By blending product development principles, user experience strategies, Lean methodology, and the Scrum framework, I was able to overcome significant challenges in the creation and distribution of Therapy for Mgbánwè. This approach enabled me to systematically remove impediments, reduce waste, and iterate rapidly, ultimately creating a more refined and accessible product for a diverse audience.
Learning Preference Outcomes:
Enhanced Accessibility: The addition of multiple content formats made the book more inclusive and accessible to a wider audience.
Scalable Content Strategy: The iterative approach enabled continuous adaptation to meet the needs of various learning styles.
Market Adaptation Outcomes:
Product Accessibility: Removing geographic and currency restrictions ensured a wider audience could access the book.
Customer-Centric Design: The Google Drive eCopy allowed the book release to meet Nigerian readers’ needs effectively, with minimized risks, and without delays.
Whether it’s through MS Teams, Facebook, WhatsApp, showing up in-person, or phone calls, it’s crucial to respect people’s time instead of interrupting them without notice.
Research by psychologist Gloria Mark shows that it takes 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption, a fact I’ve used when coaching leaders with Scrum teams.
Decision-Making Outcomes:
Cognitive Dissonance Management: By finally recognizing the “mental block” as a form of cognitive dissonance, Onyedika broke free from it and moved forward with the product’s release.
Incremental Delivery: This approach allowed for iterative product improvements, reducing waste and creating value for both academic and general readers in subsequent editions.
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In a technology company, a culturally diverse team that was intended to be self-managing struggled under a Subject Matter Expert (SME) who micromanaged team members and criticized their self-management capabilities. After observing the team’s interactions for a month and comparing them with more self-managing teams, Upgrading Self identified the SME’s micromanagement as a critical issue. The introduction of AI assistants as a survey tool provided valuable feedback, which helped coach the SME and significantly improved team collaboration, cultural cohesiveness, productivity, and innovation.
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