Tag: innovation

Categories
HR Tech

Strengthening EM/PM partnership is the key to success in a software shop

Strengthening EM/PM partnership is the key to success in a software shop

Written by : Shyvee Shi on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

📍 What does a PM (Product Manager) do?


PMs articulate the WHY through strategy, define the WHAT through prioritization, and play a supporting role for the HOW. 

📍 What does an EM (Engineering Manager) do?


EMs work with their teams to figure out HOW the product should be built (e.g., tech stack, frameworks, and architecture, etc.), WHO builds it and WHEN it will ship.

🔑 What are the expectations of an EM in a Tech organisation?

▪️ Active involvement in product brainstorming
▪️ Highlight technical complexity of a solution
▪️ Drive technical execution and decisions
▪️ Empathy for user and business needs
▪️ Manage sprint planning + retro
▪️ Embrace big picture thinking
▪️ Assume positive intent 

In a software shop, many roles cross paths on a daily basis but not more than the Engineering Manager (EM)’s and the Product Manager (PM)’s path.

🤝 This partnership is the one that not only ensures successful delivery of software but also things like motivation, transparency, alignment, prioritization, innovation and everything in between.

Starting from exploring the importance of this partnership, to setting the right expectations and sharing best practices. 


Here are five tips to strengthen the partnership: 👇

1 Build a relationship


This is one of the most critical relationships you will ever have at work. And just like any other relationship, you get what you give. Do not leave it up to chance. Get to know each other, understand each other’s goals, priorities, communication preferences, working style, etc. Schedule regular sync-up meetings and invest the time to deepen the relationship. 

2 Get on the same page


Make sure you represent a united front and be the cheerleaders for the team. There is nothing worse than a conflicting set of priorities for a team and ensuring that doesn’t happen starts with you two.


3 Assume Positive Intent (API)


The heading says it all. It’s busy, there is a lot going on at all times. There are many communication channels and oftentimes you end up doing or saying something that the other person doesn’t agree with. It’s okay. Assume positive intent. Reach out, verify, and reassure the trust.

4 Communicate early and frequently

This one cannot be emphasized enough. There should be a direct line of communication between the EM and the PM. Share even if you think it’s something trivial. Share your concerns, ideas, progress, feedback, and any other developing stories necessary. 

5 Shorten the feedback loop

 

🤝 The HOW part is a collaboration as both sides need input from each other to choose the optimal solution.

Most searched question

Why is PM software important to your business?

What are the benefits of using project management software?

What are the key responsibilities of a project manager?

Most searched queries

Maintaining software is important

How to collaborate effectively

Collaboration in the workplace

 

Hello readers! Hope you liked what you read today. Click the like button at the bottom of this page and share insights with your colleagues and friends!

For more such amazing content follow Digilah

Categories
Digi Tech

How to keep up with macro tech trends as a PM?

Written by Shyvee Shi on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

If you aren’t keeping abreast with the latest IT, Tech, and Digital trends, you’re behind the curve. Tech innovations are important for continuous education and tech development. Yet, keeping track of all of them is incredibly time-consuming. 

Even IT professionals spend a lot of time gathering information, as there are hundreds of expert sources and even more technologies. So, I have a few simple steps on

How to Stay on Top Of Modern Technological Innovation

[1] Read: Spend some time reading about new technologies and concepts through sites like TechCrunch, Digilah. Also, try to keep yourself updated about the Tech stack your team is already using.

[2] Monitor Competition: Not just direct competition, it helps to follow companies in same problem domain/space. It’s good to be one up the competition, but since it is not always possible, following them closely gives a good insight about new concepts and tech that they might be aware of.

[3] Watch annual Developer conferences from major tech companies (e.g. Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon)

[4] Read commentary from Industry analysts (e.g. Ben Thompson, Benedict Evans, etc.)

[5] Follow Tech influencers and pay attention to trends they’re bullish on (e.g., Michael Spencer, Martin Harbech, Alex Kantrowitz, Tom Emrich, etc.)

[6] Discover new markets and ideas with 5-minute reports from Trends.vc by Dru Riley

[7] Pay attention to what company’s top VCs are investing in, and follow those companies

[8] Read engineering blogs to learn how systems work in relatively simple language and understand how world-class teams solve product problems and eng challenges!

[9] Internal Tech Team: My biggest resource is my teammates who are generally more updated. I am curious about implementation and architecture, and I keep asking them questions, and they are kind enough to explain stuff to me stuff. This is quickest way to get all updates.

[10] Events and Meetups: All the latest technologies kind of breed communities around them. That’s a great way to know the latest trends and keep yourself updated. You can become a part of the Digilah Tech community.

