Top 10 Reasons for Slow Velocity

Marty Cagan identifies ten critical factors that slow product development velocity: lack of strong product owners (teams are 'destined to churn' without capable leadership), weak project management (failing to remove impediments), infrequent release cycles (teams should release at least every two weeks with robust test automation), not involving lead engineers in product discovery (missing alternative approaches that speed implementation), poor UX design timing (design should be 'pixel perfect' before backlog inclusion), lack of product vision and focus (shifting priorities cause significant 'churn and substantially reduces total throughput'), non-dedicated teams (engineers need consistent assignments to gain expertise), absence of rapid response teams (sustaining work interrupts new development), inflexible product architecture (technical debt prevents rapid product evolution), and missing holistic organizational understanding (not seeing dependencies and inter-relationships). Engineering leaders will learn that while velocity matters, ensuring released software 'will make a difference for the business' is even more critical.