Do you believe that a PM's job is to "protect the team" and help them focus on execution? That product management should own the WHY and WHAT, being the expert on the customer and business, leaving the HOW to the team? I used to think this way too, until I realized it significantly blocked innovation. When I took sole responsibility for the why and what, I found that I was: • Keeping my team from direct contact with stakeholders, making me the only person exposed to different perspectives on a problem • Providing strategic context without really allowing the team to work with it • Delivering predefined solutions, holding the team accountable only for the final step Even when the team was given a problem to solve, I bore much of the responsibility on my shoulders, thinking it was for the best. Until I realized it was not. True innovation comes from considering different perspectives from the beginning. The entire team should feel responsible and accountable for the why, what, and how, and work together to define how to best get there. Since I started to think this way, I’ve witnessed: 📋 Easier prioritization as we collectively weigh different perspectives and take responsibility for the product in the short, medium, and long term 💝 The team's understanding of customers has deepened, allowing them to empathize and innovate more effectively 🤝The team’s grasp of stakeholders' point of view has improved, unlocking a better understanding of business constraints and opportunities 🪽A lighter burden on my shoulders, as I no longer feel the pressure of always having to have all the answers Below, I've shared my old and new sketches of the product's role within a team and how I coach my PMs to think about responsibilities within a product team. I’m curious, how would you define the roles of different competencies in your product team? #ProductInsights #Innovation #ProductDevelopment #ProductManagement
I fully support what you wrote. I’m curious: how do you coach PMs to handle important decisions in the product-development workflows? Which functional team members (design, product, engineering) makes which important decisions? Is it all consensus? Or Where does product have the final say vs where does design have the final say vs where does engineering have the final say? What’s your best thinking on that today?
Actually, we have a 4 sided team format in IKEA. We have a PEDX constellation ( produce, engineering , data and experience which is design). When you want to know why, you need to check the data. When you want to verify if the product has a fit, you check the data to validate the what. And if you need to fix something that didn’t work in the how you will also use data to see which part failed. All in all, product is more complex if you want to make customer centric solutions. And if you are really looking to innovate then you need to discuss with legal as well because of the cool tech has now legal constraints that block you unless you involve design early to navigate the experience while meeting compliance and regulatory requirements 🤷♀️
Francesca, how do the teams in Hemnet balance time management in this model? I fully believe and subscribe to this model, and see the benefits of getting the whole team involved in the why, what, and how. We try to do the same at Aidn. But, we do experience some challenges, that other commenters are adressing as well. Like, who owns the deliverables, or the "pulverization" of ownership? And how do you ensure that everyone doesn't need to be in every meeting? That could slow things down. Though, maybe this is outweighed by having everyone on the same page could speed things up and lead to better outcomes. How have you dealt with these challenges? Any tips on keeping everyone engaged without losing focus and accountability?
In my experience in product management, embracing a collaborative approach where the entire team shares responsibility for the why, what, and how can significantly enhance product development outcomes. 1. Foster Open Communication 2. Share Responsibility 3. Deepen Customer Understanding 4. Balance Strategic and Tactical Work 5. Reduce Managerial Burden My 2 cents: 📚 Continuous Learning: Promote a culture of continuous learning where the team constantly seeks to improve their skills and knowledge. 🔄 Feedback Loop: Establish a strong feedback loop where team members can provide and receive feedback openly. This loop helps in refining processes and improving performance. 🎊 Celebrate Successes: Recognize and celebrate team achievements. Celebrating successes, both big and small, boosts morale and reinforces the value of collaborative efforts. By integrating these practices, you can create a more innovative, empowered, and cohesive product team. This approach not only drives better product outcomes but also builds a stronger and more motivated team. Francesca Cortesi #ProductManagement #TeamCollaboration #Innovation #CustomerEmpathy #Leadership #ProductDevelopment #StrategicPlanning
I remember early into being a product manager, I did the same thing. I realized once I started involving more people, we needed less completely spec’d JIRA tickets, the team as a whole had more ownership in the outcome, and my customers learned to love my team not just me. My team and I didn’t confuse roles, but we became a better team that knew how to back each other up, care for our customers, and find intuitive ways to solve problems. If I could compare it to anything it’s like watching your favorite soccer team pass and score the ball without needing to explicitly tell each other they’re open or to pass the ball.
👏 completely agree with your perspective on product management. Moving from a one-sided approach to a collaborative strategy really does drive innovation. Your points about easier prioritization, deeper customer understanding, and improved stakeholder views resonate with me. Involving the whole team in the WHY, WHAT, and HOW makes a big difference. In my experience, having everyone collaborate sparks creativity and builds a sense of shared responsibility. It leads to better solutions and a stronger team. I’m curious, do you use any specific framework to track ideas, feedback, and contributions from each department?
With this set up, how do you mitigate for - if everyone is responsible, then no one is?
In autonomous growth teams for instance, the team as a whole owns the metric and the problem. The WHY is driven by a North Star KPI and the WHAT is decided by the team. The job of the PM in that setup is to set the framework and guardrails and then moderate the ideation sessions.
It would be great to one day see a world where we are brave enough to push that yellow product so close to that red engineering that they intersect. Imagine the orange having to strain so much it pops out and encompasses both product and engineering. Wow! We are all designing a product; people might think!? Maybe input for all people in that bubble might be regarded and spark true innovatation through acknowledgment that people and friction create great products?! For now I’ll go back to playing LEGO on the floor with my kids.. with a smile that THAT future could be a reality.
Product Strategy & UX Design Executive | Alum: Virgin, Microsoft, Havas | Entrepreneurial Team Leader | Design Educator | Turning Complexity Into Clarity
1moThis is a good way to avoid context-gaps and context-debt, especially when the product is evolving in new areas to drive growth, rather than extending and optimizing on what is already known: otherwise so much gets lost in translation, and key upstream discovery and insights about the problems to be solved do not find their way into the downstream solutions and delivery. Investing in this cross-team learning and context unfortunately is sometimes mistakenly perceived as a slowing factor to production, but practices such as rapid prototyping and testing are actually a big accelerator: not only to have solutions sit on a firm conceptual foundation, but also in achieving value through customer relevance at time of launch and beyond.