As humans, we always want more. The newest clothes, the shiniest gadget, to visit new places. We’re conditioned to want the next big thing. That’s okay in regular life (providing you can afford it ), but it can be a massive problem in Product Management. 

Why? Let’s have a deeper look at shiny object syndrome, and uncover why it’s an issue that you really don’t want to face. 

What is shiny object syndrome? 

Shiny object syndrome (SOS) describes a compulsion to fixate on what’s new and drop everything you’ve worked hard on, to instead pivot a trendy idea or feature that’s going to “take the world by storm”. 

It’s where you, or those who are making the decisions above you, are drawn to new technologies that promise excitement, but that may not be the best option for you right now.

It’s like a cat following a beam of light on the wall fixated on this shiny dot wiggling around, pulling the poor animal in multiple directions as if in a trance. Like the cat, falling foul of shiny object syndrome can lead your product team astray. Away from the predefined product vision and into untested waters. 

In practice, shiny object syndrome leads teams to prioritize new features simply because they’re based on novel and innovative ideas and ignore the previously validated solutions that are more likely to meet the user’s needs. It’s the temptation to be on the cutting edge instead of double-downing on what really matters. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of shiny object syndrome. Product teams and CEOs want the product to stand out and not fall behind. So, when a buzz is generated over a new idea in your industry, it can be easy to race in and integrate it to stay current. 

But that’s super dangerous. Not every great new innovation amounts to anything, and suddenly, thanks to shiny object syndrome, you’ve backed the wrong horse. 

To put it another way, shiny object syndrome is when your product strategy loses focus and starts drifting to whatever seems most existing in the moment, pulling you away from delivering what’s actually valuable and more likely to work.

Why is shiny object syndrome a bad thing?

What’s so bad with wanting to make sure your product includes the newest trends? Who doesn’t want to explore new and exciting opportunities that could lead to bigger and better things?

Well, it’s because of that ‘could’. These new ideas haven’t been validated, they haven’t been tested, yet shiny object syndrome makes you want to dive in head first. It makes you prioritize the new idea simply because it is the newest. 

Suddenly shifting to a new idea, never seen before on your roadmap, can wreak havoc on your team, and overall strategy, especially if it’s done for the wrong reasons. This tendency to get distracted undermines the core principles of focus and customer value, often turning promising plans into chaos.

Of course, a key principle of agile working is that you’re able to be adaptable and explore and try new things. You need to be open to experimentation and iterating on what you already have. You don’t want to be completely rigid and welded to your roadmap.

But dropping everything to chase an unvalidated shiny object is not the best way to go about things. You’ve put time and effort into your original plan – it’s not worth the waste of resources to jump on something new without first checking if that new thing is worth your time. 

Because for all you know, you could be jumping from a lifeboat onto the Titanic. Blindly following the whims of someone with shiny object syndrome may lead you onto a sinking ship – and we’ll get to an example where that happened in the past. 

That’s just one of the main dangers of SOS, but there’s so many more, like:

• Delayed product launches: If you’re trying to get a new product to market, SOS pushes delivery further out as teams constantly pivot to incorporate the shiny new ideas. Every detour delays your time to market, potentially leaving you behind competitors.
• Derailed product development: Prioritizing shiny objects over existing work can force teams to have to scrap or reevaluate what’s in-flight and rework entire roadmaps, leading to chaotic development cycles and, in extreme cases, a full pivot strategy.
• Wasted resources: The time, money, and effort spent researching, assessing, and possibly implementing ideas brought about through shiny new objective syndrome often yield little ROI. This misallocation of resources detracts from core initiatives.
• Sowing doubts: Frequent changes in direction, without solid reasoning, create uncertainty among team members. When they suspect that plans might change on a whim, motivation and commitment to current goals can drop.
• Feature creep: SOS frequently results in piling on features for novelty’s sake, diluting the product’s unique selling proposition (USP) and making it harder for users to navigate or find value.
• Poor user value: Shiny objects often fail to address real customer needs. Customers might find the new features flashy but ultimately irrelevant, eroding trust in your product. If the shiny object is so new and fresh, customers might not even have a need for it yet. Don’t build personalized rockets before people have a need to fly to the moon. 

Who’s most vulnerable to shiny object syndrome? 

Shiny object syndrome is a quote-on-quote ‘disease’ that anyone in the Product Team can get, but just like how pirates were most vulnerable to scurvy, one group is far more vulnerable to the siren-like pull of the potential next big thing. Those are your C-suite and executive-level folk. 

But why? Well, the more senior you get, the less involved in your own product you become. Instead, you’re looking outwards at what others are doing, seeking opportunities for growth, and keeping tabs on new trends.

They’re less entrenched in the day-to-day realities of the product and its customers, which makes them more likely to be captivated by the latest tech buzzwords or the flashy ideas circulating in journals and at conferences. So it makes sense that when a new, exciting thing is introduced, your C-suites are going to be salivating at the opportunity to jump on that to stay ahead. 

Now, annoyingly, the last person you want to get shiny object syndrome is your C-suite stakeholders. If you as a PM become enamored with a shiny new idea, you have a whole team around you who will want to validate it and get evidence for it. This isn’t always the case if it’s your C-suite, thanks to the reality of HiPPO. 

HiPPO stands for the highest-paid person’s opinion. In many organizations, the idea of HiPPO reigns. Seniority and authority often mean that when executives express enthusiasm for an idea, teams feel compelled to act, whether it aligns with the strategy or not. 

HiPPOs with shiny object syndrome can spark off fire drills, derailed priorities, and a scramble for resources all in pursuit of something that might not even serve the product or its customers.

If the C-suite exec really wants to explore a new technology and shiny object, it’s hard to tell them no. 

Thankfully there are tactics you can deploy as a Product Manager to diplomatically dim the brightness of the shiny object without putting yourself in the line of fire – we’ll cover that in just a second.

Signs you’re dealing with shiny object syndrome

We’ll be honest, if your team is already infested with shiny object syndrome, you’ll know about it. Your attention is going to be pulled from your original, optimized plan to something that’s new and in its formative stages. That’s going to be a bumpy transition. 

Here are some major warning signs that a decision-maker (or team) is grappling with shiny object syndrome:

1. Undelivered projects: Plans are constantly being made but rarely completed. Your backlog of ‘great ideas’ keeps growing while deliverables stall.
2. Slow progress: Shiny distractions divert attention from roadmap work, leading to blown timeframes and super slow delivery of those carefully validated initiatives.
3. Constantly changing goals: Roadmaps, OKRs, and strategic objectives are in a perpetual state of flux as the team chases after the newest idea.
4. Excitement over execution: There’s far more enthusiasm for brainstorming the next big thing than for executing or iterating on existing plans.
5. Conflicting directives: One day it’s “build this new feature,” the next it’s “optimize for SEO.” Priorities seem to flip with the wind, creating confusion.
6. Lower feature adoption metrics: Existing features get launched but lack traction because they were hastily developed or poorly aligned with customer needs.
7. Lack of long-term strategy: Instead of working toward a cohesive vision, the team finds itself bouncing between short-term initiatives that never truly gel.
8. Customer disconnect: New features or ideas don’t resonate with customers, leaving them underwhelmed or confused about the product’s direction.

Spotting these early signs can save your team from the worst effects of shiny object syndrome. Once you’ve identified the problem, you can begin implementing strategies to steer focus back where it belongs: on delivering value to your customers.

How to protect yourself from shiny object syndrome

Preventing shiny object syndrome is like keeping a magpie away from glittering treasures and takes discipline and a solid plan. Here’s how you can stop it in its tracks, for both yourself and your executives:

1. Create a validation process

Make it hard for the C-suite to shift the focus. Establish a formal system for vetting new ideas. Not every new technology or market trend deserves your immediate attention. Build a checklist or framework to evaluate whether the shiny object aligns with your company’s strategy, goals, and roadmap. Tools like opportunity solution trees or the RICE scoring method can help prioritize without derailing your focus.

Doing this keeps you open to new ideas without forcing your team to jump on them straight away without checking if they’re viable first. 

2. Set expectations early

Define the rules of engagement around your product roadmap. Regularly communicate its purpose to stakeholders: it’s a living document that transforms strategy into actionable goals. Reinforce that every idea must go through the same prioritization process to ensure fairness and alignment.

Share your roadmap regularly with your stakeholders so that they understand what you’re working on, what’s got your attention, and where your resources are being spent. 

When sharing your roadmap, add some evidence as to why you’re doing it, and the expected benefits. Tie these to overall business goals to ensure you have continuous buy-in and reduce the chance of a new idea coming in to derail everything.

Using ProdPad to communicate your product roadmap will make this infinitely easier. All Roadmap Initiatives in ProdPad are linked to your Objectives and Key Results, are structured around problems to solve, clearly display their prioritization scoring and have related customer Feedback linked to them. 

Take a look in our live sandbox environment to see what that looks like. 

3. Build a feedback channel

Create structured ways for stakeholders to submit ideas without hijacking current plans. A standardized submission process ensures all inputs are considered while keeping chaos at bay. A central hub for suggestions fosters transparency and accountability, giving shiny objects their moment without jumping the queue.

We’ve done some of the hard work for you here. Download our Ideas and feedback submission guidelines to create the perfect process for your team. 

How to undo the damage of shiny object syndrome 

Prevention is better than a cure, but sometimes, you can be in the middle of dealing with the repercussions of shiny object syndrome, be it via your misjudgment or from those higher up. So what do you do now? 

Thankfully, there is an antidote that you can swallow to help get through this and get you back on track with your original plan and roadmap. Some tactics include: 

1. Spotlight the issues with the shiny object

Often, shiny objects are enticing because their flaws aren’t immediately visible. Take the time to highlight potential risks, costs, or feasibility issues. This can help deflate unwarranted enthusiasm and refocus attention on the bigger picture.

2. Revisit your goals

Bring the conversation back to your organizational objectives. If the shiny object doesn’t accelerate or simplify progress toward these goals, it’s easier to deprioritize. 

Show how your current roadmap already delivers on these targets and promise to revisit the idea after current milestones are achieved.

3. Emphasize the cost of delay

Every minute spent chasing a shiny object is time taken from delivering value through your existing priorities. 

Communicate the trade-offs clearly: what gets bumped, what’s delayed, and the downstream impacts on team morale and revenue.

4. Highlight the finish line

If your current roadmap is already in progress, emphasize how close you are to delivering value. This not only boosts morale but also makes shiny distractions less tempting. Promise to give the new idea its fair share of attention once the current plan is completed.

5. Take pride in your plan

Remind stakeholders of the effort, strategy, and collaboration that went into crafting the current roadmap. It’s a plan designed to deliver results and it deserves the chance to prove its worth. 

How to tell the difference between a shiny object and a genuine market shift? 

Listen, one thing I don’t want to do here is make you think that you should dismiss every new change and idea as a shiny object that should be ignored. Because if every new idea is written off, then there’ll be no progress. Sometimes a new idea represents a genuine paradigm shift, the kind of changes that reshape entire industries. 

Ignoring those can leave you stuck in the past while your competitors race ahead. This is the tightrope that many founders and CEOs need to walk: 

Don’t get too excited by something new, yet don’t ignore it and get left in the dust as others hop on. 

In the past, there have been loads of examples of businesses dismissing a genuine trend as a shiny object and thus paying the price. Remember Blockbuster? Back in 2010, no one could have imagined a world where the iconic Friday-night DVD rental ritual didn’t exist. But alas streaming came along, they didn’t act on it, and now there’s only one novelty Blockbuster store left in Oregon, serving more as a relic than a genuine store.

And then there’s AI. At first dismissed as a gimmick but now poised to be one of the biggest industry sectors in the world, ready to redefine everything from healthcare to software development. 

So, to protect yourself from shiny object syndrome, how on earth can you tell if a new trend is going to stick around or not? How do you separate the fleeting sparkles from the game-changing glow? 

Well, you want to make sure that these new ideas have: 

• Widespread adoption: Trends that gain traction across multiple industries often signal something bigger. Think cloud computing or mobile-first design, innovations that found applications everywhere.
• Customer demand: Genuine shifts solve real problems or open up new possibilities for your users. Pay attention to whether your customers are asking for something or if you’re simply chasing buzz.
• Clear business cases: Can this trend clearly improve your product or service? If it doesn’t address a pain point or elevate your offering, it might just be a distraction.
• Industry endorsement: When respected voices in your field start aligning around a trend, it’s worth digging deeper. Look for signs like venture capital funding, major partnerships, or wide-scale implementation.
• Durability: Does the trend have staying power? If it’s tied to broader shifts in consumer behavior or technology, it’s more likely to last.

But here’s the most important thing. Even if you recognize a genuine shift, it doesn’t mean you should dive in headfirst. 

Market shifts might change the landscape, but not every shift is right for your product or your customers. Protecting yourself from shiny object syndrome isn’t about knowing what’s going to be a hit. It’s about not letting that potential hit derail you from what you already have planned. 

Take AI, as undeniably transformative as it is, it might not be the best idea if it doesn’t add value to your customers. No one will care if you have an AI toaster if it burns your toast. 

That’s the trick with shiny object syndrome. Even if it’s the shiniest, brightest thing in the world, if it doesn’t work with what you’re trying to do and improve the experience of the customers you’re trying to serve, it may as well be a broken lightbulb. 

Jumping in without doing this groundwork can leave you with a shiny feature no one wants—or worse, one that actively detracts from your product’s usability.

