PRINCIPAL | RUNNING CODE PRODUCTIONS
Ashley Aitken
Dr Ashley Aitken is a business and software analyst, architect, and engineer and academic with over 25 years’ experience across enterprise IT, innovation, and professional training. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and specialises in business analysis, enterprise software development, startups & corporation innovation, and professional training. Ashley leads two consultancies: Running Code Productions (software development & professional training) and Innovately.com.au (Lean Startup & Customer Development). A seasoned practitioner and global trainer, he has delivered award-winning education, founded multiple startups, and supported organisations like Apple, Woodside, and the WA Government. Ashley is currently the Lead BA for Western Power’s DSO Technology area and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Murdoch University.
Presentation: Iteration Isn’t Enough: Making Value Visible Earlier in Complex Delivery
Many organisations adopt iterative approaches such as Scrum, SAFe, or incremental planning to reduce delivery risk. Yet large initiatives still frequently fail to deliver the expected business outcomes, even when teams work in regular iterations.
The underlying problem is rarely a lack of effort or process discipline. Instead, organisations often validate value far too late. Work may progress through phases or iterations, but users and decision‑makers cannot see or assess the actual value of the solution until near the end of delivery.
This talk introduces a simple model that explains three common delivery patterns. First, traditional waterfall delivery defers value validation until the final stages of a project. Second, many iterative approaches validate activity and progress frequently, but still delay visible value until late in the initiative. Third, a more effective model delivers working solution increments that make value visible early and repeatedly.
Through practical examples drawn from complex corporate environments, the session demonstrates how teams can structure work so that each increment produces a working partial solution that users or decision‑makers can assess. This enables earlier validation, faster course correction, and more confident investment decisions. Rather than focusing on specific frameworks, the presentation highlights a principle that applies across delivery models: organisations reduce risk when value becomes visible early enough to influence decisions.
Attendees will leave with a clear mental model for recognising common delivery failure patterns and practical ideas for structuring work so that outcomes become visible sooner.