3 Things Product Managers Owe to Internal Constituents
One of the most important things you can do as a product manager is regularly communicate the product vision to your team.
Frequent discussions about the product vision help your product team understand the big picture problems your product is trying to solve and how their work fits in with the broader strategy. Increased clarity into long term goals and strategy empowers the team to make more informed decisions. In addition, it also helps them validate assumptions as to which product constraints they need to concern themselves with today and which can safely be de-prioritized.
.. Sure, you’re already giving your team direction at your iteration planning meetings as well as giving them a great set of user stories to work from. But, no matter how well-written those stories might be, questions will inevitably arise.
As product managers, we often fall in love with not only the problem but the solution, as well. This often leads to us driving the solution to completeness before involving our team in the definition of that solution. However, your team likely has a more in-depth knowledge of their chosen technology stack than you ever will. For this reason, it can be helpful to lean on your team’s expertise when defining your solution.
.. Great designers and developers don’t want to be mere order takers. They want to use their brains, and it’s up to you to give them the space to do so. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to give them complete creative license. Work with your team to collaboratively set boundaries that everyone can agree on. This will ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of how much freedom your team has to make decisions independently and at what point they must involve you.
.. One of the most obvious ways to do this is to be sure that you invite all relevant stakeholders to your product reviews. Doing so can help you be sure that you’re getting the feedback you need from inside of your organization before launch, and prevent any unexpected surprises after launch. However, between these reviews, you’ll also want to actively solicit feedback from others in your organization about your current strategy and vision for your product’s future.