Keeping up with modern technologies allows businesses to increase sales, transform business models, launch innovative products, and improve customer experience.

However, the number of emerging technologies is constantly increasing. It’s highly time-consuming to keep track of them since there are numerous sources to study, but they don’t provide accurate and full definitions, let alone cover all the latest IT trends.

To overcome the challenge, product managers must find ways to help their teams stay on top of this changing world by contributing to the community, subscribing to trade publications, joining professional communities (Digilah Linkedin page) and attending seminars, technological events.

Most searched question 

What are the current macro trends?

What is macro technology?

What are the latest trends in technology?

Most searched queries

Technology trends
Macroeconomic trends
Global macroeconomic trends

Hello readers! Hope you liked what you read today. Click the like button at the bottom of this page and share insights with your colleagues and friends!

For more such amazing content follow Digilah

Categories
HR Tech

“Failure”, Innovation and Leadership

Written by Thakur Ajay on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

Fear of Failure is a roadblock to success

Failure is an inevitable part of life, but SMART people know how to make it work for them. One of the biggest roadblocks to success is the fear of failure. Fear of failure is worse than failure itself because it stops you to a life of unrealised potential.

A successful response to failure is all you need.

When testing a new technology often founders and leaders fear failure. 

DON’T fear failure

How can you avoid failure?

-Start Small

-Focus on the journey

-Educate yourself

-Trust yourself

-Ask for help

-Never be afraid of being called

Last but not the least keep referring to the below famous quotes by these legendry innovators and leaders and keep moving ahead:

A great leader is always aware of his ego. Because he believes in the words of Lao Tzu (a great Chinese philosopher) “knowing others is wisdom but knowing yourself is enlightenment”

He knows that the moment he gets aware of his ego he loses 99% of his enemies.

A great leader knows that his arrogance will be his downfall. A great leader knows that Socrates (father of the western philosophy) was right when he said

“The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing”

A great leader knows that to be a great leader he must be a great listener. He knows that ability to listen with patience is a superpower. He knows that one should never listen to reply but always listen to understand. 

A great leader is a great follower. He believes in the wise words of Mark Twain (father of American Literature)

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in 7 years”

A great leader respects everyone equally as he believes in the wise words of Albert Einstein (father of Modern Physics)

“I speak and respect everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the University”

A great leader knows that Ideas are nothing and execution is everything. A great leader has a great vision. He knows that leadership is all about translating vision into reality. A great leader always promotes creativity and innovation because he believes in the words of Steve Jobs (founder of apple)

“Innovation is what distinguishes between a leader and a follower”

A great leader knows that his megalomania, narcissism and unscrupulous nature would be his downfall. A great leader believes in the words of Aristotle (father of political science)

“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know”

A great leader believes in constant learning because he knows that once you stop learning, you start dying. A great leader believes in Change as he believes in the Wise words of Winston Churchill (ex-Prime Minister of Great Britain)

“To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often”

A Great Leader knows that mistakes are inevitable, failure is inevitable. He knows that only dead people can avoid making mistakes. He knows that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

A great leader never makes the same mistake twice and he knows that success is nothing but one’s ability to tolerate failure.

A great leader is a man of morals, values and ethics and he believes in the wise words of Warren Buffet (the most successful Investor of all time)

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently.”

A great leader believes in simplicity and patience. He knows that nature doesn’t hurry and yet everything is accomplished.

As he believes in the wise words of Sir Isaac Newton (father of physics)

“Truth is ever to be found in simplicity and nature is pleased with simplicity and nature is no dummy”

A great leader doesn’t find faults or defects he is more interested in finding solutions.

Cheers 🥂

Categories
HR Tech

Leadership in a digital world

Written by Holly Carmichael on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

The future success and effectiveness of leaders and senior executives will depend on how well they respond to the increasingly important role of digitisation through their business models. Regardless of the sector or size of their organisations, leaders must place technology, not as a function of the business, but right at the heart of it.  

This is a topic we discuss frequently within Criticaleye’s global membership Community of leaders and, encouragingly, almost all have digital transformation high on the agenda.

The relationship between digitisation and sustainability is also top of mind for C-suite executives. The pandemic may have been the tipping point for many on ESG(Environment, Social and Governance) issues, but senior teams are now seeing a convergence between digitial innovation and the focus on creating organisations which are sustainable and responding to climate change.  

Digitisation is revolutionising the business landscape, but what does this mean for the capabilities and leadership styles of executives at the top of organisations? One thing is clear, senior executives have had to adapt quickly. Leading innovation and digital transformation requires flexibility, agile thinking and a mindset that is open to learning from others.

