Saturday, November 20, 2010

Product Soul goes to the Opera

As much as I cherish that sweet soul music running through my veins, I find that on occasion there is no better treat for the senses than taking in an opera.

The opera starts with an overture. A piece of music that is filled with so much energy, promise, and intrigue, that I can't wait to hear what is in store.. even if I already know the story. And then as the story develops there are the themes that keep returning, in so many surprising ways. Some of the themes are first introduced by one artist and then completely transformed by another.

Invariably, there are those moments when several of the musicians each sing their own part, conveying their own emotions. They seem completely unaware of one another, but the conductor, the composer, or perhaps the ultimate creator intertwines each individual voice into a sublime harmony that rises way above the individual parts. Those are the moments that touch me the most - they seem to unlock the entire story for me. They are not the best known pieces in the work, but to me they represent some turning point in the story.

Once this turning point has happened, I find that the music and the spectacle resonates throughout me. The different voices and instruments manage to evoke different emotions - all of which come together in the finale - that amazing outlet, that marks at once the ending of a great story and the beginning of something new.

When I first get a hold of the CD of a performance I've attended, I scan through the tracks, looking for that turning point piece. It may not be sung by one of the leading singers, but to me it was the a piece that opened my soul to the music. I like to play it over and over, and perhaps find it online, to see how other artists have interpreted it.

Eventually, I also listen to the overture. The overture seems to be the piece that everyone whistles the next day. Here are some great examples.

Overtures that are guaranteed to inspire you

The wonderful thing about working in software is that so many software engineers are also talented musicians. I asked a colleague why he thinks it is that the overture sticks with us. After all, it's instrumental, it is played while the stage is still dark, and doesn't include any of the singers that so many of have come to see.

"It sets the stage" he explains "it introduces the themes. If you listen carefully, every theme, every emotion, and every plot that is about to unfold is right there in the overture."

That made me think of the kickoff of a product development project. Confident executives appear and lay out a bold vision for market leadership and staggering profits; I can almost hear the William Tell overture blasting through the room, inspiring all who attended to start galloping at full speed. Other kickoffs are marked by an urgency to capture a market, there is a nervous energy that rings through everyone's words, much like the overture to the Barber of Seville. Many important statements are made and repeated. They appear in large font in PowerPoints, are repeated in bulleted form in the handouts, and find their way into jokes that people make when they leave the room - much like the recurring themes in the overture to the Magic Flute or Carmen.

It is unfortunate that the kickoff occurs in a dark theatre with an empty stage. I have an idea of who is going to play a leading role, but I don't have a clear view of how everything is going to come together.

I can anticipate going through the initial stages of the project, where talented team members bring great passion into the effort and push things to great new heights, much like Paverotti or Callas who can make an entrance onto the stage and capture our hearts with one clear note.

I can imagine that invariably, the scenery will change. Pieces of the set that looked like trees will become people, and walls will turn into skies. This is inevitable - as budgets change, project scope is redefined, and competitors, partners, or customers realign the themselves.

But I never know exactly when that turning point piece will occur. It can happen when a leading customer takes a first look at a prototype and is finally able to define the real requirements. It can happen when engineers have wrestled a new technology to the ground and provide the first benchmarks. It can happen when team members take a closer look at regulation or at a previously issued patent and uncover a legal obstacle. This is when the different stakeholders all speak up at the same time, using different pitches, different tempi, and different volumes. In the absence of a conductor, a composer, or an ultimate creator, it often falls onto the product manager to create harmony out of these disparate voices. This is the turning point piece.. not the best known piece in the score, not the piece that features the leading artists, but the piece that serves to unfold the rest of the story.

As a product manager, I look for inspiration in music, which helps me listen, repeat, rephrase, and look for common themes. I can interject, slow down the tempo or the volume, so that small voices are also heard - voices that may be located off stage but can be brought into the center. I can bring harmony to a chaotic situation, bring about a turning point, and move the project to its finale.

Finales often repeat the theme from the overture. The confident executives appear once again and echo the bold vision. Almost everyone who participated in the project is there, chiming in with the same energy as they did during the overture. The voices come together with staggering volume and speed, and the orchestra pulls out everything. It is a thunderous occasion. But to those who witnessed the turning point, it is obvious that there is a new dimension to the voices that wasn't there in the overture. The conflicts, defeats, and triumphs have given everyone's voice a new depth.

Can you hear it in these finales?

I hope you enjoyed this musical adventure!