a perfect hub

This week, I will be exploring what makes Singapore stand out and what’s led it to becoming a magnetic pull in South East Asia.

Success Factor #1: Singapore has created a digital mindset and culture!

Singapore has a Smart Nation initiative to create a digital economy, a digital government and a digital society.

This is visible in the day to day activities like using public transportation, eating out, and shopping

This inside-out strategy has been very successful and has attracted interest from other countries that are on their digital transformation journey

Have you experienced Singapore’s digital ecosystem?

What’s your take on it?

What makes you choose one brand over the next one?

Is it because of the hype, their glowing reviews, their customer experience, their product features?

There are probably a million more reasons for your choice selection

But inadvertently, you have created your own

And why is that the case?

There are so many things happening in the confines of

Use a product roadmap, to help you plan where you are going, to drive agile

• Have a plan

• Define what success looks like

• What are we focusing on vs not focusing on

• Agile doesn’t mean no planning

• Manage to outcome and not outputs

Shifting from outputs to outcomes

• Test and experiment and try

• Understand the difference b/n output vs an outcome

• What does success look like?

• Focus on the outcome, then design the solution from there

• Iterate until you get to the outcome

How to align the roadmap with agile?

WHY – why are we building the product? Why are you working on this?

WHAT – what outcomes do we hope to drive as a result of the product?

HOW – bridge the gap between high level strategy and what you are building: NOW(2 weeks), NEXT (next 2 months), LATER….Is this really what we should be building?

Disclaimer – this is a strategic communication document, not a commitment…this is a living document

Don’t dictate solutions

How to build a roadmap?

 Have some sort of a checkpoint

 The team should know the strategy of the product (not the backlog)

 Consistently use and reference to keep everyone on the same page

 Ideally, everyone can provide inputs, ask questions

o Product manager coordinates with the lead designer, lead developer, executive sponsor and other key stakeholders…essentially everyone who will need to approve it

Common Mistakes to avoid:

 Too much detail – 1 to 2 page document. Additional info should go to an appendix

 Not clearly defining priorities… Lack of discipline with strategic planning

 Focusing on solutions and not on problems…it becomes a project plan

Good Roadmap Qualities:

 Having an engaged team…everyone feels like they know what’s going on and what my part is. Even if people are not taking my ideas, I know where it stands

 A leadership team that’s focused, know what’s important and know how to feedback that into the documentation

Summary:

 Frustration & Friction on teams: sustained friction leads to burnouts

 Start to ask questions…why does this product exist? I want to make sure I am aligned…is this right?

 Change the mindset