Digital capability

Speed of change is forcing a lot to happen all at once. Technology is now integrated across the whole business. It is not a separate function anymore, such as where the responsibility for ‘technology’ was typically siloed.

The question often arises about the need for technology expertise at the top table. Of course, having an experienced CTO or digital evangelist is important, but building a top team which really understands what new technology can do and will bring to the organisation and customers should be the focus. Our Members generally agree that leaders need to empower teams and technology experts across the organisation, as well as playing a key role in how digital transformation is organised and communicated.

Internally, the use of digital solutions to facilitate remote-team management, ensure wellness, and improve productivity is getting to be an increasingly important agenda item. This is not just to do with automation. It’s about the ability to have real-time data which makes a huge difference when employees are going through uncertainty and rapid change.

Leading digital organisations

The past two years have demonstrated what is possible when organisations are forced to make big decisions quickly. Along with more strategic challenges, such as pivoting business models, leaders have had to revisit their softer skills and ask themselves whether they have a leadership style that is fit for the future. Leaders need to be creative and work differently.

When it comes to technology adoption, these new leadership skills are also coming to the fore. Previously considered ‘soft skills’, we’ve seen a lot more focus from leaders on developing their capabilities in this area. Now more than ever, senior executives need the ability to be open, authentic, agile, collaborative and innovative.

Few executives have emerged from the last two years unchanged. It’s clear that some have acclimatised to the new world – and adapted their own styles accordingly – but they are going to be tested harder, their leadership skills will be under greater scrutiny, so they should take time to reflect on their approach.

Categories
Smart Tech

Manual washing machines are back and stronger than ever

Written by Safaa Aouil Ghamzi on Digilah (Tech Thought Leadership)

Ever since humans started wearing clothes, women have been delegated to wash them. This unpaid labour trap has disproportionately affected women from the beginning of time. During the industrial revolution, a ground breaking invention changed the way humans washed their clothes forever. It was the electric washing machine. Whilst millions of people benefited from the time saved, a gap of inequality was forming in the Global South, where many people still handwash their clothes to this day. Lack of access to electricity, water, and cultural norms mean that 70% of the world’s population does not have access to an electric washing machine and is often not a sustainable option. 

Furthermore, 4.2 billion people do not have adequate sanitation and hygiene access globally. Unsafe and inadequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene practices are the main reason for disease in low-income countries. The top diseases spread by poor hygiene include body lice, diarrhoea, pinworm, and bacterial skin infections. 

When combining all these factors, handwashing can get incredibly burdensome. Women and children face many health risks associated with handwashing clothes, notably skin irritation and contracting infections and water-borne diseases from direct contact with contaminated water sources. They often lead to health implications further down the line.

The Washing Machine Project was created to combat the issues associated with handwashing clothes. Fast forward three years, we have carried out research in 16 countries and have piloted our novel manual washing machine in Iraq and Lebanon. 

Our ethnographic research with 3,000 families, including 900 in Uganda 800 in Jamaica, Nepal and the Philippines, prove that handwashing clothes are disproportionately placed on women and children as young as 6. For children, this burden is detrimental to their education and childhoods. It is a laborious task that inflicts chronic pain for those who spend up to 20 hours per week handwashing clothes. Handwashing clothes is time spent away from family, education, paid work and risking their health. Something had to be done.

We created Divya, an efficient manual washing machine that saves 50% of water and 70% of the time, resulting in 750 hours saved annually per household. 

It’s a front-loaded washing machine with a 5kg drum capacity that uses no electricity. Divya spins at 500 revolutions per minute and spin-dries clothes with 75% of the water coming out in the dry cycle. The device is made predominantly from off-the-shelf components that can easily be replaced or fixed in poor communities. With Divya, women can now spend their free time pursuing paid work and benefit from an education instead of spending hours handwashing clothes. 

For people who are burdened by handwashing clothes, a Divya washing machine is simply a miracle. Here are some testimonials below:

“I have three girls who stay two or three hours a day washing by hand. We suffer from pain in our hands, back and legs. It’s a fantastic invention.” – Kawsek, a refugee in Lebanon.

“After this washing machine came to us, things got easier for us. We don’t get exhausted anymore. We are very grateful. Thank you.” – Lamiya, a refugee in Iraq.

We have now received orders and interest from 25 countries for our Divya washing machines. Our vision is to create a world-leading organisation that brings together Innovation, Research and Development to solve the world’s most pressing humanitarian and development challenges. Whether it’s washing machines, air conditioning or refrigeration, we want to do it all. 

Donate here to create more Smart Technologies to change lives : https://www.gofundme.com/f/thewashingmachineproject