This podcast delves into the challenges and strategies of innovating within large companies. The guest, Tanguy Cesson, has extensive experience at Atlassian, working on multiple pioneering products like Hipchat, Stride, Statuspage, and Jira Product Discovery. He shares both successes and hard-earned lessons, offering valuable insights into fostering innovation in an established enterprise.
In this episode, Tanguy Cesson discusses the uphill battle of innovating and creating new products in large companies. He candidly shares his journey with various projects at Atlassian, detailing what worked, what failed, and the lessons learned. His key insight revolves around balancing the drive for innovation with company constraints and emphasizes the importance of user connection, adaptability, and an autonomous team environment for success.
**User Connection:** Engage deeply with users, using their feedback as a cornerstone for product development.
**Iterative Process:** Start with a small, targeted group of customers and iterate based on their experiences, progressively expanding the user base.
**Autonomy and Protection:** Create a semi-autonomous team environment shielded from standard company processes to allow innovation to thrive.
**Clear Communication:** Regularly communicate progress to stakeholders using qualitative and quantitative data to maintain support and momentum.
**Strategic Patience:** Recognize that building and validating new products can be a lengthy process, requiring patience and strategic staging.
Introduction: Discussing innovation in large companies.
Hipchat and Stride: Challenges of overinvestment and platform rewrites.
Statuspage: Navigating cultural integration post-acquisition.
Jira Product Discovery: Using a structured incubator for successful innovation.
Lessons Learned: Strategic failure management, maintaining momentum, and the importance of user empathy.
Team Dynamics: Breaking company rules wisely and fostering a protective environment for new projects.
Conclusion: Reflecting on the balance between pushing innovation and self-care within a corporate environment.
“Keep it about the work, as long as you make it about the work, there’s always a path that emerges.” – Emphasizes the importance of focusing on the task at hand despite external pressures.
“Create scarcity; autonomy to test things is crucial.” – Highlights the necessity of a focused, autonomous environment for innovation.
“Your job is to keep the flame alive and help it spread.” – Underlines the importance of persistent and clear communication in maintaining support for new ideas.
Product Managers:
Engage directly with users to gather actionable feedback.
Focus on small, iterative updates to test and validate concepts.
Communicate progress regularly to maintain stakeholder support.
Corporate Leaders:
Foster an environment that allows for rule-breaking within reason.
Support autonomous, small teams focusing on innovation.
Understand the long-term commitment needed for successful new product development.
Engineers:
Immerse yourself in user feedback to drive product development.
Collaborate closely with product managers to iterate quickly on user feedback.
Be willing to build and test unconventional solutions quickly.