Abstract: Human evolution, from the Stone Age to the modern era, has been marked by significant technological and societal changes. However, humans have remained largely constant. Despite not being the strongest or largest, humans have thrived while many species face extinction.
In contrast to today’s short-lived, ephemeral product designs, that rarely last more than 50 years, human design has remained 'perfect' for over 200,000 years, demonstrating adaptability, survival, and resilience, with no major upgrades to the core human design.
Similarly, while only 30% of modern projects succeed, the human lifecycle, when viewed as a 'project', has demonstrated near-perfect success. From birth to maturity, the human lifecycle unfolds through well-defined stages that promote growth, development, and resilience.
How can we apply these lessons to modern product development and project management? The talk will explore, how these principles can be directly applied to enhance product lifecycle management and improve project success rates.
Executive Summary: The journey of human evolution from the Stone Age to the modern age has been shaped by remarkable technological advancements and societal transformations. Throughout this journey, although almost everything has changed, all aspects of human physiology and psychology have remained virtually constant. This has been a testament to our adaptability and ingenuity as a species.
In this talk, we will explore the historical evolution, consistent aspects of human physiology and psychology, and the concept of humans as a "perfect design," to draw insights for modern software development. We will cover two main areas - Human Evolution as a basis of more effective modern product development and Human lifecycle as the basis of more effective modern project management.

Outline/Structure of the Talk

Talk Structure for 45 Minutes

1. Introduction (5 mins)
- Overview of the human journey from evolution to modernity. In the face of ever-evolving technology, we often overlook the constancy of human design. But what if we told you that the same principles that have kept humanity thriving for centuries could be applied to making your projects and products more successful?
- Poll – How long do you think the average product remains relevant in the market before being replaced or outdated?
- Poll – How long do you think human physiology and psychology have remained largely unchanged throughout evolution?
- Key questions: Why are humans considered a perfect design?
2. Historical Context and Constancy of Human Design (5 mins)
- Physiological constancy: Unchanging core functions and systems.
- Psychological consistency: Enduring cognitive and emotional patterns.
3. Deriving Power from Perfect Human Design (24 mins)
Audience Exercise - to reflect on how human design could be incorporated into their own projects/products
a. Human Design Creation as a Product
- Viewing Human evolution as a perfectly created product
- Correlating human evolution stages to derive new seven stage product development lifecycle - Survive, Strengthen, Support, Secure, Strike, Sovereignty, and Striving.
- Implementation Case Study with hypothetical example
b. Human Lifecycle as a Project
- Poll – In your experience, what percentage of projects are completed successfully (on time, within scope, and meeting objectives)?
- Poll – How much do you think is the success rate of human lifecycle as a project?
- Viewing human life as a temporary, well-managed project.
- Correlating human lifecycle phases to derive a new seven stage project management process - Spark, Structure, Supervise, Shift, Self-Manage, Steer, and Summarize.
- Implementation Case Study with personal experience

4. Conclusion (6 mins)
As we’ve seen today, by applying the principles of human design to product development and project management, we can create more enduring products and achieve more successful outcomes. How can you start applying these principles to your projects tomorrow?

5. Q & A ( 5 mins)

Pre-requisites for participants
- Understanding of the software development life cycle
- Basic understanding of agile frameworks and principles.
- Basic understanding of project management principles.
Target Audience
- Product Managers and Owners.
- Project Managers and Agile Coaches.
- Business Leaders focused on innovation and business successes.