Project vs Product Focus in Software Projects
When I had applied to Nava, I was chatting with a friend who has worked in #govtech, and he described traditional government contracting as "service and staffing"-focused, and newer organizations like 18F and Nava (formed in the last decade or so) as "product" companies. I didn't quite follow the distinction, and reached out to my circle of people on Mastodon for their thoughts:
I've been interested in #civictech for a while now, but only recently had someone describe previous structures of government contracting as "services"-oriented vs modernization efforts from the last decade (as seen in work by 18F, Nava, and others) as "product"-oriented.
Anyone got links or reading material on the difference?
Carter Baxter kindly responded:
@sivy I think what you're looking for is the difference between project (time-limited, with an end date to construction, like a building) and product thinking (iterative and ongoing as long as there are user needs). IIRC, the 18F Derisking guide talks about it a fair bit about it. This is also a nice guide from a quick search: https://johnfarrier.com/projects-vs-products-perspectives-on-dod-software-execution/
That post by John Farrier is super-helpful, and contains this succinct gem early on:
On the other hand, a “software product” is an outcome of one or more software projects characterized by its ongoing lifecycle, market focus, and continual evolution to meet customer needs and adapt to market changes.
Thanks Carter, I'm reading this now, and have the 18F Derisking Guide queued up as well.
- Carter Baxter
- 18F Derisking Guide (the new one)
- John Farrier