Ultimately, staying ahead isn’t about hopping on every bandwagon. It’s about building something meaningful, even when the next shiny object comes along.

Avoid distractions 

Shiny object syndrome is a real threat to Product Managers trying to stay focused on delivering long-term value. While it’s tempting to chase the latest shiny trends, doing so can easily derail your roadmap, waste resources, and leave your product lacking in the areas that truly matter. 

The key to defending against this distraction is a clear, disciplined approach to validation, stakeholder alignment, and maintaining focus on your core strategy. By setting expectations early, creating a transparent feedback channel, and consistently reminding everyone of the bigger picture, you can avoid being pulled off course by the next big thing.

One of the most effective ways to stay grounded and keep all stakeholders aligned is by using tools like ProdPad. ProdPad ensures that your product roadmap is a living document that everyone can access and understand. 

With all stakeholders able to view and contribute to the roadmap, you can showcase the validation and reasoning behind every decision. This visibility helps prevent distractions and gives everyone clarity on what’s being worked on, why it matters, and what comes next.

Want to ensure your team stays focused on what really matters? Start a free trial with ProdPad and see how clear, accessible roadmaps can help you maintain focus while keeping your stakeholders informed and engaged.

The post Shiny Object Syndrome: Defending Against it as a Product Manager appeared first on ProdPad.

What is founder mode?

Founder mode describes a shifting mindset where company founders and leaders step back into the thick of day-to-day operations, often in ways that can feel more like micromanaging than empowering. Founder mode is part passion, part panic, where the Founder takes a more hands-on approach to reclaim control over their teams or projects.

With founder mode style management practices, you’ll often see a founder scrutinizing details they once delegated, revisiting decisions already made, or swooping into meetings uninvited to “course correct” the team’s trajectory. It’s a sharp pivot from trust to oversight, and while it can be fueled by good intentions (like protecting the business or driving success), it’s not without its drawbacks.

This isn’t to say founder involvement is inherently bad: it’s their company, after all. Sometimes it’s nice to see a leader roll their sleeves up and muck in. But founder mode tends to crop up at pivotal moments: during uncertainty, when scaling pains kick in, or when other approaches simply aren’t working for whatever reason.

It’s less about leadership and more about control, which, spoiler alert, isn’t the recipe for long-term success.

Now, we’re not going to dogpile on founder mode. Yes, I don’t think it’s the best idea in the world, you can see that in my LinkedIn post on the subject, but there’s no point writing a 3000-word article bashing it into a pulp. Instead, I think founder mode is indicative of another problem, and something that Product Managers should pay attention to in order to improve the product.

Let’s figure out why founder mode happens and how to strike a better balance.

Founder mode vs Management mode

Founder mode goes against conventional wisdom and is the complete opposite of the traditional management mode, where the actions of the founder boil down to control instead of the more practical delegation.

Manager mode is all about empowering teams and trusting them to own their domains. It’s the phase where leaders embrace structure, rely on the experts they’ve hired, and step back to let managers live up to the title and manage.

Founder mode, on the other hand, is a hard pivot in the opposite direction. It’s a rejection of managerial detachment in favor of deep involvement. Instead of empowering others, founder mode is about getting in there and taking on all the decisions.

While manager mode is like charting a ship’s course and trusting the crew to sail it, founder mode is the captain grabbing the wheel mid-voyage to steer things their way – storm or no storm. The shift can be jarring for teams used to autonomy, as it can feel like their decisions are being overridden or scrutinized unnecessarily.

But why does this happen? Why are leaders like Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and others feeling the need to revert to this tactic?

Well, often, founder mode re-emerges during times of uncertainty or frustration. As for Brian Chesky, he tried loads of different leadership styles and team structures at Airbnb that failed, didn’t work, and then landed in a founder-mode mentality. He talks about that struggle in this Interview with The Verge.  For now, it’s working for them, but maybe because things weren’t so hot beforehand.

Here’s my worry: while founder mode might provide short-term reassurance, it can erode trust and stifle the very innovation that comes from giving teams the space to thrive.

Finding the balance between these two modes is vital – because a founder can’t take the helm and be in the crow’s nest guiding the ship at the same time.

Why is everyone talking about founder mode?

It feels like one day we all woke up and founder mode was suddenly engrained in everyone’s mind. Kind of like how Apple added an unwanted U2 album to everyone’s iTunes library back in 2014.

In truth, the buzz around founder mode stems from a term coined by Paul Graham in his now much-discussed article. He drew inspiration from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s headline-making move to reimagine the Product Manager role at the company and ‘follow the footsteps’ of Steve Jobs and get more involved in product decisions.

Now, despite the clickbait, Chesky didn’t eliminate Product Managers entirely, but he did refocus their roles, transforming them into more growth-oriented Product Marketing Managers. This speaks of what founder mode is and why it’s cropped up now. At its core, founder mode has become a rallying cry for businesses in recovery mode.

After years of economic headwinds in the tech industry, many companies are desperate to reignite growth, and for some, that means tearing up the playbook.

Growth-focused Product Management has taken center stage, whether that’s through hiring Growth Product Managers, adopting product-led GTM, or, in the case of founder mode, founders stepping back in to reclaim the reins.

But let’s pause here. Just because a handful of big players claim success with founder mode doesn’t mean it’s a universal solution. Sure, some companies have seen improvements, but those wins are often tied to pre-existing problems. They might have had ineffective managers, the wrong hires, or a misaligned product strategy in which founder mode addressed those issues temporarily, but it’s not a sustainable or scalable fix.

If things aren’t currently wrong in your business, I don’t see founder mode being the ticket to improvement. For me, it’s an Elastoplast on a gaping wound.

Plus, if you just shifted your gaze a few inches away from those finding success with founder mode, you’ll find brands that are KILLING it with a traditional manager mode approach. Take Nike – a larger company that’s thriving by empowering its Product teams and investing in great talent rather than top-down micromanagement.

I also want to speak on the myth of founder-led success stories, too. Apple is often touted as a founder mode triumph, a reason for leaders to give founder mode a go, but Steve Jobs didn’t handcraft every good decision there. The man has been mythicized so much that Steve Jobs isn’t even Steve Jobs anymore. Like in every great company, he had to delegate to other decision-makers.

In fact, the iPhone – the product that is so synonymous with Apple – almost didn’t happen because Jobs needed convincing from his team. Steve Jobs almost prevented the Apple iPhone from being invented, and if he truly followed a founder mode mindset, it wouldn’t have been.

The takeaway? Founder mode isn’t a magic bullet.

While it might work for some high-profile companies, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, and it often comes at the cost of innovation and trust. If all your ideas are coming from the founder, you’ve got bigger problems than growth.

So, is founder mode bad? 

Do you even need to ask at this point? Categorically, yes: founder mode isn’t the hot new management framework it’s being hyped as. It’s just micromanagement repackaged with a shiny name and a splash of glamour. But once you peel back the layers, the cracks are clear, and they’re anything but trendy.

Wasting talent

The first issue? Founder mode undermines the team. As a Product Manager, you’re there for a reason. You’ve got the expertise, the insights, and the experience. But when the founder swoops in, it sidelines that expertise.

Instead of leveraging the collective strength of your Product Team structure, the founder becomes the bottleneck, making all the decisions and stifling creativity. It’s a waste of talent, turning capable professionals into glorified yes-people who nod along instead of thinking critically or driving the product forward.

Demoralizing the team

This leads to a deeper problem: founder mode is demoralizing. You’ve spent weeks doing product discovery, building a roadmap, and fostering a strong team. Then, the founder swoops in, upends the plan, and dictates their vision without fully understanding the context. It’s frustrating, disheartening, and a surefire way to breed disengagement.

And let’s not overlook the risks. Founders often juggle a million priorities, making it hard for them to stay close enough to the ground to make data-driven Product Management decisions and answer the tough questions. The idea that the founder is always the smartest person in the room is misguided at best, and dangerous at worst.

If your founder is the smartest person in your company, that’s not a flex, it’s a red flag that the wrong people have been hired.

A red flag

See, founder mode often signals deeper issues. If a founder is pulling rank and taking hands-on control, it’s a sign that something isn’t working. Maybe the product team isn’t hitting the mark, or maybe trust in leadership has eroded. Either way, founder mode is rarely a proactive choice, it’s a reactive measure, a desperate attempt to course-correct when things feel off.

In the end, founder mode isn’t a path to make your company successful. It’s a quick fix at best and a glaring symptom of underlying dysfunction at worst. As a Product Manager, you’re in the perfect position to push for the real recipe for growth: hiring the right people, empowering your team, and fostering a culture of trust and collaboration.

Why would a leader go founder mode? 

I’d like to think that one of the last things founders want to do is get all involved in the product. They’ve got a million and one other responsibilities. So what drives founders to get all up in your face? I’m sure it’s not because they want to be an annoying jerk.

Understanding why a founder might shift gears into founder mode can help you navigate the situation more effectively. While it might feel like they’re undermining your work, most founders aren’t trying to sabotage the team. It’s a response to a set of very real pressures.

Sometimes, founders step in because they see problems that others might not. If the team isn’t delivering results, hiring decisions haven’t panned out, or strategies aren’t aligning with the company’s vision, founder mode can feel like the quickest way to steady the ship. From their perspective, letting the team “figure it out” could cost valuable time and resources, which are often in short supply.

To help a founder, show them that the ship is not as off-course as they fear. Use data, experiments, and outcomes to demonstrate progress and align your work with their vision. If there are genuine gaps, acknowledge them and collaborate on solutions.

See, for a founder, the company isn’t just a job – it’s a reflection of their vision, values, and years of effort. If they feel like the business is at risk, their instinct is to take control and protect what they’ve built.

It’s not about undermining the team; it’s about safeguarding the mission. Recognize their investment and show that you’re equally committed to the company’s success. When they see that you care as much as they do, they’re more likely to trust your judgment.

Most founders stepping into founder mode are genuinely trying to make things better. Founder mode isn’t inherently malicious I don’t think. It’s a symptom of something deeper, whether that’s a lack of trust, misalignment, or a need for clearer communication. It’s the last resort to fix something. As a Product Manager, you’re in a unique position to address these issues.

What to do when a leader has gone founder mode 

Dealing with a founder in founder mode can feel like a whirlwind: sudden pivot strategies, surprise interventions, and a sense that your work is being sidelined. But don’t panic!

When a leader goes all-in on founder mode, it’s less about them trying to micromanage and more about trying to solve a problem. Your role as a Product Manager is to bridge the gap, bring clarity to their concerns, and refocus their energy into productive collaboration.

You can navigate this situation with strategy, empathy, and a touch of diplomacy. Here’s how:

Think of your founder as a stakeholder

At their core, founders are stakeholders with unique incentives, pressures, and goals. The key is to treat them as you would any other stakeholder: understand their motivations, align on priorities, and address their concerns.

So when founders get more involved, conduct discovery. Ask what they’re trying to solve, what they’re worried about, and what success looks like to them. You can even map out their goals to the team’s objectives so they can see how the work aligns with their vision.

By knowing what they need from you, you can produce work that reassures them and gets them off your back.

Get to the root of the problem

Founder mode often happens when trust has wavered or when the founder feels the team isn’t meeting expectations. This realization can suck at first. Instead of getting defensive and pushing back against their involvement, dig deeper to understand why they’re stepping in and what’s gone astray.

As a Product Manager, you probably already know when something isn’t meeting the mark, so collaborate on this to see if you can leverage their insight to find a solution together.

Show that you’re part of the team. One reason founders might adopt founder mode is because they feel they lack a team they can trust. Reassure them by being their ally. Share progress transparently, invite their feedback (without handing over the reins), and highlight how their expertise can complement the team’s efforts, rather than overriding them.

Speak their language: use evidence and outcomes

Founders are wired to respond to proof. If they’re questioning your decisions, come prepared with evidence that backs your approach. Whether it’s user research, metrics, or validated experiments, show them the thought process behind the team’s direction. This lets them know that you’re not floating aimlessly in the current.

Use validation and prioritization frameworks to demonstrate that your decisions are grounded in data, not guesswork, and show how the team’s progress supports the company’s overarching goals.

Need some frameworks to help guide your proof? We’ve got a whole list of them in this ebook:

Master the art of saying no

When a founder brings unqualified ideas to the table, shutting them down outright can create friction and put your head on the line. Instead, steer the conversation toward alignment.

Frame your responses around shared goals, something like “That’s an interesting idea – how do you see it contributing to [X objective]?” Deploy validation techniques to assess their suggestions constructively. If an idea doesn’t hold up, the data will speak for itself.

There are loads of techniques on how to say no as a Product Manager, so choose the one that works for you. 

Frame founder mode as a collaboration opportunity

While founder mode can feel disruptive, it also opens the door to closer collaboration. Use the opportunity to align on strategy, learn from their experience, and strengthen the team’s relationship with leadership. A founder may not be the guru of everything, but they’re going to have insight you don’t have.

If you have a founder who wants to be more involved without being overbearing, invite them to join strategy sessions or roadmap discussions in a structured way. Use their insights to refine the team’s work, but ensure that their involvement remains constructive.

Should Product Managers adopt founder mode themselves? 

There’s been some chatter suggesting that Product Managers should embrace founder mode principles. Let’s be clear: that’s not the move.

Micromanaging or trying to run every aspect of your product single-handedly undermines your team’s expertise and autonomy. Your role isn’t to know everything; it’s to enable your team to shine.

