Design Thinking for Tech

George Anderson is a program director for Microsoft and an adjunct professor and guest lecturer for several universities. George holds Stanford Innovation & Entrepreneurship as well as Innovation Leadership credentials, PMI's Wicked Problem Solving and Prosci's Change Practitioner certifications, an MBA with a focus in Human Resource Management, and a PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences. As a program director, George assembles and leads global tech teams that help organizations transform themselves. George's architects and consultants provide the technology and business skills necessary to design and develop business-enabling technology solutions, and George and his project managers provide the leadership, governance, and communications necessary to deliver those solutions. In these ways, George's teams solve problems that drive meaningful change and measurable value. George knows first-hand the power of thinking and executing differently to change our world and often shares those learnings and experiences. He has co-led worldwide design thinking communities within Microsoft and has incorporated design thinking techniques and exercises into several of Microsoft's governance methods and project delivery methodologies. Since 2002, George has also been assembling authoring teams to publish popular technology planning and implementation books, including Teach Yourself SAP in 24 Hours (2015) and SAP Implementation Unleashed (2009). More recently, he has shared how Design Thinking can be applied to our work and personal lives through Stuck Happens: 95 Simple Life Hacks for Thinking and Thriving (2021). And George and his team shared guidance and techniques organized around PMI's Process Groups in Design Thinking for Program and Project Management (2019). Design Thinking for Tech: Solving Problems and Realizing Value in 24 Hours marries George's love of people, high-tech software development, platform-based business solutioning, and Design Thinking. It bridges the real-world intersection of technology and more than 130 Design Thinking techniques and exercises useful in learning, empathizing, and solving difficult problems while providing early and repeatable value along the way. Connect with George on LinkedIn or through email at George.Anderson@Microsoft.com.

Foreword

Preface

Prologue

PART I: Design Thinking Basics

Hour 1: Design Thinking Explained

Thinking Slower to Deliver Faster

A Process for Progress: Popular Design Thinking Models

Our Design Thinking Model for Tech

The Battle Between Perfection and Time

The What: Techniques and Exercises

The How: The Design Thinking Cycle for Progress

The When: Ambiguity, Complexity, and Uncertainty

The Why: Better Practices and Faster Outcomes

The Who: Design Thinking by Technology Role

Design Thinking in Action: Real-world Tech Examples

What Not to Do: Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Summary

Workshop

Hour 2: A Design Thinking Model for Tech

Human-Centered Thinking

Design Thinking in Four Phases

What Not to Do: Exclusively Left to Right

Summary

Workshop

Hour 3: Design Thinking for Small Audiences

Design Thinking for Me

Learning More Quickly

Thinking and Problem Solving

Coping with Ambiguity

Prioritizing Next Best Steps for Uncertainty

Executing More Effectively

What Not to Do: This Isn't for Me

Summary

Workshop

Hour 4: Resilient and Sustainable Teams

Design Thinking for Tech Team Alignment

Design Thinking for Sustainable Teams

Responsibly Operating at Speed

What Not to Do: The Archipelago Effect

Summary

Workshop

Hour 5: Visible and Visual Teamwork

Making Teamwork Visible and Visual

Tools for Visual Collaboration

Executing a Design Thinking Exercise

What Not to Do: Keeping It All Inside

Summary

Workbook

PART II: Understanding Broadly

Hour 6: Understanding the Lay of the Land

Listening and Understanding

Assessing the Broader Environment

Understanding and Articulating Value

What Not to Do: Ignore the Culture Fractals

Summary

Workshop

Hour 7: Connecting with the Right People

A Framework for Finding and Prioritizing People

Exercises for Stakeholder Mapping and Prioritization

Exercises and Techniques for Engaging Stakeholders

What Not to Do: Stick to the Happy Path

Summary

Workbook

Hour 8: Learning and Empathizing

From Stakeholders to Personas

Three Types of Empathy

A 360-Degree Model for Empathizing

A Recipe for Empathizing

What Not to Do: Ignore the 20 Percent

Summary

Workshop

Hour 9: Identifying the Right Problem

Identifying and Understanding a Problem

Three Exercises for Problem Identification

Techniques and Exercises for Problem Validation

What Not to Do: Jump In! (to the Wrong Problem)

Summary

Workshop

PART III: Thinking Differently

Hour 10: Introduction to Thinking Differently

Ideation and Thinking for Problem Solving

Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Warm-ups for Thinking Differently

Techniques for Clearing the Mind

What Not to Do: Stay Convergent!

