Do you ever wonder why some sports teams are so much better than others? Probably the top teams have these characteristics.
To relax after my work for Synergio I like sports. It used to play volleyball and now I play tennis. As you may have read in the personal stories of my colleagues, there are many similarities between sport and product development. Especially when you make the comparison with team sport. Maybe you are a fan of a certain team yourself. When you think of your favorite team, do you ever wonder why they are so good? You probably recognize the following characteristics in your favorite team.
- With a top team it seems like everything goes by itself.
- The interplay goes smoothly; it looks effortless.
- Players can find each other blindly, they are very well attuned to each other.
- They take great pleasure in what they do.
The secret of top teams
A team that takes on challenges seemingly effortlessly, that works smoothly together and that radiates undeniable fun. Isn’t that what you want as a coach or manager? Yet there is a remarkable paradox when you compare product development and sport. Have you ever wondered, ‘How did these guys become so successful and how do they stay in top shape? What’s their secret?’
The eighty/twenty principle
Athletes have become so good because they spend eighty to ninety percent of their time training. The other ten to twenty percent they spend playing matches in which they apply what they have learned. They train on technique, tactics, endurance, mental toughness and much more. Everything they need to win a match. If you compare this with product development teams in many organizations, the ratio is often the other way around: ten to twenty percent of the time is spent on training and eighty to ninety percent on ‘playing matches’; actually developing products. So these teams miss crucial training hours…
What else do top teams do?
In order to obtain sufficient training hours as a product development team, it is essential to make ‘continuous learning & improvement’ an integral part of your product development process. Think of it as an infinite ellipsis of learning, applying and improving. Over and over. This way you will become a top team as a team.
Want to spar?
Would you like to know what we can do for your team? Feel free to call us for a no-obligation consultation. We are happy to think along with you about a suitable development process for your people.
We are Synergio. And this is what we offer our customers:
- Effective Portfolio Management.
- Continuously create added value.
- Continuous learning and improvement.
- Creating well-cooperating teams.