But what’s worth adopting is the founder mindset.

Founders think about their products with unparalleled care and commitment. It’s their legacy, their life’s work, their reputation on the line. They take calculated risks, stay hyper-focused on the company’s success, and consider the broader implications of every decision. This level of dedication can be transformative for a PM aiming to create better products.

While you might not have the same stakes as a founder, you can bring that level of investment and thoughtfulness to your role. Care deeply about your product. Stay strategic and make decisions with long-term growth in mind. This doesn’t mean sidelining your team, it means inspiring them by modeling the passion and commitment that makes founders effective.

Adopting this mindset helps you approach your product with purpose while still leveraging the strengths of your team. In other words, think like a founder but lead like a PM.

What to do instead of founder mode 

Right, I’m speaking directly to founders now. This one’s for you. I get it, sometimes I struggle with the pull to dive into the weeds and take charge again. You care about your product, your team, and your company’s success, but now you also know the pitfalls of founder mode. So, what should you do instead when you get that urge?

First, take a step back and reflect. Ask yourself: Why am I stepping in here? Is it because you feel your team isn’t capable? Or maybe it’s because you have knowledge or intuition that the team doesn’t? Perhaps it’s due to external pressures you’re facing that the team isn’t aware of.

Whatever the reason, recognize it. Then, instead of jumping in, share your insights. Bring your intuition, business context, or industry knowledge to the table in a way that empowers your team. Your job is to make sure they have the information they need to align with your vision – not to execute it for them.

Lastly, trust the team you’ve built. If you’re struggling to delegate, ask yourself if the issue lies in the team’s skills, alignment, or your own ability to let go. If there’s a gap, work together to address it. There are better options than taking on the success of your product yourself.

Founder mode isn’t all that: protect yourself from it

Let’s call it like it is, founder mode isn’t a cool badge of honor. For most, if founder mode is working, I think that it’s a warning sign.

While it’s tempting to see it as a noble return to the trenches, the reality is that this hands-on, hyper-controlling approach creates more problems than it solves. It sidelines talented teams, erodes trust, and stifles innovation: all while placing an unsustainable amount of pressure on the founder.

The truth is that great companies aren’t built by a single pair of hands but by empowering many. The real magic happens when founders follow conventional management wisdom, step back, trust their teams, and focus on long-term strategy rather than short-term fixes. Founder mode might feel like a necessary move during turbulent times, but it’s rarely the right one.

So, protect yourself – and your teams – from this micromanagement masquerade. A great way to do that is with ProdPad. Here, you give everyone eyes on your roadmap and ensure that your Ideas are tied to business outcomes – two things your founder and C-level execs are going to love. The visibility and best practices built into ProdPad help maintain alignment and keep your teams working smoothly and in harmony, building trust in you.

Learn more about how ProdPad can support Product Managers with a personal demo.

The post Founder Mode: Protecting Yourself From this New Form of Micromanagement appeared first on ProdPad.

How do you get onto the Product Manager career path?

Looking longingly at a career in Product Management? Are you in a role where it feels like Product Management is the next logical step? Well, how are you going to get there?

That is honestly, still up to you. Product Management isn’t this closed-off industry where you need a certain qualification and particular experience to get into it. If you want to be a lawyer, you kind of need to go to law school. A doctor – you better be studying at a Medical school for 4 years. As for Product Management: the doors are kind of left open for you.

To understand how to get onto the Product Management career path, let’s look at how it was done in the past and compare that to how the way in looks now. 

Back in the day

If you want to become a Product Manager, my advice is don’t copy the great Product Leaders that came before. I say that because there’s not really a set route that you can copy. You see, Product Management is a relatively new role. Only in recent years have there been dedicated Product Management courses and education that can give you a qualification and help you enter this role.

Before this, people came into Product Management from loads of different backgrounds, both in terms of their education and previous career paths. The variety is staggering!

I asked my social network – which you should join by the way – about their pathway into Product Management and got so many varied replies. Although this isn’t a scientific study and is biased towards my connections, the results were still illuminating, so much so that I decided to put all the previous roles mentioned into a table:

As you can see, there are definitely some roles that appear to be more common stepping stones into Product Management than others, with Marketing roles, Software Engineering, Business Analysis, and Project Management being some of the most common.

But still, there’s an even spread between these roles, which says to me that there’s really no defined way into Product Management. Multiple roles can give you some crucial, transferable skills that can make Product Management a perfect career.

This graph doesn’t even include some of the more ‘out there’ roles that people had on their way to Product Management. Among the replies, we’ve had a Computer Scientist, a Theatre Production Manager, and even a Lifeguard.

All this is to say that if you don’t think you’re on the right path, don’t worry, because it turns out, neither were any of us. 

What to do today to get onto the Product Manager career path

As alluded to, things are a little different today than they were 10 or 20 years ago. You’ve got excellent Product Management qualifications to give you a kickstart – like the King’s College Product Management Career Accelerator course that I had a hand in creating – and loads more information to learn from.

We’ve asked some leading product pros what they recommend to someone who’s keen to get into Product Management today. Here’s their advice: 

Jason’s advice is spot on: if you’re eyeing a Product Manager role, jumping into an Individual Contributor (IC) position on a solid product team can be a great place to start. Whether you’re an Engineer, Designer, Analyst, or Copywriter, these roles give you hands-on experience with the nuts and bolts of product development, building, testing, prioritizing, and rethinking. It’s the perfect way to develop transferable skills while learning how to collaborate and tackle the messy, real-world challenges of creating great products.

He also singles out UX research as a standout prep role, and for good reason. Understanding the user or customer is central to effective Product Management, and a background in UX and UI equips you with the tools to gather, analyze, and apply insights that directly shape product decisions.

But what to do once you’ve gained this experience? Jump into a fresh PM role at a new company, or change position in your current organization? Well, most believe that the latter approach is the easiest:

It’s tough to get noticed without direct experience. By transitioning internally, you leverage existing relationships and company knowledge to make your case. Sometimes, building genuine connections with people in the industry can open doors that resumes alone can’t.

All in all, the best route into Product Management today depends entirely on where you are in your career. A person fresh out of school has different opportunities available to them than someone who’s been around the block in different roles. But whatever you do, gaining experience is crucial, no matter who you ask.

One interesting avenue of discussion is that many current PMs think a background in Business Analysis is going to support them. Heck, many don’t even think there’s much that distinguishes between the two roles, with Product Management simply being an evolution of Business Analysis.

I’m not going to go into whether I fully agree with that assessment or not, you can draw your own conclusions, but it’s clear that there is a strong connection between the role and Product Management. In fact, for many aiming to be a Product Manager, it was suggested to them that they seek out experience in Business Analysis first.

So why am I bringing this up? Well, because it highlights an important truth about Product Management: the skills you bring into the role matter just as much as the title you’ve held.

A background in Business Analysis equips you with some of the foundational tools you’ll need to succeed as a Product Manager – digging into data, understanding user needs, mapping processes, and collaborating with product teams. These are all core parts of the PM toolkit. For many, it’s a natural stepping stone.

But here’s the kicker: while Business Analysis is one path in, it’s far from the only one. The key is to focus on the transferable skills that align with Product Management.

So, whether you’re coming from a Business Analyst role or some other field entirely, don’t get hung up on the “right” path. The industry is wide open to those who can roll up their sleeves, ask the right questions, and create value for customers. 

What skills do you need to progress along the Product Manager career path?

So you don’t need a specific degree or background to break into Product Management, but you can’t waltz into the role without the right skills.

If you want to land a spot on the Product Manager career path, it’s crucial to develop attributes that align with the role’s demands. Many roles and courses can help you build these skills, but to give you a sense of where to focus, here’s a quick rundown of the core skills every aspiring Product Manager needs:

• Customer empathy: Understanding the needs, pain points, and motivations of your customers is essential. A strong sense of empathy allows you to prioritize features and solutions that truly matter, creating products people love.

• Strategic thinking: Product Managers must see the bigger picture. This means setting long-term goals, aligning your product vision with business objectives, and ensuring your team stays focused on outcomes over outputs.

• Communication skills: From pitching ideas to stakeholders to guiding cross-functional teams, clear and persuasive communication is non-negotiable. The better you are at explaining the why behind decisions, the smoother your development cycles will run.

• Data analysis: Numbers tell a story. Whether you’re evaluating user metrics, testing hypotheses, or measuring success, being able to analyze and act on data ensures your product decisions are grounded in reality.

• Prioritization: With countless ideas and finite resources, prioritization is a survival skill. Knowing how to balance user needs, business goals, and technical constraints is critical to shipping the right things at the right time.

• Collaboration: Product Managers work at the intersection of engineering, design, marketing, and sales. Being a team player who can bring diverse groups together to solve problems is key to driving success.

• Adaptability: Things rarely go as planned in Product Management. Whether it’s shifting priorities, unexpected user feedback, or changing market trends, the ability to pivot gracefully is a game-changer.

Breaking down a ‘typical’ Product Manager career path

So you’ve broken into Product Management. The Product Manager career path doesn’t just end there. There’s so much more room for you to grow.

There’s a notion that once you’re in Product Management, you have a straight, defined route to the top. Clear stepping stones you need to tread to reach the dizzying heights of Chief Product Officer. I don’t think it’s that simple.

Many people have come into Product sideways, through the back door. Who’s to say there are no more sideways and diagonal movements product professionals can make?

When looking into the Product Manager career path, you may be confronted with a simplistic structure that looks something like this:

You get your start as a Product Owner
You graduate into a Product Manager  
You then step into a Senior Product Manager role   
Soon enough you become a Director of Product
You then make the leap to Vice President of Product  
Finally, you’re the top dog as a Chief Product Officer

There’s soooooo much more nuance to this. There are loads more exciting and interesting roles that you can grow into. If you’re a new Product Manager, this route can make it feel like your future is already carved out for you. But what if you don’t want to step into a senior role that trades managing products for managing people? What if you want to specialize in a certain area of Product Management? Well, the good news is, you can.

Susana Lopes discussed the dual-track career path in one of her past talks at Mind The Product 2023 and it really left a mark on me. This is a great explanation in that there is a separate pathway for those wanting to stick around the product and stay in the weeds of product development, getting their hands dirty in improving the product. You don’t have to sacrifice your growth by pursuing this path.

It’s a fascinating discussion of how the Product Manager career path can branch off into different directions. But I think it can go even deeper.

See, I’d propose that the Product Manager career path isn’t a path at all, but a tree sprouting different branches. You’ve got your core Product Management role at the base, the truck, with everything else growing out from it.

Landing a role in Product Management doesn’t have to be the apex of your career. It can be the start. Imagine yourself a seedling – you can bloom into anything you want. 

And what about the roles that came before you? The roles that led to you getting your first Product Management position? Well, those are the roots that have given you a strong foundation and the skills needed to excel in Product Management.

Here’s a visual of what this Product Manager career tree may look like. Of course, we couldn’t fit EVERY product adjacent role into this, and it doesn’t include every possible route through Product Management, but based on our previous research, it appears to be some of the typical ways people move through the PM career journey.

I know not everyone will match this, but it should help paint the picture that the route up is not linear, it’s not a straight line – it’s a mess of different disciplines and skills and viewpoints and that’s what makes the industry so interesting. 

How is the Product Manager career path set to change?

Things don’t tend to sit still for long in tech and SaaS, so don’t expect the Product Manager career path to settle into a fixed rhythm anytime soon. There are so many new roles being introduced and different ways of doing Product Management –  I think this is going to change how the Product Manager career path looks going forward. Here are some key areas where the Product Manager career path may change.

A slowdown on specialized roles

See, not even a decade ago, Product Managers were seen as a jack-of-all-trades, dipping into different specializations and offering insight where they can. But recently, we’ve seen a major shift in this. Today, companies are focused on getting specialized PMs to perform specific tasks and focus on a certain area surrounding the product.

One of the biggest growing specializations is, somewhat fittingly, Growth PM roles. This position has risen 117% since 2022, demonstrating the appetite businesses have to scale. Here, core PMs are being usurped by ones specifically focused on driving business growth.

But here’s the thing, I think after an initial boom, these specialized roles are going to die off and become absorbed into the Product Management role, becoming core responsibilities instead of specified job role focuses.

If you’re in a position where you need to show you’re influencing growth as a PM, check out our webinar on how to ‘do’ Growth Product Management : 

Once again, I believe that these will become just another hat that a Product Manager needs to wear, meaning that those looking to enter Product Management will need to be pretty multifaceted. 

I’m not alone in this mindset. Other top Product leaders believe this is the next trend in the industry. 

IC track roles are going to catch up 

The IC track is still a new route to senior positions in Product Management, and because of that, there’s still a discrepancy between say a Distinguished Product Manager and a VP of Product.

This is changing, slowly and surely, with this route becoming a more viable pathway to follow, allowing more technically minded folks to continue to influence the success of their product without having to face managerial and leadership responsibilities that could leave them burned out.

Watch this space on the dual-track career path, as it’s seriously something that can take off and reshape the Product Manager career path. 

There’ll be even more PMs outside the US (and Silicon Valley)

Product Management can sometimes feel like a solely American role. That makes sense, FAANG companies were among the first to make the role trendy and pay big bucks for Product Managers. They made the role popular and most just so happened to all be headquartered in Silicon Valley, hence the still existing focus on the San Francisco Bay Area.

But things have been changing now – Product Management is undeniably global.

