Increasing Development Efficiency

Before we can improve efficiency we need to first agree on our definition of efficiency. Many companies look at team utilisation (% of time allocated to capitalisable projects) and predictability metrics (on-time and on-budget). But research from the DevOps Research and Assessment group shows that Lead Time in the most relevant efficiency metric.

How do we reduce Lead Time? Little's Law states that lead time is driven by Average Throughput and Work in Progress (WIP). For improving throughput we can Do More With More (hire more people) or Do More with the Same (improve people, process and technology). And Reducing WIP is what Lean is all about.

I dive into more detail about ways to achieve both of these in my article below. Rather unsurprisingly, the recommendations lead to a move from function project teams to cross-functional, empowered teams.

One question that I keep getting asked is how are the ways of working different between the different types of team. So I'm going to dig deeper into this over the coming weeks.

This Week’s Updates

Enabling the Team

Leaders, Stop Accidentally Scaring Your Team by Wes Kao
Leaders can unintentionally create fear by being vague, reactive, or overly intense. Clear intent, calm delivery, and consistency go a long way in making teams feel safe and motivated.

How To Lead An All-Hands After Delivering Bad News by Rebecca Knight
Handling all-hands meetings after tough news requires empathy, honesty, and structure. When leaders acknowledge emotions and provide a path forward, they help rebuild trust and focus.

Product Direction

Product Roadmaps Are Not Todo Lists by Ant Murphy
Treating roadmaps as rigid plans or task lists leads to misalignment and false certainty. The real value of a roadmap lies in communicating intent, enabling flexibility, and supporting better strategic conversations.

Do’s And Don’ts In Product Team Topology by Noa Ganot
Product team structure shapes collaboration, ownership, and delivery speed. Avoiding anti-patterns like unclear boundaries or forced coordination helps teams stay aligned and focused on outcomes.

Continuous Research

From Optional To Essential: The New AI Imperative For Research by Natan Voitenkov
AI is shifting from a nice-to-have to a core component of modern research practices. Teams that integrate AI thoughtfully can move faster and focus their energy on higher-order analysis and decision-making.

GDS’s User Research On AI In Government by Louise Petre, Johanna Kollmann, & Tommaso Spinelli
Understanding how people in government perceive and interact with AI is key to responsible adoption. Early research reveals excitement, uncertainty, and the need for clearer communication, guidance, and support.

Continuous Design

Beyond The Algorithm: Why GenAI Demands A UX Revolution by Katie Schmidt, Hayley Mortin and Jessa Anderson
With traditional, direct-manipulation graphic user interfaces (GUIs), users take action, then the system responds in consistent, expected ways. GenAI disrupts this UX design paradigm by introducing an interaction model that is based on the specification of intent-based outcomes.

A Bright Future For Strategic Thinkers by Ed Orozco
Being good at identifying and framing problems, whether you bear the design title or not, is going to become a key differentiator. Everyone can ship, but not everyone can figure out what to ship.

Continuous Development

Increasing Development Efficiency by Rory Madden
Improving development efficiency starts with agreeing on the efficiency we are trying to optimise for. Research from DORA shows that Lead Time is the best efficiency metric as it is correlated with business success.

Do Product Teams Really Ship Value Weekly? by Teresa Torres
Product teams can ship value weekly by breaking big opportunities down and using story maps to find simple ideas.

Be Part Of The First
Global Community Impact Week

5+ Cities. Free Events. One Global Conversation.

UXDX’s Product Community Week is coming… and it’s going to be global! We’re launching something new this October: a full week of community-powered, FREE UXDX events taking place in London, New York, Berlin, Bengaluru, Dublin and beyond.

Talks. Panels. Livestreams.
Every city will feature in-person events, largers cities will be live-streamed, and a great opportunity to network with UXDX ambassadors and industry leaders.

But first, we need your voice. Are you based in one of our community or launch cities? Got a bold idea, a hard-earned lesson, or a panel you’d love to host? Nominate yourself or someone you admire to speak here.

Let’s make local stories part of something bigger!

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS 

Check out more upcoming community events 

Video of the Week
The Role & Responsibility Of Prototyping In Product Development

This week we explore the critical role of prototyping in product development. Do you use prototypes during discovery, or is it simply a tool for designers? Prototypes are not just for designers as they can align teams, test assumptions, and reduce the risk & resources spent on product work based on untested ideas.

Learn how leveraging prototypes and experiments across your team can streamline your process, minimize risks, and ensure you're building the right products. Watch the full session now and discover how to make prototyping a valuable tool in your product development lifecycle.

The Results of Last Week’s Poll

The question: How do you ensure your systems remain aligned with the original architectural vision?

Last week’s poll results highlight how teams ensure their systems stay aligned with the original architectural vision. The most common method, with 34% of responses, is continuous refactoring. This indicates that many teams believe in regularly refining their architecture to maintain alignment with the initial vision while adapting to new needs.

Interestingly, 22% of teams rely on architectural reviews, which help assess and adjust the system's alignment periodically. Another 17% use embedded fitness functions to track the health and consistency of the architecture. Code reviews and other unspecified methods also play a role, with 16% opting for alternative strategies. These results reflect a balance between ongoing adjustments and structured reviews to maintain architectural integrity.

If you're looking to improve your approach to maintaining system alignment or enhance your architectural practices, consider exploring practical techniques in our Continuous Development course!

Seen an interesting article online? Share it with us and we might feature it in our next issue!
Click here to share an article