CTO Series: A Masterclass in Product, Process, and Leadership | Alexander Grosse

Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches

CTO Series: Alexander Grosse Shares A Masterclass in Product, Process, and Leadership

In this special BONUS episode from our CTO Series, we learn about leadership and product from Alexander Grosse, a seasoned professional with an impressive track record at companies like Nokia, SoundCloud, and BCG Digital Ventures. Currently serving as the Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) at Veo, Alexander shares insights into his unique role, offering practical advice on how to structure teams, integrate product and engineering functions, and scale effectively during periods of rapid growth. Whether you're in the tech space or simply interested in effective leadership, this episode provides invaluable lessons on aligning product and tech for optimal results.

The Evolution of the CPTO Role

"Bridging the gap between product and technology is crucial to avoid conflicts and ensure everyone is aligned on the same objectives."

Alexander begins by explaining the evolution of his role from an engineer to a CPTO, highlighting the challenges he faced in organizations where product and engineering were separated into silos. He discusses how this separation often led to conflicting incentives, ultimately stifling progress and innovation. By combining these roles under one umbrella, Alexander has been able to foster a more cohesive team, incentivized by the same goals and working in unison toward shared outcomes.

"In a startup with limited runway, it's essential to have one team incentivized by the same numbers. This alignment dissolves conflicts and directs energy towards building the product."

Leadership Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

"Moving from cross-disciplinary to interdisciplinary teams was a game changer—it shifted the mindset from individual ownership to shared responsibility."

Reflecting on his career, Alexander shares a pivotal moment that redefined his approach to leadership—embracing interdisciplinary collaboration. Influenced by the principles in the book Change by Design, he emphasizes the importance of teams owning everything together rather than just their specific domains. This shift not only improved the innovation process at BCG Digital Ventures but also laid the foundation for his current leadership style at Veo.

"Interdisciplinary teams own everything together, creating a culture where innovation thrives and leadership becomes a collective effort."

Crafting a Unified Product and Tech Strategy

"Shared ownership across disciplines ensures that both business and tech priorities are aligned, resulting in a more agile and responsive organization."

As the CPTO, Alexander is responsible for both product strategy and the technology roadmap. He describes his process of fostering shared ownership among his teams, loosely following Agile principles to maintain flexibility and responsiveness. By working in short cycles, conducting regular retrospectives, and aligning product, engineering, and design, he has created a cohesive strategy that drives both innovation and business results.

"Shared ownership and agile processes enable us to stay responsive to both product and business needs, ensuring that we're always moving in the right direction."

Overcoming Challenges in Hardware and Software Integration

"Combining commercial needs with incremental software releases requires a careful balancing act, especially in hardware-driven businesses."

Alexander discusses the unique challenges of launching hardware products while maintaining agile software development cycles. He underscores the importance of risk management and cross-functional collaboration, particularly between supply chain, commercial, and product development teams. With a dedicated program manager for hardware releases and strategic use of firmware updates, Alexander navigates the complexities of integrating hardware and software in a fast-paced environment.

"In hardware-dependent businesses, mastering risk management and aligning cross-functional teams are key to a successful launch."

Fostering Collaboration Between Tech and Business Units

"Aligning incentives between tech and commercial teams is crucial—what gets people to buy a product doesn't always keep them engaged."

Collaboration between tech and business units is vital for success, and Alexander shares several strategies to enhance this partnership. From organizing workshops to aligning incentives, he emphasizes the need for close cooperation between departments. One of his key practices is making product teams accountable for churn, ensuring that they are directly tied to business outcomes and closely aligned with sales metrics.

"Make your product team accountable for churn—it’s the closest business number to sales metrics and fosters true alignment with the commercial side."

The Impact of AI on the Future of Product Development

"Tasks with sufficient training data will be taken over by AI, reshaping how we approach software and product development."

Alexander shares his thoughts on the rise of AI and its potential to transform software and product development. He predicts that AI will take over routine tasks, like CRUD operations, allowing developers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of product development. He also highlights the current use of AI in querying data sets, pointing to its growing influence in everyday business operations.

"AI is set to take over routine development tasks, pushing us to focus on innovation and higher-level problem-solving."

Recommended Reading for CPTOs

The book Change by Design has been a significant influence on Alexander's approach to his role as CPTO. He recommends it as essential reading for anyone looking to bridge the gap between product and technology, offering a framework for creating interdisciplinary teams and fostering innovation.

"Change by Design was the missing puzzle piece for creating a 'one team' approach—it's a must-read for any CPTO."

[IMAGE HERE] Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story - How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Alexander

Alexander is a seasoned professional with a rich background in major corporations like Nokia, as well as experience with startups, and being a corporate venture builder at BCG Digital Ventures. Currently the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Veo, he invests in early-stage startups and offers expert advice, leveraging his experience as co-author of the O'Reilly book 'Scaling Teams'.

You can link with Alexander Grosse on LinkedIn.