Yes, some companies may still require applicants for top Product Management positions to relocate to the US, but there are so many new Product Management hubs that are making the industry more diverse and more accessible than ever before, and they’re growing.

The rise of remote working – which is not going away – and the effectiveness of digital collaboration tools means we’re going to see even more international teams and more PMs from locations beyond the US. 

Product Managers can start to aim bigger

Don’t let our Product Manager career tree fool you. There are plenty of more senior positions that you can aim for beyond being a Chief Product Officer. There’s a growing trend of Product Managers spreading their influence in wider, more adjacent fields, which is going to have a big influence on where businesses in tech go.

More Product Managers are starting to land Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer roles. Plenty have also climbed the ranks to become CEOs at some major companies.

Heck, loads of Product Managers are now becoming Founders of their own companies, using their expertise to build start-ups. The success that many have had should be a good indication that those on the Product Manager career path can begin to dream a bit bigger. The skills you hone and develop as a product person are now getting valued at the highest levels of business leadership. 

You set your own path 

The Product Manager career path is as unique and varied as the people who walk it. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, no golden staircase leading to the C-suite. You can forge your own path. Whether you’ve stumbled into the field from an unexpected career or carefully planned your every move, the beauty of Product Management lies in its flexibility.

Unlike more rigid industries, the pathway to the top is less of a ladder and more of a tree – rooted in diverse skills, branching into endless opportunities, and growing in directions that suit your ambitions.

If there’s one thing a new PM should take away, it’s this: whether you’re charting your first steps on the Product Manager career path or considering your next move, remember: there’s no “right” path, only the one that aligns with your goals and interests.

So embrace the unexpected, lean into your transferable skills, and trust that the winding road ahead is exactly where you’re meant to be. In Product Management, every twist, turn, and pivot is an opportunity to grow.

And if you want to supercharge your growth and become a better Product Manager, consider using the best tools for the job. Every Product Manager needs a roadmapping tool, and the best choice is ProdPad. With ProdPad you’ll have best practices built-in, with templates and prompts to help you better define your ideas, optimize your backlog, and build products that drive business growth.

ProdPad can make you go from good to great. See what we can do yourself with a free trial – no strings attached.

The post The Product Manager Career Path is Not a Straight Line appeared first on ProdPad.

How do you know when the time is right for hiring Product Managers? 

It’s a big call knowing when to get a new Product Manager. What should you be looking out for? What indicates it’s time to open your doors and welcome a new PM in? Well, that depends on the situation of your company at the time. 

Getting your first-ever Product Manager will have different considerations than when getting a second, third or fourth. The timing for hiring your first PM largely depends on your founding team’s makeup and capabilities. In the early days of a startup, Founders often fill the Product Management role themselves. Many Founders have a “product” mindset, they’re already focused on identifying market needs, talking to early customers, and iterating on an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This phase is usually manageable without a dedicated PM, as the Founder is deeply involved in both product development and strategy.

However, the need for a PM becomes evident when the demands on the Founder’s time grow too large. As the business scales, the Founder’s focus shifts to other responsibilities, like fundraising, marketing, or hiring, leaving less time for essential Product Management tasks such as customer discovery, iteration, and market positioning. When the Founder can no longer dedicate the necessary time to product direction, it’s time to bring in a dedicated Product Manager.

At this stage, you’re likely going to be looking for a generalist, someone who can do it all, as they’re going to have fingers in a lot of different pies at this early stage of the company.


But say you’ve already got an established product team structure. You have your Product Manager, Engineer, and Designer working well in a Product Trio. How do you know when you need another one? 

Well, the signs are pretty similar, as you’ll usually be bringing one in when your current PM starts to feel overloaded with responsibilities. If they’re struggling to find enough time for proper product discovery, or finding it hard to keep momentum moving on initiatives, it’s a big indication that they need some support.

This support may not necessarily be in the form of hiring more Product Managers. You could consider hiring someone junior to assist or bringing in a specialist to complement the first PM’s skill set.

If you are hiring Product Managers, think more about the specific skills you need. Your first Product Manager is likely a generalist, handling every stage of the complete Product Management lifecycle. If you’re looking to hire a second or third PM, you may want to split the responsibilities and have a Product Manager who’s dedicated to customer discovery while another handles internal processes.

Of course, as your company starts to scale and adds new products, your hands are pretty much tied and you’ll need a PM to handle each product. 

What makes a good candidate when hiring Product Managers?

When hiring Product Managers, you naturally want the best. The cream of the crop. The pic of the bunch. The creme de la creme. But what does that actually look like? Well here are some important skills to look out for.

Personally, I love to see an application where the candidate has identified the problem we’re trying to solve and then speaks about why they’ve got the experience to solve that issue. Not only does it feel personal and show they’ve taken the time to get to know our situation, but it highlights that they have an inquisitive mind and are a problem-solver. 

Too many applications just read like a list of all the things the person is great at. But if those skills aren’t relevant to what we need from a new Product Manager right now, it may as well be a shopping list. 

Plus, many applicants go into detail about how this position could be good for them. They’re looking inwardly in a selfish way, speaking of how the role can help them learn and develop their career. That’s all well and good, but you’re not running a charity. Ideally, you want a Product Manager who can help your business improve, not the other way around.

When hiring Product Managers, look out for those who detail what they can do for you. Something like:

Now that’s interesting. That’s the mark of a great Product Manager. Like Giff Constable said in our webinar on how to become a CPO, It’s all about demonstrating that they’ve seen this movie before, and know the script for how to act it out. They’ve been able to see your needs, so they’re probably pretty good at seeing your customers’ needs and building a better product off the back of that research. 

Giff said a lot more great things in our chat. If you’re looking to climb the ladder and become a Chief Product Officer, or want tips on how to excel in the position, check out our on-demand webinar below: 

Of course, the above is a general view of what makes a good Product Manager. To ensure you get a good candidate for your situation when hiring Product Managers, you need their skills to match what you need. 

You need to hire the right Product Manager for you

You need to find a Product Manager that matches your needs and fits into your culture. A stunning candidate for one business may not be the best fit for yours, and you need to be aware of that when hiring Product Managers. Don’t be tempted to get a PM that looks good on paper if they’re not able to provide a solution to the problem you face. 

You could be stung by getting a generalist when you really need someone who can specialize in a function that you need for your business. Look at your needs. Is your product suffering from high customer churn? You’ll benefit from a PM who has experience in this over one who doesn’t.  

You should be thinking about what problem you’re trying to solve for your business and what change you hope this role is going to make for the business. You also have to think about how your business operates and if the PM suits it. Are there particular rituals that they need to be part of? Things like daily stand-ups or scrums, retros or backlog refinement meetings. Outline these things and figure out exactly the type of Product Manager you want for this role.

Also think about the non-negotiable skills you need, as this will shape the ideal PM for you. Of course, you need the general skills for the role, but there might be something specific for you that you can’t look past. For ProdPad, that’s an understanding and appreciation of agile, outcome-based roadmaps. It’s kind of our thing. If a candidate comes in declaring their unwavering love for Gantt charts and timeline roadmaps, that’s an obvious tell that it’s not going to work. 

How do you attract the best talent when hiring Product Managers?

You won’t attract the best minds in product with any old job ad. To get the best when hiring Product Managers, you need to be perceived as the best and look like an exciting and rewarding option for applicants. Your job descriptions need to be compelling, showcasing the exciting opportunities that the role offers. 

When hiring Product Managers, you’re selling the organization just as much as the applicant is trying to sell themselves. Talk about the attractive things about your role, be that the money you can offer, the education you can provide, or the prestige of the business. Whatever gets people through the door. It’s like a lure when fishing. Sure, low-grade worms may be enough to catch a prime bluefin tuna, but you’ll have a better chance of making a catch if you use premium squid bait. 

When writing our job specs here at ProdPad, we make an effort to cover why the job is important and where it fits in the bigger picture. We disclose what applicants will learn in the role, and we spell out the benefits. This helps us inspire the best applicants. You don’t want to be seen as another job to add to the pile, you want applicants to be excited by the opportunity.

Just be detailed in what you offer. Different people are going to have different prerogatives for what they’re looking for in a role. The best applicants for you are going to have wants and needs that line up with what you’re offering. 

What interview questions should you ask when hiring Product Managers? 

Interviews are your chance to learn more about your applicants and extract more nuggets of information that can indicate if they’ll be a good hire or not. To do this, you need to ask the right questions. You want to hit them with meaningful questions that get them thinking, saying things that go further than rehearsed lines they think you want to hear. Try and have an actual conversation. The following questions are a good place to start.

• What do you think about roadmapping?
• Tell me about a time when something didn’t go to plan and you had to pivot. 
• How do you define success?
• How do you gather feedback and how do you use it to inform decisions?
• The CEO has a product idea, but you have data that shows it’s not the right thing to do. How do you approach that?
• Talk us through your resume.

Let’s delve into each of these questions in turn…

What do you think about roadmapping?

What I like about this question is that it’s pretty broad and can be interpreted in many ways, leading to plenty of interesting discussions. Candidates can talk about what they think should go on a roadmap, their thoughts on different roadmap formats, or why they take the approach they do with their roadmap. 

Roadmapping is a core part of the Product Management role, so a candidate will usually have a lot to talk about here and can help you learn how they’re going to approach their work and if their views align with your company.

Tell me about a time when something didn’t go to plan and you had to pivot. 

This is a great question to ask when hiring Product Managers, as it gives you insight into their decision-making process and how they evaluate the performance of a product. What metrics do they care about and what did they do to change the outcome? 

A good candidate would answer this question by explaining how they assessed market signs and other data, as well as how they managed risk when making the strategic shift. 

How do you define success?

Asking this when hiring Product Managers is a powerful way to assess a candidate’s mindset, priorities, and alignment with your company’s goals. It can reveal not just their personal values, but also how they evaluate the success of a product or feature and the broader impact on the business.

It shows you how they think about the product vision, and gives you an insight into if they’re taking into consideration things like customer value and other customer-centric points.

You’ll need to listen out for the particular metrics your Product Manager candidates cite and how they calculate return-on-investment. You should prepare for these interviews by reviewing all the available Product Management KPIs and having an idea of the ones that would be most important in this role. Download our complete list of KPIs and find the most meaningful ones for your product. 

To learn more about the possible ways a Product Manager can measure the ROI of their work, download our guide. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll know what to listen out for when it comes to how they measure success. 

How do you gather feedback and how do you use it to inform decisions?

This question is fundamental to ask when hiring Product Managers as it explores their direct processes as well as their prioritization skills. What do they do to figure out what feedback should be acted upon? 

It can also demonstrate their bias. Do they focus on data or do they focus on qualitative information through interviews and surveys? It also shines a light on how they use feedback as an iterative process.

The CEO has a product idea, but you have data that shows it’s not the right thing to do. How do you approach that?

This question is all about stakeholder management. How does the candidate manage other people and communicate their ideas? You’re looking for someone that has the guts to say no when it’s right, but who has the skills and empathy to know the right ways of saying no. 

If you’re wondering what the best ways to say no as a Product Manager are, we’ve spoken with Melissa Appel to get the best tips. You can watch our webinar here:

Ask about their resume

This isn’t so much a question but a tip to the interviewer – ask more about the resume, and get the applicant to explain some things. Due to the nature of resumes, a lot of the information on there is cherry-picked. They want to put their best foot forward, so of course everything is going to be overwhelmingly positive. 

Try and get the context around what they’ve done. Ask if their performance exceeded expectations and try to understand what their goals were in their roles – how were they measured? Instead of just seeing the nice cherries they’ve picked off, you see more of the entire tree. 

Common mistakes when hiring Product Managers

Hiring Product Managers, or any other role for that matter, can be a bit of a burden. It’s a time sink, takes up resources, and is expensive. That’s why when you go through the hiring process, you want to do it right. 

Mess things up, and you could be left with a Product Manager that isn’t right for you and is struggling as a result. That’s not on them, it’s on you for not doing things properly. To avoid the awkward situation of making a hire that doesn’t work out, be aware of these common mistakes. 

Look past titles

It can be hard to tell how good of a Product Manager someone will be by looking at their job titles alone. A person who’s held senior positions or product-orientated roles may seem really exciting at first, but these roles don’t actually tell you how involved they’ve been and what skills they had to call into action. 

Roles and titles are all over the place in Product Management and can sometimes pull the wool over your eyes. For example, you could come across a Product Lead that implies they have leadership experience, but learn that they only had a tiny team. Not ideal if you’re looking for someone to manage a large product team. 

Often, you can find great people who never had lofty or product-related titles, but because of the structure of their past organization were involved in doing great product stuff. You want to focus on the stories of your applicants. Sometimes the titles don’t give the full picture. Sure, Alice in Wonderland kind of gives you the whole synopsis, but have you ever read Clockwork Orange? I don’t remember oranges or clocks being a major part of it. 

Don’t worry about qualifications 

Try not to get all hot and bothered about an applicant that has qualifications and certifications from X. Y, and Z. Yes, these can suggest that these PMs have a good knowledge base and have put in the work to learn more, but these qualifications are not a replacement for real-world experience. 

Sure, these can equip PMs with the theory and vocabulary of Product Management, but there’s no indication that they’ve put what they’ve learned into practice. It’s much better to have a PM who’s been in the trenches and learned from doing, failing, and then iterating. 