Summary

Workshop

Hour 11: Guardrails for Thinking Creatively

Constraints and Guardrails

Simple Guardrails for Thinking Differently

Exercises for Thinking Through Risks

Crazy Techniques for Extreme Thinking

What Not to Do: Avoid the Silly-Sounding Stuff

Summary

Workshop

Hour 12: Exercises for Increasing Creativity

Creativity and Thinking

Techniques and Exercises for Creative Thinking

What Not to Do: Concluding Thinking Too Early

Summary

Workshop

Hour 13: Exercises for Reducing Uncertainty

Next-Step Thinking for Uncertain Situations

Reducing Uncertainty and Ambiguity

Working Through Uncertainty and What's Next

What Not to Do: The Brute-Force Path

Summary

Workshop

Hour 14: Thinking for Problem Solving

From Ideas to Potential Solutions

Visual Exercises for Problem Solving

What Not to Do: Skimp on Brainstorming

Summary

Workshop

PART IV: Delivering Value

Hour 15: Cross-Teaming and Communicating for Outcomes

Cross-Boundary Teaming for Collaboration

Techniques for Working Across Teams

Techniques for Communications Challenges

What Not to Do: Using Words When a Picture Is Needed

Summary

Workshop

Hour 16: Prototyping and Solutioning by Doing

The Prototyping and Solutioning Mindset

Making Progress versus Solving the Entire Problem

Techniques for Making Planned Progress

What Not to Do: Ignoring the Inverse Power Law

Summary

Workshop

Hour 17: Solutioning Small and Fast

The Progress Mindset: Showing Up and Starting Small

Realizing Value Through Objectives and Key Results

Starting Small and Delivering Fast

Techniques for Delivering and Executing to Think

For a Limited Time Only

What Not to Do: The Forever MVP

Summary

Workshop

Hour 18: Delivering Value at Velocity

Delivery Techniques for Increasing Value Velocity

Team Considerations for Velocity

Change Control Considerations for Velocity

What Not to Do: Shrink Sprints to Speed Up

Summary

Workshop

PART V: Iterating for Progress

Hour 19: Testing for Validation

The Testing Mindset

Traditional Types of Testing

Testing Techniques for Learning and Validating

Testing Tools for Feedback

What Not to Do: Automate Everything

Summary

Workshop

Hour 20: Feedback for Continuous Improvement

Simple Feedback Techniques

Strategic Feedback and Reflection Techniques

What Not to Do: Wait for Late Feedback

Summary

Workshop

Hour 21: Deploying for Progress

Avoiding Perfection Traps

Novel Techniques for Making Progress

Edge Case Techniques for Deploying and Realizing Value

What Not to Do: Deploying Too Soon

Summary

Workshop

Hour 22: Operating at Scale

Techniques and Exercises for Effective Scaling

Operational Resiliency Techniques

Techniques for Sustaining Systems and Value

What Not to Do: The Scale versus Features Mandate

Summary

Workshop

Hour 23: Making Change Sticky

Change Management and Adoption

The Four-Phase Change Process

Methods for Creating Awareness

Techniques for Providing Purpose

Driving Readiness Through Design Thinking

Four Techniques for Adopting Change

Techniques for Timing Change

What Not to Do: Change Management Can Wait

Summary

Workshop

Hour 24: Design Thinking for Project Velocity

Project Management Velocity

Leadership and Governance

Stakeholders and Expectations

Development Approach

Risk Management

Schedule Management

Managing Scope

Delivery and Quality

Communications and Collaboration

What Not to Do: No Courage, No Future

Summary

Workshop

Appendix A: Case Study Quiz Answers

Appendix B: Summary of Design Thinking Techniques and Exercises

Appendix C: Design Thinking in Action (by the Hour)

References

 

 

9780137933037    TOC    10/10/2022