From Static to Dynamic Team Alignment by Dan Schmidt

Welcome to Note One, Episode 2:

Meet Daniel Schmidt, CEO & Cofounder of DoubleLoop, the platform for metrics-driven strategy. Dan’s a fellow enthusiast of PLG and growth frameworks, I know Dan since building my first DoubleLoop Map about a year ago and we stayed in touch since. In this episode, Dan provide valuable insights to navigate the complex landscape of today's business and product world.

A glimpse into Daniel’s previous work:

• DoubleLoop: DoubleLoop is a strategy development platform for teams to maximize and show impact.

• productlogic.org: Dan’s Massive Writing Library

In this episode, Dan addresses the gap in traditional product management and to think beyond traditional goal-setting, focusing on alignment across teams, a deeper understanding of metrics, and the integration of both product-led and sales-led approaches. As organizations adopt these concepts, they will likely see a shift in organizational culture, a more systematic way of thinking, and better adoption of dynamic alignment. In this episode, we discuss:

1. The North Star Frameworks:

   • The Delicate Balance: Short-Term Revenue vs. Long-Term Customer Value

   • Emphasizes the importance of metric mapping to guide decisions.

2. Driver Trees:

   • Offers a broader perspective with varying types of business driver trees such as North Star frameworks and KPI trees.

   • Advises starting with driver trees as a foundation for structuring initiatives.

3. Static and Dynamic Alignment:

   1. The Power of Dynamic Alignment against Traditional OKRs

   2. Embracing Transparency in Business Strategy

   3. Challenges Encountered in the Adoption of New Frameworks and Aligning Teams

Where to Find Dan:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfschmidt/

• Dan’s Blog: https://productlogic.org/

• DoubleLoop Official Website: https://doubleloop.app/

Timestamp for the episodes:

1. (1:54) The Origin and Vision behind DoubleLoop

2. (2:10) Establishing an Outcomes-Driven Company Culture.

3. (4:34) Navigating the North Star Framework and its Connection to Long-Term Business KPIs.

4. (7:43) An In-depth Exploration of Driver Trees and Business Drivers.

5. (8:46) The difficulty of Initiatives Mapping and Linking Projects to Desired Outcomes.

6. (10:33) How to start building a Driver Tree in your Organization

7. (16:12) Crafting a Shared Business Mental Model: Transparency, Conflicting Perspectives, and Validation.

8. (19:02) Embracing Qualitative Indicators with Quantitative Metrics for Holistic Decision Making.

9. (20.01) Introducing Dynamic Alignment: A Fresh Perspective versus Traditional OKRs.

10. (28.56) Challenges and Triumphs in DoubleLoop's Evolutionary Journey.

11. (31.30) Ensuring Alignment Across Teams: From the Founding Team to Growth Teams.

12. (34.45) Strategic Workshops and Educational Approaches for Metrics Education and Decision-making.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understanding and implementing the Double Loop, North Star frameworks, and driver trees can significantly impact product development and strategy.

2. The focus should be on achieving a shared business mental model, ensuring transparency, and effectively handling conflicting perspectives.

3. Embrace dynamic alignment for better adaptability in the ever-changing business environment.

4. A blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches is essential for holistic business growth.

References:

• Scaled Feature Factories - John Cutler

• Don’t Become a Victim of One Key Metric - Casey Winters

• The deep value of the North Star Framework is not a North Star metric

• Balancing short-term and long-term product bets

• Why Goal Cascades are Harmful (and What to Do Instead) - John Cutler

• Article on static vs dynamic alignment

• How to reach out to Dan for a North Star Workshop

• DoubleLoop