We don’t want to poo-poo qualifications too much. If presented alongside tangible experience and evidence of success, then great, that’s a candidate who’s got the knowledge and expertise down. Think of it like this – if you’re a football coach looking for a star player, you wouldn’t favor the armchair fan who can recite every play and tactic and has watched every Superbowl. No, you’d ideally pick someone who’s actually played in them.

Let’s not even go into the fact that some qualifications aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. If you want to know which Product Management courses do deliver useful learning, here’s our list of the Product Management courses that you should look out for on a resume: 

Prioritize strategic thinking over technical skills

Oh no, this candidate doesn’t know how to use Figma, time to throw their resume in the bin. Hold your horses there – technical skills shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all when looking for a new Product Manager. 

Of course, you’re going to want adequate skills to ensure they can work their way around your roadmapping tool and whatnot, but it can be damaging to set your focus on getting a boffin who’s a whizz at coding and engineering, etc. The Product Management role is far more strategic than this. Instead, you should champion skills in decision-making, communication, market and customer research, and setting the product vision. It’s all of this that actually helps you make a great product, not how many different coding languages they know. 

Don’t overlook soft skills

Product Managers serve as the bridge between various teams ensuring that everyone is aligned on the product vision. Communication is a big part of the day in the life of a Product Manager. If a PM lacks strong soft skills like communication skills or organization, misunderstandings can occur, leading to delays, misaligned priorities, or a lack of clear direction. 

Likewise, when hiring Product Managers, be hyper aware of how empathetic candidates appear. A PM with poor empathy may struggle to fully understand the customer’s needs, which can result in decisions that don’t resonate with users. 

Leadership is another essential soft skill. Even though many PMs don’t have direct authority over the teams they work with, they must inspire, motivate, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver on the product vision. A Product Manager who can’t foster collaboration or navigate tough conversations may face roadblocks that slow down product development. 

A PM needs to be comfortable in the spotlight, a leading actor, not an extra in the background. 

An important hire

Hiring Product Managers isn’t just about adding new faces to the team – it’s about solving specific problems and moving your business forward. Make sure the candidate has the right mix of skills and experience, and don’t just be dazzled by flashy titles or qualifications. 

A great PM aligns with your business’s needs, rolls with the punches, and knows how to juggle multiple priorities without dropping the ball. Get it right, and they’ll be the driving force that pushes your product and company to the next level. Get it wrong, and, well… you’ll be back on the job board sooner than you’d like.

When hiring a good Product Manager, they’re going to need a good Product Management tool. ProdPad is the only tool built specifically to help make a good Product Manager great. With best practices baked in and functionality to help manage customer feedback, prioritize your roadmap, and plan your backlog, ProdPad equips Product Managers with everything they need to turn strategy into action. 

Give ProdPad a go to see how it can work for you, commitment-free. 

The post Hiring Product Managers: How to Get the Best Talent appeared first on ProdPad.

What is Product Management consulting? 

Product Management consulting is a specialized service where Product Management experts provide guidance, strategies, and support to help you manage and launch your products. The specifics of what they do is all down to your needs. 

Have a skill gap in product life cycle management? You can get a consultant to advise on that. Need work on defining your product vision? A Product Management Consultant can help with that too. 

Essentially, a Product Management Consultant is typically a former or current Product Leader who has been around the block. They’ve walked the walk, and now have the experience to talk the talk and support you in whatever you need. When using Product Management consulting, the support you get is objective. They’re not an internal stakeholder, making it easier for them to get out of the weeds and offer the advice and guidance you need to hear, without any internal pressure. 

If you opt for Product Management consulting, you can expect a Consultant to be well-versed and skilled in:

• Market research: Conducting comprehensive analyses to identify customer needs, market trends, and competitive landscapes to inform product decisions.
• Product strategy: Developing a clear product vision and strategic direction for the product, aligning it with business goals and user requirements.
• Roadmapping: Creating a detailed product roadmap that outlines priorities, time horizons, and deliverables for effective product development and release.
• Agile transformation: Guiding organizations through the adoption of Agile methodologies to enhance flexibility, collaboration, and responsiveness in product development.
• Goal setting: Establish measurable objectives and key results (OKRs) to track progress and ensure alignment with the overall product vision.
• Go-to-market strategies: Designing and executing effective strategies for launching products, including marketing, sales, and distribution plans to maximize market impact.

A consultant is there to bridge the gap in any internal expertise. They pull from their deep pockets of knowledge to set you straight and point you in the right direction. 

Product Management consulting vs. product coaching

Product Management consulting seems pretty similar to product coaching, doesn’t it? To be fair, there is some overlap. A Product Management Consultant can be a Product Coach and vice versa, but there are key differences to these services. 

What sets these two apart is how involved they are in your personal development. A Product Coach is more focused on you, building up your skills and expertise as a product professional while also helping your team improve. Product Management consulting is laser-focused on your product, providing guidance on how to make that a better version while being more strategic. 

So, product coaching has more of a personal touch looking to develop you, whereas Product Management consulting is designed to be more directive. A Product Coach is a music teacher, helping you to play the violin, while a Product Management Consultant is the orchestra conductor, telling you when to play it. 

A Product Coach will also usually build a long-term relationship with a product professional, acting as an ongoing mentor. A consultant is typically only used in a short, defined timeframe, helping to provide solutions as and when they’re needed.

What are the benefits of Product Management consulting? 

Many companies use Product Management Consulting to support their product development. You’ll likely find that many high-performing businesses in your industry were spurred on to success through the advice of a Product Management Consultant. 

There are so many benefits to using one. Consultants can offer real value if you think there is a need. Here’s all you need to know to decide if Product Management Consulting is right for you.

Plug a knowledge gap

You’re not going to know everything about Product Management – you’re really not. It’s not a weakness to admit that, but it is if you don’t. As a Product Leader, you should lean on the knowledge of your product teams to fill those gaps. But what if there’s still something no one is quite sure about? 

Well, that’s a great benefit of Product Management consulting. Depending on your knowledge gap, you can get someone with specialized expertise in that area to support you and provide guidance and advice on what to do. You’ll be able to access Product Management best practices so that you can avoid mistakes and optimize your product development. Learn more about Product Management best practices below:

Objective perspective 

The support from Product Management consulting is unbiased. There’s no noise from internal stakeholders or any involvement with your product that may cloud their judgment. This position allows them to take an omniscient view of how you do things to spot opportunities and issues that you may not have been seeing. 

Familiarity and organizational biases can sometimes pull the wool over your eyes. Getting some Product Management consulting can clear the air to help you see things differently. 

Solve problems faster

Product Management Consultants work efficiently to help you fix your problems quickly, helping you move along your process without wasting any time or energy. This can be crucial in fast-paced markets or if you have a rapid release schedule. 

By using the knowledge and the methodologies they’ve built up over the years of their experience, Product Management Consultants are able to find solutions quickly. 

Customized solutions

Advice from some sources can be fairly generic, trying to be universal to relate to as many different situations as possible. Sometimes you need an approach specifically designed for you that looks deeply at your particular situation to find the best solutions for you, not everyone. 

When you use Product Management consulting, you’ll get custom solutions and actionable strategies designed to meet the specific needs of your company and customers. This can save you time trying to take generic advice and think how it applies to your situation – the Consultants will do that for you so you can get cracking straight away.  

Short term commitment

When you use Product Management consulting, you get access to these experts for as long as you need them. This means that instead of having to go through a long-term hiring process to fill knowledge gaps in your team, you can quickly access this specialized knowledge and then move on once you’ve found your solution. 

This keeps things flexible, especially for businesses that may not need a full-time product expert. You can dip in and dip out depending on your needs and even swap around between consultants to find one that specializes in the areas that you need. 

When would you need Product Management consulting?

There are many scenarios where bringing in a Product Management Consultant can be a game-changer. Here are a few key moments when expert support is especially beneficial:

• When you don’t yet have a product function and want to establish one
  You’ve got the vision, but not the structure. A consultant can help you build the foundations of a product function, ensuring it’s scalable and aligned with your business goals from day one.
  
• When you want to improve your product management function
  Maybe things are running okay, but “okay” doesn’t cut it. A consultant can streamline processes, boost team efficiency, and level up your product strategy to ensure you’re operating at your best.
  
• You have a knowledge gap in a critical area
  Whether it’s market research, customer insights, or tech know-how, a consultant can step in with specialized expertise to fill in the blanks and keep your project moving forward smoothly.
  
• You haven’t yet got a product team and need the help of an expert
  Building a product team takes time – and while you’re putting together your dream squad, a consultant can jump in to cover the gaps and maintain momentum.
  
• Your team is at capacity and you need a short-term fix
  If your team is drowning in tasks and deadlines are looming, a consultant can provide temporary relief, tackling high-priority items without adding to your permanent headcount.
  
• You’re navigating a pivot strategy
  Pivoting is tricky business. With a consultant’s guidance, you can navigate a transformative pivot strategy confidently, ensuring you keep your customer base while evolving your product offering.
  
• You’re entering a new market and need the support of a market expert
  New markets bring new challenges. A consultant with market-specific knowledge can help you navigate unfamiliar terrain, minimizing risk while maximizing opportunities.
  
• You’ve hit a wall
  Maybe you’ve exhausted everything you can think of and still you’re not quite hitting your goals. You might have hit a plateau and none of your experiments are pushing you into your next stage of growth. Getting a fresh pair of eyes, one with experiences you might not have had, can help you uncover the next step to take your product to a new level.

How do you choose your Product Management Consultant? 

If you’re in the market for a Product Management Consultant, there are a few things you want to keep in mind and look out for. All the best Product Management Consultants have common characteristics that indicate their quality, so factor these in when choosing your Consultant. 

Proven experience in Product Management

I mean, this is a bit of a given. You wouldn’t hire a plumber who’s never fixed a pipe before, so, obviously, make sure you choose a consultant who has the level of experience you need. Look for consultants who have their own first-hand experience as a Product Manager or Leader and who have a track record of success. You should also favor a consultant who has knowledge of your industry or market. 

Specialized in what you need

Going back to plumbing, if you need a boiler fixed, you don’t want to bring in a sanitary specialist. If you need specific support in one area of Product Management, find a consultant who’s good at that. You want them to line up with your goals. 

Communication skills

A Consultant is going to be working across multiple teams, so they need to be an effective communicator who can be clear when articulating ideas and detailed when giving their advice, or when saying no. You always want someone who’s going to back up their guidance with evidence.

So if a potential Consultant doesn’t do a good job of explaining their services, or if their emails are hard to decipher, that’s a bit of a red flag. I’d keep looking. 

Cultural fit

It’s important that your Consultant meshes with your company culture and understands your team’s values. A good Consultant will adapt to your style to facilitate smoother collaboration and better results.

Remember, this person is going to be unknown to the team and they’re going to be dishing out advice on what it’s currently working and what needs to change. If that person doesn’t have the right cultural fit or emotional intelligence, you’ll likely get resistance from the rest of the team and end up with disgruntled colleagues. 

References and case studies

Always ask for testimonials, case studies, and customer stories from previous clients. A Consultant’s reputation and ability to deliver outcomes will speak a lot louder than their qualifications and credentials. If there’s no clear evidence of past success, that should be a bit of a turn-off.

You should always go into your Consultant hunt with specific objectives in mind. Know exactly what it is you need help with – what it is you want the Consultant to help you achieve. Then you can align your specific goals with the successes each Consultant has had. Try and find someone who has achieved exactly what you’re hoping to achieve. 

Your budget

You should make sure that the fees of your ideal Product Management Consultant align with your budget expectations. Be warned, senior, well-experienced Consultants can be pricey, but that often speaks to their abilities and skills. They’re able to charge that for a reason. More economical options can work, but you want to make sure that the Consultant has the level of experience and past success that you need.

Keen to get matched up with the ideal Product Management Consultant? We partner with a lot of Consultants that we trust to provide an excellent service. Check out our partners page below to find the right fit for you. You can also find Coaches, Trainers, and more so that you can find the support you need.

How do you measure the success of your Product Management consulting?

So you’ve turned to Product Management consulting, and your Consultant has been and gone. How do you know if they’ve done a good job? Success can look different depending on a few key factors that align product strategy, team performance, and data-driven decisions with business goals. Here’s what successful use of Product Management Consulting looks like:

Clear alignment on product strategy

One of the first signs of success is the development of a product strategy that aligns seamlessly with your company’s broader business objectives. A well-defined product vision and roadmap give your team a clear direction and ensure everyone is focused on the same goals. This alignment reduces wasted effort, improves focus, and ensures that your product development efforts are in sync with your company’s growth targets.

Improved product processes

A successful Product Management consulting engagement should result in optimized workflows that are repeatable and scalable, reducing delays and bottlenecks in the development cycle. When your team can deliver products or features faster and with fewer roadblocks, it’s a strong indicator that the consulting has enhanced your processes.

Enhanced team performance

A high-performing product team is crucial for turning strategic visions into reality. Consulting should improve both collaboration and communication within your team, as they suggest ways to foster a more cohesive and effective group.

Success can be seen when your team takes ownership of key product decisions and works together efficiently to execute on the roadmap. You’ll also see a far happier team – so keep an eye on the vibe and check that your team are feeling increased job satisfaction and are more motivated. As a result your staff retention should improve! 

Successful product launch or improvements

Ultimately, the success of any Product Management consulting engagement is reflected in tangible product outcomes. Whether it’s launching a new product or making significant improvements to existing features, success is measured by the product’s market reception and customer satisfaction. 

