I agree with that, i’ve seen a couple of things for android that were “coming soon” and then 6/7 months later still haven’t appeared. I keep having to tell my android friends that android will catch up and that they are valued by Monzo but because these features haven’t appeared they have told me they don’t feel as valued.
I think if something is put in the next 3 months category and then Monzo move it to 6-9 months which has happened a few times, there should be a little explanation as to why. I’m not saying we need to know the full details but something like “We have decided to prioritise X over it because of the demand from the community”, then that would make people feel more involved and understanding. I think people accept now that current accounts in the most important development but before the last 2/3 months I think the communication around Android features, the roadmap positioning and why they have and haven’t been developed and why they moved around the roadmap could have been better.
Well, not sure what Monzo principles are, but they certainly looks like Agile is a thing. Stuff shown on trello boards and certain promises are there to give us an idea where functionality is expected RIGHT NOW. In 2 weeks time, it might be pushed back, while other new things appear.
That’s how I always perceived them, they are not exact promises that X will be done in 3-6 months, it doesn’t mean that when 6 months kick in that’s exactly when something will be delivered. I understand that you’re not bothered whether it’s 6 months or 6,5 months, just about general approach to feature promises - not being done, when certain hints would suggest that they are just around the corner.
This is cost of agile approach, you move quickly, but not necessarily on time for everything that is in the scope. If some functionality turns out to be more time consuming, or a blocker appears, or something absolutely wild/great appears suddenly that’s amazeballs, company changes what will be done. Companies are using agile for a reason, it allows to iterate quicker, be more fluid. Overall, because of agile approach, companies are usually able to get more done in same amount of time (that’s a win for us, right?).
I totally see what you tried to show in that post (I appreciate solid dates so much!), but if you look at agile as a methodology… they are doing exactly what agile should be about. For customers like us it looks shady and sloppy, but underneath… it’s just a machine trying to do as many things, as time effective as it can do in current circumstances.
I can see where you’re coming from here. But I think a business sometimes has to sacrifice efficiency in order to meet the expectations of its customers. I’ve never expected exact adherence to the timelines on the road map, but when something is due in the next 3 months then fails to materialise for a year it makes me wonder about the link between their plans and what they tell us.
What I’m seeing from Monzo is a string of commitments going unfulfilled. I’ve been putting up with it because Monzo is something different and I’d like to see them succeed; frankly, I would have left any other business a few months ago.
The opinions of customers is of paramount importance, particularly in the early years of a business. I used to recommend Monzo to almost everyone, but I’ve now had to start adding the addendum “but the android app is missing loads of features”. When they ask my about timescales I have to tell them that I don’t know, or that they have this transparent road map but it’s pointless looking at it since it’s not even close to what will actually happen.
I’m sure it will all happen, but effectively managing the expectations of your customers is an extremely important part of running a business.
This is a really important point — we release things transparently because we want to and we think it’s the right way to do things. It becomes much more difficult to justify this if we get beaten up because of it
I never intended for you or Monzo to feel “beaten up because of it”. I merely stated a single point where I think Monzo are, in my opinion, poor. Then I provided details when asked for them.
To be honest, while negative feedback can be hard to hear, I’d hope that Monzo would be glad to see where they can improve their customer experience.
If some functionality turns out to be more time consuming, or a blocker appears, or something absolutely wild/great appears suddenly that’s amazeballs, company changes what will be done. Companies are using agile for a reason, it allows to iterate quicker, be more fluid. Overall, because of agile approach, companies are usually able to get more done in same amount of time (that’s a win for us, right?).
For customers like us it looks shady and sloppy, but underneath… it’s just a machine trying to do as many things, as time effective as it can do in current circumstances.
That’s why I asked! Feedback like this is always super helpful, so thank you for giving it