Beyond Features — Chapter VIII

Reorienting to what matters most

Originally published in GoRetro

After several conflicts, Björn and Ivar understood the heavy burden of accountability. Creating output is easy and predictable but delivering outcomes is daunting and unpredictable.

The hard way, teams Kattegat and Jorvik are learning what it takes to inspect and adapt, yet they struggle to find the balance between discovery and implementation. Meanwhile, stakeholders keep pressuring them for more. Luckily they have Lagertha to light their way.

Three Sprints have passed, and both teams managed to put new features live. Now, tourists can recommend their friends in exchange for an exclusive VIP Tour, and partners can be self-onboarded. Yet, something was missing: RESULTS.

Despite the achievements, the customer acquisition cost is still skyrocketing, and partner acquisition remains slow, which leads to a lack of competition.

Impatient, Ecbert called a meeting with Lagertha, Björn, and Ivar. He kept it short and emotionally presented his dissatisfaction with the results. Loud and clear, he demanded, “I empowered you to deliver results, it’s been almost a quarter, and beyond features, I see nothing. I give you a month to change this scenario. If nothing changes, we’re back to our…