Positive feedback from users, growth in customer adoption rate, or noticeable improvements to existing products are strong indicators that the consulting effort has had a lasting impact on your business. In short, a successful engagement should lead to measurable product progress that drives customer satisfaction and business growth.

By evaluating these areas, you can measure the effectiveness of your Product Management consulting and ensure that it delivers lasting value.

Data-driven decision-making

Shifting to data-driven decision-making is a clear marker of consulting success. Without solid metrics, it’s difficult to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. Product Management consulting will help you define clear KPIs and the best metrics to follow for you to gain valuable insights into your product’s performance. With these data-driven insights, your team can make informed decisions that are based on facts, not assumptions.

Keen to see if you’re tracking the right key performance indicators? Browse our definitive list to identify the best metrics for you.

What are the alternatives to Product Management consulting? 

Sometimes it doesn’t quite make sense to go all in on Product Management consulting. Perhaps the budget just doesn’t stretch far enough to justify the extra spending, or maybe you’re looking for something a bit more hands-on and focused on personal development and education. If Product Management consulting isn’t looking like the right fit, here are some alternatives you can try:

In-house training

The support from Product Management consulting can help plug a skill gap for a time, but once you part ways with your Consultant, that gap may still be there. Instead, a good alternative to fill this gap is to organize some in-house training. Here, in-person or digital workshops can help your team improve on key skills, meaning that you can rely on them to perform the function in the future. 

This training can be customized to your team’s needs and promotes a culture of continuous learning, which is essential for product pros. 

Online courses and certifications

In addition to team training, if you believe that there’s a weakness in an individual’s skill set, you can also turn to online training courses, certifications and official qualifications.  

The benefits of online training are that most of these courses allow you to study at your own pace, making it easy to fit the learning around your everyday responsibilities. 

If you’re looking for education for you or for someone on your team, we’ve detailed some of the best Product Management courses, covering a range of different needs.

Peer networking 

Joining Product Management communities and networking with other product professionals can be a great way to get advice, guidance, and learn. You may have already noticed, but Product Leaders LOVE sharing what they know and often provide amazing insights on socials and online communities. 

If you’re looking to learn, get yourself to conferences, follow the best Product Leaders, and join various communities to get access to useful nuggets of information when you need it. As a Product Leader, it can feel like it’s your product against the world, but the truth is you’re able to lean on the community for support and advice. 

Plus, if you build a close circle with other product people doing their own thing, you can use this to keep up with best practices and industry trends. 

Looking for the best communities to get involved in? We’ve got a list of some useful Slack channels for Product Managers you can join that will connect you with loads of Product Managers and other leaders.

A good Product Management tool

Alright, it’s time to blow our own trumpet for a bit. A really good Product Management tool like ProdPad can be a great alternative to Product Management consulting. How? Well, ProdPad has best practices built in, with workflows, prompts and structures all designed to ensure you’re working in-line with tried and tested, modern Product Management principles that will give you the best chance of success. We’re often referred to as ‘the opinionated tool’. Let me explain…

ProdPad was founded by the product thought-leader Janna Bastow, and experienced product leader Simon Cast. They built ProdPad as a solution to their own problems while they were working as Product Managers and struggling with timeline roadmaps and outdated processes. Alongside ProdPad, they invented the Now-Next-Later product roadmap which is designed to keep Product Teams outcome focused, delivering Initiatives that contribute to strategic goals, help achieve OKRs and bring measurable results for customers. The Now-Next-Later, and the approaches that ProdPad is structured around are all designed to help you devise, manage and communicate a product strategy that is grounded in a focus on driving outcomes and not just shipping outputs. 

ProdPad also comes complete with unique AI capabilities, one of which is our AI Product Coach. On hand to offer well-informed, best practice advice whenever you need it, with a click of a button your AI Product Coach can review your product vision, offer an assessment of the alignment between any ideas in your backlog and your strategic priorities, and deliver suggestions on how to make improvements. You can find out here about ProdPad AI here. 

Consulting your way to success

Product Management consulting is about unlocking potential, enhancing strategies, and driving your product forward. It can help you fix something that’s not quite right, and strengthen your product to make it better. Whether you’re tackling a major pivot, establishing a new product function, or simply looking to plug a gap in your team’s skills, a Product Management Consultant can provide the expertise and fresh perspective needed to level up.

But here’s the thing: As useful as Product Management consulting can be, they’re not the only way to improve things. With ProdPad, you can instantly tap into Product Management best practices, manage roadmaps, and nail down your product strategy all within one platform. It’s like having a consultant by your side but in tool form.

Ready to boost your product game? Try ProdPad for free and see for yourself how it makes your product management journey smoother, smarter, and more efficient.

The post Product Management Consulting: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on ProdPad.

What is a Chief Product Officer?

The role of Chief Product Officer (CPO) is the name given to the person who leads everything to do with the commercial commodity at the heart of a product-led company. They sit above Product Management, Analysis, UX, and Development Teams, managing the whole group with a strategic focus on improving the product and providing mentorship to the people in each of those departments.

If you’re obsessed with the strategy that goes into making and releasing great products, and you also feel like you’ve got enough strings to your bow to be able to lead people across a range of disciplines, then being Chief Product Officer could be right up your street.

A good Chief Product Officer is hands-on without micromanaging and knows the product inside out. While it’s a C-suite role, many Chief Product Officers will work closely with the Product Management Team to provide guidance to take products from inception, to launch, and all the way through the entire product lifecycle.

The Director of Product Management and the Director of UX, for example, will both report to the Chief Product Officer with regular updates, with the CPO’s job being to spot any potential blockers, solve issues, and dovetail these sometimes disparate team updates into the overall product strategy.

The CPO sits on the same level as the rest of the C-suite executives, like the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief Operations Officer (COO). These roles sit below the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – the big dog. Now, that’s a whole lot of Cs, but the main point is that a CPO is pretty high up in any product-led company.

What does a Chief Product Officer do? 

The main goal of a CPO is to effectively take the company’s product and strap a rocket to it, all without sacrificing the capacity (and sanity) of the people working on it. Of course, there’s a lot that goes into building a rocket and setting it off well – just ask NASA.

In real-world terms, that aim means that a Chief Product Officer’s key objectives include…

Growth and revenue expansion 

The Chief Product Officer needs to be able to balance prioritizing the things that make the product great with a need to expand and grow the business. It’s not exactly an operational or financial role, but others in the C-suite will be looking to the CPO for areas to grow the business through the product.

Your job, then, is to enable your team to find pockets of opportunity through implementing a product discovery process and then build out a strategy for capitalizing on them.

Retention and churn management 

Some customers won’t renew their subscriptions. That’s a shame, but it’s inevitable. But when those customer churn figures start to rise, all eyes will be on the Chief Product Officer to understand why and know how to fix it.

Churn is like a leaky pipe. As the CPO, you’re the plumber, and the people you have at your disposal are (without sounding flippant) your tools. It’ll be up to you to not only ensure that churn stays low, but that you have a long-term plan in place to grow retention.

Product adoption and customer onboarding 

A great CPO is at home in a data analytics suite, and they know how to spot patterns that point to areas for improvement. Improving your adoption rate and finding trends in your product adoption curve will be a key responsibility, alongside making sure that no new customers drop off before they’ve reached the wow moment of your product. Again, your success is the sum of your team’s parts here.

You’ll piece together the strategy that can improve the metrics, you’ll track the OKRs, and your Product Managers will work within their teams to deliver timely updates and new releases. 

Scale and operational efficiency 

Some CPOs are brought in specifically to build or grow a product team, while some sit over the top of an existing group. Either way, as you achieve growth in your product’s user base, you’ll end up with a Product Team that grows alongside it. Ultimately, it’ll be your job to make that growth sustainable.

Your responsibility will be managing ballooning teams so that things stay stable and operational, and that nobody comes out the other end of a scaling-up phase feeling burned out or lost. Perhaps most importantly: changes in the Product Team’s size absolutely cannot negatively affect the product.

Stakeholder management

 The CPO reports to the rest of the C-suite, specifically to the CEO. But they also need to be able to filter everything they’re being told by their cross-discipline team, run it through the product strategy mangle, and turn it into stakeholder-friendly messaging. You’ll likely find yourself presenting to external investors, and they’ll want you to know what they’ll find important to hear, and what’s extraneous.

As luck would have it, we actually have a great, free template for the perfect product roadmap presentation – one that’s designed to keep stakeholders engaged, and everyone informed. Check it out below :

Team structure and process management

One key responsibility of a CPO is to build an environment where your team will thrive and create exceptional products. You need to foster the right workstyle to suit your team and make sure that everyone operates in the same sort of operating system. 

Now the goal of CPO is NOT to micromanage what everyone needs to be doing all the time. Instead, you need to set guardrails that give co-workers rules on how to get their own work done with a certain level of autonomy. This stops workers from coming to you for support constantly, instead, you set parameters and if things go either side of it, then they can flag it. 

By building the principles for which your team works, you can empower your team and help them tackle challenges. For example, if you’re building for a two-sided marketplace and you’ve got to prioritize one type of user experience over the other, if your principle is that speed wins all, that will dictate the solution. However, If the principle is about delivering the happiest user experience, then the team will find a more aligned solution. It’s your job to come up with the best principles. 

Should I become a Chief Product Officer? 

The role of Chief Product Officer has been the dream for ambitious Product Managers. It’s the end goal, the last rung to climb on the career ladder. But it’s important to ask yourself, is it really the right role for you? 

The benefits of the position are well known. Based on anonymous data from Builtin.com, the average wage for a CPO in the U.S. is $230,747 . Of course, the pay range is pretty vast depending on the company you work for, as that average sits between $85,000 and $625,000, but these figures still show that it can be a pretty lucrative job role, especially when you factor in that you could also get additional compensation of up to $85,000 per year. 

But money shouldn’t be the driving factor. You should always work towards a role that you love, and that’s the question you need to ask. Do you love the product side of Product Management or the management side? 

See, the role of CPO sits firmly in the management track. When in this position, you’re going to distance yourself from the nitty-gritty of building products and making features. Instead, you’re managing people, processes, finances, and strategy. If you find the most joy in creating and being involved in product, it may not be the right option for you. 

If you find yourself dreading the idea of managing people and instead want to stay in the thick of it, you can instead consider the IC track of the career ladder. Here, you can work on becoming a product expert, keeping you firmly glued to product development without hindering your career progression. The IC track is catching up on the management career ladder, and there are more and more roles that are on the same level as CPO, giving you more options than ever to grow your career without sacrificing your personal development.

You can learn more about the duel track career ladder through Susana Lopes’s insightful talk on Mind the Product in 2023. She’s one of the best voices in Product Management and features in our list of the top PMs you should be following. Check out who also made the list below :

Along with these two tracks you can follow, you may also be in a position where you’re questioning if a specific CPO role is right for you. If you’re reading a job description and are umming and ahhing about if it’s the right fit for you, ask yourself the right questions about the role and the task at hand.

What skills do you need to become a Chief Product Officer? 

1. Leadership

CPOs are right near the tippy top of the company structure, so people will naturally turn to them for sage advice and strong leadership. It’s on a Chief Product Officer to have a plan ready for any product-related situation that arises, but also to be on hand to guide members of the wider team through their careers in a more general sense. Everyone, from UX and UI designers to data analysts, will knock on the CPO’s door looking for mentorship, so polish up your leadership skills to be sure you’re ready to deliver on that front. You can learn more about product leadership in the blog below: 

2. Strategic thinking

The luxury a CPO has over Product Managers is that they’re not quite so in the weeds of the day-to-day sprints. Instead, they have a top-level view to think with Sun Tzu-level tactical prowess about how to drive the product forward. That not only calls for you to understand data and analytical insight but you also need to know what to do with it. CPOs think over the long term so that people with their boots on the ground don’t have to.

3. Customer and data-mindedness

A massive part of that strategic thinking is being able to see the wood for the trees. Is the product you’re currently molding into shape one that customers actually want or need? Does the data support the decisions being made on a UX front? And, if not, how can you nudge things towards more customer-centric outcomes? Being a CPO means being able to kill other people’s darlings if they don’t suit either the overarching vision or the current market, providing that you have the evidence to show that.

4. Communication

The gift of the gab is going to be a beneficial skill for CPOs. In this role, you’re communicating a lot, both up and down the company hierarchy, as well as laterally to other positions of the same seniority as you. You need to be confident and capable of communicating the values of your approach in every which way, using evidence and other tactics to get buy-in and support. 

Do you need qualifications and training to become a Chief Product Officer? 

The minimum requirement to become a CPO is to have a bachelor’s degree, but more education in related areas of study is going to benefit you in the pursuit of this role. Training in business management and, of course, Product Management are going to be a plus, but the most important thing to become a CPO is experience. 

You need to have been around the block in the product world and have the expertise and knowledge to forge a path in your company and manage the challenges that you’re being brought in to address. 

Of course, you’ll gain the experience the longer you’re in Product Management, but there are ways to fast-track that. If climbing the ladder naturally sounds like a long road, you could try the CPO Accelerator, an online school developed by Melissa Perri that specializes in growing product leaders into Chief Product Officers over the course of a few months.

If you’re keen to learn more, we spoke with Melissa all about the different roles in Product Ops. Check out the full conversation below :

Best advice for an aspiring Chief Product Officer 

Looking to step into the shoes of a Chief Product Officer? New to the role and keen to hit the ground running? Here’s some advice to give you the best chance to nail the role and make an impact. With thoughts from some of the best Product Leaders and Senior Product professionals, here are our tips to make you a better fit. 

