Tag Archives: Rachel Collins (Author)

You’ve been in that Agile planning session.

Everyone agrees on goals like “improve customer experience” or “increase engagement.” The roadmap looks aligned. The OKRs are approved. But when the sprint ends, no one can clearly explain what success actually means—or why customers should care.

Months later, your product team ships a feature. Customers don’t use it. Stakeholders ask uncomfortable questions. Someone says, “I thought we were building something different.”

This isn’t a delivery problem. It’s a conversation problem.

Across Agile teams, product management organizations, and enterprise transformations, teams work hard, follow the process, and deliver on time—yet still struggle to create real customer and business value. The gap isn’t execution. It’s how goals, assumptions, and decisions are discussed.

Structured Conversations is a practical toolkit for closing that gap.

This book shows product leaders, Agile coaches, and delivery teams how to use clear language and visual thinking to align strategy, product decisions, and day‑to‑day work around measurable outcomes.

In this book, you’ll learn how to:

• Write clear, outcome‑focused goals using VERB + NOUN syntax that eliminate ambiguity
• Connect customer needs to business impact using Empathy Mapping, Customer Journey Mapping, and Impact Mapping
• Align product roadmaps and delivery plans with OKRs that drive accountability and learning
• Validate assumptions early using Hypothesis‑Driven Development and Example Mapping
• Facilitate cross‑functional Agile conversations where disagreements become productive
• Turn vague requirements into clear, executable user stories that teams interpret the same way

Drawing on experience across startups, financial services, and large‑scale Agile transformations, Structured Conversations bridges the gap between product strategy and value delivery with techniques that work in real‑world environments.

The approaches are modular. Start with the technique that addresses your biggest challenge today. Each chapter includes step‑by‑step guidance, real examples, and “Try This Right Now” exercises you can apply immediately.

Whether you work in product management, Agile delivery, or organizational change, this book helps you turn good intentions into measurable outcomes.

Free downloadable templates available at structured‑conversations.com