You don’t have to have all the answers

You may feel that you need to be a Product Management oracle when in a CPO role, but that’s far from the truth. The sooner you realize that you don’t need to have all the answers, the better you’ll perform. Your goal as a Chief Product Officer is to get the most out of the people around you; the staff you manage. Leverage their knowledge and skills to achieve the outcomes you need.

Show that you’ve been here before

When carving your path as a CPO, especially when you’re interviewing for the position, you want to make sure that you showcase that you’ve walked this road before. That you know how to tackle the challenges you’re being brought in to face, and that you have the tools to tackle them. 

This will improve the confidence your team has in you, and will also make you feel assured that you meet the requirements of the role. This is something that ProdPad webinar guest, Giff Constable, spoke about when discussing the CPO role.

Want to know what other advice Giff had to say? Check out the on-demand webinar below to get a detailed overview of what you need to do to become a CPO :

You’re creating a system, not a product 

The role of CPO is a step removed from Product Management and product development. No longer will you be building solutions, but instead you’re creating the system and process that your team will follow to build that product. 

It’s your responsibility to create the principles that are to be followed that dictate how your product is being crafted. You’re building the road that the team below you will drive on, not the car they’ll use to travel on it. 

Work on your product team structure

In the CPO role, you’re the guiding light for your team, so you need to understand how these teams operate and build a structure that they can excel within. The best way to do this is to craft a killer Product Team structure that brings the best out of your staff and co-workers. You’re all pulling towards the same goal, and it’s your main focus to ensure that the goal is understood and aligned in every team or squad. 

Trust your gut

When you become a CPO, now is not the time to have doubt and a crisis in confidence. You need to be assured in your abilities and process when you become a Chief Product Officer. Of course, that’s easier said than done. 

You’re trying to get buy-in from other roles, so you need convictions in your work and what you do. If that voice in the back of your head starts sounding negative, you can work on shutting it up by doing research and finding data to back up your decisions. You could also seek to find a mentor or consulate to provide guidance and a soundboard to bounce ideas and concerns against. 

Always remember that you’re dealing with people 

You need people skills to do well as a CPO. Never forget that you’re managing human beings. You need to approach your work with empathy and with a focus on how to make everyone excel and produce their best work. You’re not there to solve problems for your team, but give them the tools to avoid the problems in the first place. It’s like that proverb, give someone a fish, and they’re fed for a day. Teach them to fish, and they’re fed for a lifetime.

Climbing the ladder

Becoming a CPO is an attractive option for many Product Managers, and can be the pinnacle of your career, the driving force behind all the hard work. Becoming a Chief Product Officer is no small feat – it requires leadership, strategy, and a keen understanding of both product and people. As a CPO, you’re no longer just building a product, you’re building the system that helps your team thrive. It’s a role that demands you balance vision with practicality, empowering your team to innovate while keeping the company’s goals at the forefront.

A key responsibility of a Chief Product Officer is to create the structure and process that your team works to. This includes selecting the best tools to drive progress. ProdPad is a tool that can make your team more effective and help you become a better Product professional. Try it out for free and see how it can improve your process. 

The post Chief Product Officer: What They Do and How to Become One appeared first on ProdPad.

Why should you run product price testing? 

Imagine you’re baking a cake. You wouldn’t just throw it into the oven without checking it and measuring its progress with a timer. The same goes for your pricing. Product price testing ensures that your pricing is right – stopping you from scaring customers away with a large price tag that makes them nervously look for the ‘cancel subscription’ button.

Conducting product price testing helps you be confident that you’re pitching your product at a price point that accurately reflects its market perception and value proposition. How much your product is worth will change as it and your product grows, so you need to monitor this and stay aware of any big changes. 

Let’s illustrate this with a story:

Say we start a new side business – go us – and release a new product. Let’s say a video streaming service called ProdTV, where users can watch our great catalog of webinars (which you can check out below) alongside other blockbusters.

Now as ProdTV is new, and because there are already a few industry giants knocking around showing the latest movies and must-see TV, ProdTV decides to follow a competitor-based product pricing strategy and undercut the market, charging less than these big players. 

Now let’s say over a few years, people grow to love ProdTV. It’s got an equal viewership to the competitors and has managed to bag some exclusive, high-rated content that everyone is loving. Shows that are so good that people are willing to pay way more than the original budget-friendly price to watch. Do you think sticking with that budget price point is still right? 

Of course not. Now it’s time to change the pricing, and perhaps follow a value-based product pricing strategy that positions ProdTV as a premium option. Product price testing allows you to not only see when it’s right to switch things up, but it can also help you determine what the best prices are. 

Because if we go back to that example, and decide to increase the costs to where it’s way more than other streaming services, ProdTV may start to alienate existing customers and lose viewership quickly. Without effective product price testing, ProdTV could get the change wrong, piss all their viewers off, dramatically lose revenue, have their exclusive shows canceled, and die a horrible death. 

Now, don’t worry, we won’t be launching ProdTV any time soon, but if we were, we’d be using product price testing to make sure that we find that pricing sweet spot. A full list of reasons to test your product pricing includes:

• You avoid guesswork: Testing helps you make data-driven pricing decisions rather than relying on assumptions.
• You can maximize profit potential: product price testing allows you to find the sweet spot where your price meets customer willingness to pay, optimizing your margins.
• You adapt to market changes: Regular testing ensures your pricing remains competitive as market conditions and customer preferences shift.
• You have better customer insights: Pricing tests reveal how much value customers place on your product and what drives their buying decisions.

How often should you run product price testing? 

If we go back to the wise words of Patrick Campbell, product pricing guru, then we need to be changing or augmenting our pricing every three months or so. This means that we should be testing our prices this often too. 

Now we get it, many Product Managers can feel a tad uncomfortable making or recommending changes to their pricing this frequently. If you’re not used to it, it can feel daunting. Now our first bit of advice is to suck it up, put on a brave face, and test and experiment regularly, but if that’s not you, here’s the lowdown of the minimum testing frequency you should hit. 

If you’re a fast-moving startup or in a super-dynamic market, you still might want to price test every few months. This lets you keep pace with competitors and adapt to customer trends quickly. On the other hand, if your product is more established or in a slower-changing industry, a yearly or biannual review should be enough to keep things fresh without causing chaos.

Alternatively, you could also follow the trigger approach to help you determine when you should run product price testing. This approach is all about reacting to various big changes, such as a new competitor entering the market, shifting demand, a big change in AARRR (Pirate Metrics) or customer churn, or if you release a large product update. Basically, if something big happens, it’s a good time to test. 

Of course, you don’t want to overdo it with your product price testing and do it too regularly, as that’s going to burn you out and, if you’re making constant tweaks, that could potentially irritate your customers. It’s a bit like exercising, you want to do it frequently enough to stay fit, but not so much that you hurt yourself. Keep a regular schedule, but always be ready to react when the market shifts.

What are the different product price testing methods? 

There are quite a few different ways to price test. We recommend using any of these price testing methods to get a nice broad range of results. As you’ll soon see, many of these testing methods are customer-centric, leveraging customer feedback to allow you to get direct insight from your users to help determine the best price possible. 

Testing demand elasticity

Before checking out the various price testing methods, we need to talk about demand elasticity. This term describes how much your customer demand changes when a product price changes. It can tell you a lot about how important your price is when it comes to feature adoption and user retention. Here’s how to work it out:

So if you increase your price by 20% and lose 8% of your customer base, your elasticity of demand will be -0.4. 

This is actually pretty good, as any score between 0 and -1 shows that you have inelastic demand – customers are less sensitive to price changes. If you get a score below -1, it demonstrates that you have elastic demand, meaning that your customers are super sensitive to price changes. 

If you get a score of -1 exactly, it means that you have unitary elastic demand. This shows that the change in demand and price is proportional. If you change the price by 10%, your demand will also change by 10% the other way.

Having a good grasp of your demand elasticity can help you decide which price testing method is best and if you’re in a good position to change pricing.

Van Westerndorp price testing

If you’re keen to check if your product pricing is hitting the mark, you can use Van Westerndorp analysis to figure out your ideal price point, based on customer feedback. 

In this type of analysis, you ask customers four simple questions to help you get an idea of the value of your product and how your customers perceive your pricing. 

To get started, you first need to pick the customers you want to ask. You can do this as a general survey, or make use of your Customer Advisory Board to get results from a core group of users you trust. When you’ve chosen your customers, ask them the following four questions:

This question helps you see what price point would be too cheap in the eyes of your customers. Although everyone loves a bargain, there is a lower limit where users may start to question the value of your product. It’s like buying a burger for 25¢, would you trust it to not make you sick?

This question allows you to establish the lowest price that users would pay for your product, and at what price point they’d be the happiest to pay. This price allows you to get a minimum idea of what your customers think you should be charging for your product.

This question lets you know at what price point customers will start to struggle to justify paying for your product. At this price, if you’re able to show the value of your product and create a wow moment when users are testing it out, you may still be able to convert the customer. This price usually indicates the most expensive price you can charge before the majority of your customers start to seriously question the price.

This final question lets you work out what price would be too expensive and indicates a price point that you should avoid for fear of putting your customers off. 

With these four questions asked, you can then plot your answers on a Price Map. Here, the x-axis represents the range of answered prices and the y-axis is the percentage of customers who answered for each price. This then creates a line chart for each question, allowing you to spot areas where they intersect and overlap. These areas of intersection illuminate things like the optimal price point. The sweet spot.

This optimal price point is represented where the line charts of Too Cheap and Too Expensive intersect. This helps you see what your prices should be in the eyes of your customers. If they align with your costs and other factors, then it may be a good idea to alter prices to this sweet spot. 

Gabor Granger price testing

This product price testing model is pretty similar to the Van Westerndorp approach. In both, you’re asking direct questions to your customers about your price, creating surveys that allow you to dive deeper into the percentages to find a good price range. 

In the Gabor Granger (no it’s not a Harry Potter character) method, you ask a series of questions about your product, asking customers how likely they are to buy your product at various prices. Your surveys will look like this:

The purpose of this test is to see if you can raise the price of your product without hurting your sales too much. You’ll plot your results on a graph, with your tested prices on the x-axis and the demand percentage on the y-axis. 

This graph is going to have a line that curves downwards as your proposed prices become less and less attractive. When reading the graph, you want to analyze the steepness of the curve, as a flat drop suggests that your customers have inelastic price sensitivity. You also want to find the price where you have the highest revenue potential. This is done by multiplying each price by the percentage of customers that would pay it.

Conjoint price testing

This product price testing method is a bit more subtle than the previous two, as instead of just asking about price as the major deciding factor, you’re also including other attributes of your product that users will assess to see if it’s worth it. 

Here you combine different product characteristics – with pricing being one of them – to present a selection of complete products that your customers will then choose from. For example, say you sell smartphones. In your conjoint price testing, you’ll create multiple different options with varying attributes. This can be a great way to get really useful feedback.

When getting customers to vote on their favorite, it’s best to do a few rounds of different options. It’s best practice to have around 10 to 15 different screens like above, all with varied choice sets that are arbitrarily put together to get as much information as possible. 

From this data, you’ll want to work out the utility scores and preference scores. These tell you how important each attribute was to the pricing. This isn’t something you can do with good old-fashioned brain power. You’re going to have to utilize conjoint software to pull out the data for you. 

Once analyzed, you’ll be able to see the utility scores for all the price points you mentioned. With this, you can then choose the price with the highest as your benchmark, knowing that this is what your customers consider the optimal price. That said, it’s also worth checking out what other factors had a high utility score, as this can influence how you design and create your product in the future. 

Of course, you need to make sure that the best price utility score is balanced with your cost structure and profit margins.

Common product price testing mistakes 

Don’t fall into the trap of getting product price testing wrong. Many things can go array, which can then spoil your results and give you an unreliable price point that doesn’t work. Keep your eye on some of these potential issues to make sure that you get price strategy testing right. 

• Using a small sample size: Testing with too small a group can give you unreliable results that don’t represent your actual customer base. You need enough data to back up your decisions and avoid misleading conclusions.

• Testing too many variables at once: If you tweak too many elements (like price, features, and promotions) all at once, it’s hard to know what’s really affecting customer behavior. Stick to isolated changes to get clearer insights.

• Overlooking long-term data: Focusing only on the immediate sales data after a price change can lead to misguided decisions. You need to look at long-term trends to understand the real impact on customer lifetime value and brand loyalty.

• Ignoring competitive factors: Failing to account for competitor pricing and market trends can leave your testing out of sync. You don’t operate in a vacuum – what your competitors are doing should shape your testing strategy.

A (bad) word on A/B price testing

You may have spotted that we didn’t include A/B testing as a potential method. This is a pretty big omission as you’ll find it on many other lists going through the common testing methods. 

Now A/B testing is great in multiple contexts. It can help you pinpoint the right version of your product, determine the perfect customer demographics you should target, and way more. We love A/B testing, putting two ideas against each other is a great way to figure out what’s best. That all said, it’s not great for product price testing. 

The main issue is that if you do A/B price testing wrong, it can be very unfair. If you’re testing two different prices, you’re going to end up with some customers paying more than others for the exact same thing. If word got out about that (and you can bet it will), you can imagine how that’s going to hurt your brand reputation. It can also dissuade potential buyers from purchasing. 

And another thing, think about what happens once you choose the price you want to charge out of the two A/B options. What happens to the others? They’re still going to be paying an outdated price, which causes headaches. Do you just leave them paying the wrong price? Do you try and get them to change? It’s tricky, and it’s best to be avoided. 

And another, another thing, it can be really hard to get enough data from A/B testing to be worthwhile. You need to get a lot of people involved in your A/B testing to get results with statistical significance. If you don’t get enough people purchasing your product with your A/B prices, it’s just going to be pure chance, which can skew your results. 

And another, another, ANOTHER thing, getting an A/B test up and running takes a lot of time and resources. This can be a pretty large and likely meritless effort. 

Phew . Feels good getting that off our chest. In short, we think A/B price testing can do more harm than good, especially if it’s done clumsily. The other pricing strategy testing methods provide great insight and should eliminate your need to do A/B testing.

To the lab!

Testing your product pricing is a worthwhile endeavor, something that you should be doing regularly. Get your best lab coat on, put on your safety goggles, and get ready to geek out over some data. Testing will help you confidently find the optimal price point for you, taking away any guesswork and replacing it with hard evidence. 

By measuring how customer interest shifts with price changes, you can see whether your product has wiggle room for price increases – or if even small bumps will scare customers away.

Remember, pricing isn’t static – markets shift, customer preferences evolve, and what worked for you yesterday might not hit the mark tomorrow. You’ve got to be open to change; an outdated pricing strategy could hold you back. 

But that’s not the only outdated thing that can hold you back as a Product Manager. If you’re using traditional time-based roadmaps or generic task management software, you may be struggling to keep up with the times. It could be time to revamp and move on to a future-proof option like ProdPad. Our solution is constantly innovating to keep up with customer needs and market trends. Come have a look at ProdPad yourself and see how it can make you a better Product Manager.

The post Product Price Testing: How to Know When the Price is Right appeared first on ProdPad.

What are product pricing strategies? 

A product pricing strategy is the overarching plan for how a company prices its products or services. Think of it as the philosophy that dictates how you’re setting your price. It’s the why behind the specific pricing model you choose to run.

See, you want to give your pricing some thought. It’s not enough to just look at what your competitors are pricing and pitch your product somewhere around there. You may as well be throwing darts with your eyes closed and charging whatever number it hits. Your pricing needs to be considered. This is what a product pricing strategy allows you to do. 

There are multiple strategies you can adopt, and you can jump between them all based on various factors and influences. Things like your positioning, competitors, market, and business goals will reflect what pricing strategy works for you. 

What’s the difference between product pricing strategies and pricing models?

This is something that you don’t want to mix up. A pricing strategy and a pricing model are not the same thing. If product pricing strategies are the why, then the models are the how. They’re the specific methods you’ll adopt when setting up your pricing. 

A pricing strategy is more conceptual and broad, whereas a pricing model is the specific details of what you’ll be doing. Your product pricing strategy will feed into what model you choose to deploy.  

Some popular pricing models include:

• Freemium pricing: Freemium pricing offers a basic version of a product for free to attract users while generating revenue from those who pay for premium features. Freemium is increasingly linked to the reverse trial. 
• Tiered pricing: Tiered pricing provides different product versions or service levels at varying price points, catering to different customer segments. 
• Flat-rate pricing: Flat-rate pricing involves charging a single price, either as a one-time purchase or a recurring subscription, for a product that performs a few key functions exceptionally well. 

What are the different product pricing strategies? 

You’ve got a whole host of different product pricing strategies to choose from. They all have ideal use cases and can suit various types of businesses and products. When looking at pricing strategies, you’ll find that three main ones are often talked about the most. These are the top-dog pricing strategies that the majority of products will gravitate towards. These are:

1. Competitive based pricing 
2. Value-based pricing
3. Cost-plus pricing 

Here’s a closer look at these three to help you identify the best one for you. 

Competitive based product pricing strategies

This product pricing strategy is where your price points are most heavily influenced by your competitors. When following this product pricing strategy, you’re placing more value on the outward market instead of looking inward at your costs. 

This pricing strategy is best used when you offer similar products or services to your competitors. Following this pricing strategy can lead you to three main approaches to try. 

1. Lowest cost offering: When basing your pricing on competitors, you can choose to position yourself as the lowest cost offering, undercutting the other prices in the market. This strategy can make you more attractive to customers, but you need to be careful that you don’t cut into your profit margins too much. You should also have a plan in place to eventually move customers to a higher profit option. 

2. Premium price points: With this approach, you can choose to charge more than your competitors to hopefully stand out as a luxury, higher-quality option. You’ll need a strong brand to pull this off and a killer product that offers higher value than your competitors. 

3. Price match: Your third option is to price match with your competitors. Here you guarantee that your product will be the same as a competitor. This can be risky as your cost base may not be the same as those you match, and it really only works best if you have multiple products to sell. 

There are many advantages to using competitive based pricing. Customers won’t be surprised by how much you charge, and you will instantly be seen as a viable option by customers. It’s also a very quick approach to pricing, and by piggybacking off your competitor’s pricing you can benefit from their market research without having to do too much yourself. 

The drawback is that you’re heavily pressured by your competitors. If they change, you’ll need to react. Plus, by following this product pricing strategy, your profit is at risk as you may have a higher cost base.

Value-based product pricing strategies

Value-based product pricing strategies involve looking at your customers to price your product based on how valuable they find it. This is all focused on customer perception, so you need to have a drilled-in knowledge of your target market and audience. This is where collecting customer feedback, creating user personas, and more come into play. 

This is a tough pricing strategy to get right, which is why many opt for alternatives. But if you stick at it, you’ll get rewarded. 

You need to research your customers and find out what problems your product can solve for them and the monetary benefit your service brings. This can then guide your pricing, in addition to further testing and experimentation. 

One great benefit of this pricing strategy is that you can charge a higher price as long as you get your value proposition right. You also build a deeper understanding of the market and your customers due to all the research involved, which can help you make a better product. 

It is time-intensive and not a quick win, and not all your customers will agree on a perceived value. It’s one of the hardest pricing strategies to adopt, but one that’s worth the challenge. 

Because, if you are confident you have a highly valuable product – one that customers perceive as such – then you can set a price to reflect that importance. Value-based product pricing is where the highest profits can potentially be realized. When a product is high-value, often price sensitivity is less of an issue and you can price based on the perceived value rather than your competitor’s pricing or even your own cost base. 

Which brings us onto the subject of your cost base…

Cost-plus product pricing strategies

The good news is that cost-plus pricing is perhaps one of the easiest to wrap your head around. With this strategy, you’re simply choosing how much extra you want to charge for your product based on the costs to develop it. 

For example, if you sold TVs, cost-plus pricing is deciding that you want to sell the TVs for 30% more than it costs to make them. This ensures that for every item sold, you’re getting a profit of however much extra you’re charging for them. 

But how do you decide how much extra you want to charge on your costs? Well, that’s just down to how much profit you want to make on each item. Of course, there’s a caveat to that. Everyone wants to make a gazillion percent profit margin, but customers aren’t going to pay a gazillion dollars. You need to set a cost-plus price that’s fair and that somewhat resembles the wider market. And to do that: pull in some competitive based principles. 

One of the hardest parts of cost-plus pricing is working out your cost per unit. You need to consider everything that goes into building your product and getting it out there. It’s not just development and manufacturing costs, it’s marketing, salaries, and office rent. If you don’t consider everything, you may price your product at a point where you still make a loss. 

Now, cost-plus pricing isn’t going to work for every Product Manager. It’s primarily used by those selling physical products who want to keep things simple. It’s not really ideal for those looking to maximize profits. The truth is that for most Product Managers, this would be the wrong strategy to take. A better pricing strategy needs to factor in customers and competitors, which is why the alternatives are often preferred. 

Alternative product pricing strategies 

Although we’ve just talked about the big three strategies, there are other options you can consider or incorporate into your decision-making.

One of the more well-known options is the are Kotler’s pricing strategies: 

If you want to really get your business theory geek on over your pricing strategies, you can take a look at Kotler’s pricing strategies. Philip Kotler is part of the business management theory old guard and his matrix of pricing strategies is worth reading up on. 

In a nutshell, his matrix helps you plot your product based on price and quality to see if you’re offering a service that’s premium, economy, a rip-off, or superb-value to name a few.

 Here are some other options that may be worthwhile looking into. 

• Dynamic pricing strategies: Dynamic pricing follows market trends, user demand, and rates and adjusts the cost to the end customer to match. The aim here is to pick a profit margin percentage and alter costs to always stay just above that rate. 
• Penetration pricing strategies: Penetration pricing allows you to break into the market by offering your product at a much cheaper price than the competition. That might be through stunt pricing that lasts a short while, or, more commonly, via lengthy free trials. 
• Price skimming strategies: Here, you can set your price as high as you like on the assumption that a small number of early adopters will happily pay for your product. This allows you to slowly reduce the cost to the end user as more and more competitors emerge.

So which product pricing strategy is the best? 

We can’t tell you that. There’s no one-size-fits-all product pricing strategy. If there was, there’d be no need for this article, as everyone would just use the same one. Now in most cases, some make more sense than others, with value-based pricing being the general favorite. However, you shouldn’t just blindly follow that. 

You see, the best pricing strategy depends on so many different factors and the unique quirks of your business. One strategy will be great for one company but absolutely suck for another. 

So how do you find the best product pricing strategy for you? That my Product Manager friend, is a much better question. When deciding which strategy suits you best, you need to consider quite a few things to ensure it aligns with your needs. Here are some things to think about: 

Your business goals

What are your overall business goals? What do you want your product to achieve, in both the long and short term? If you’re keen to quickly gain market share, then a strategy like penetration pricing may work best. If you’re hoping to maximize profit over the long term, then a different strategy like skimming pricing would be better. 

Your pricing strategy is also dictated by your brand positioning and where you want to sit in the market. If you’re looking to be seen as a premium, luxury brand, you need a pricing strategy that reflects that. 

Looking to better define your business goals? We’ve got you covered with the ultimate collection of ready-made OKRs to boost your goal-setting. Download below :

Your market and competition

To nail the right product pricing strategy, you need a good grasp of your market demand. If you’re in a highly competitive space with multiple alternatives for customers to go to, you’ll benefit from a competition-based pricing strategy. 

Now we did say that you don’t just want to do what your competitors are doing, but it is good to research what they’re charging and have that influence your decision-making. It can help ensure that you’re charging alongside industry standards and allows you to decide if you want to match, exceed, or undercut these prices based on your value proposition. 

Your customers 

Your audience and the different segments that make up your user base and target market will massively dictate which pricing strategy is best for you. Different customer types have different needs and value different things. This means that they’ll be willing to pay different prices for your services. This makes value-based pricing pretty effective as long as you deeply understand what each customer segment is willing to pay. 

That said, if through customer research you learn that your users are sensitive to price changes, then other strategies may be better suited to you. 

Your cost structure 

When choosing your product pricing strategy you should always have an eye on your costs, as you need to make sure your strategy covers your expenses and still delivers a profit. Depending on your costs, you may not be suited to economic pricing strategies as it may result in a lower profit. 

To ensure you’re factoring in cost, you can always choose a cost-plus pricing strategy, and build it by determining the minimum margin you need to sustain your business. 

Your competitive advantage 

Got something unique about your product that your competitors can’t match? That can open you up to value-based pricing, where you’ll be able to charge a premium because your product blows your competitors out of the water. Having a Unique Selling Point (USP) gives you more freedom over your pricing strategy. 

Plus, if you’re an established business in your market with strong brand loyalty from your customers, you’re in a much better position to sustain a premium pricing strategy over time. 

When should you change your product pricing strategy? 

Here’s the tea. Many Product Managers fall into the trap of not experimenting with their pricing often enough. It’s been said by Patrick Campbell, a product pricing expert, that businesses only alter their prices every 3 years. He believes that this is too infrequent and that PMs should look at altering their prices every three to six months. The numbers back this up:

We get it. Changing your pricing often seems scary. But think about it this way. As a Product Manager, you’re changing, updating, and innovating your product constantly. With new features and releases, you’re always tinkering away at your product to make it the best it can be. Why not your pricing too? 

Now before you take this to the extreme and start changing things drastically, the iterations don’t have to be that big. Big changes can be disruptive. Say you’re a customer on a tiered pricing model. You don’t want to be dealing with prices that change with the seasons. Instead, you can look to make changes by introducing a new tier and get people to upgrade, or by introducing a related plan with a slightly higher value metric and price. This little-by-little approach to changing your product pricing strategies ensures that you’re constantly evolving. 

What if I don’t want to change my product pricing strategy that often?

If you’re still dead set against making regular changes to your pricing strategy, there are some signs that you should look out for that indicate that a pricing strategy switch-up should be on the cards. Of course, some of these are obvious. 

If your bills and expenses start to increase, and your profit line starts to fall, then it’s time to think about making changes. Keep an eye on customer churn to see if customers are leaving because of misaligned prices. Plus, if you notice that your competitors are charging prices that don’t align with yours, then you will need to update. 

But a less obvious indication that your pricing strategy isn’t working is when you’re getting customers to sign up without any questions or pushback. Hold on. Are we really telling you that people buying your product no questions asked is a bad thing? Well, yeah. 

See if your product is selling like hotcakes, and customers are gleefully accepting your pricing terms, it may be an indication that you’re charging too little. Your value proposition may be hugely exceeding the price you’re charging. This is potentially leaving money on the table. 

Say you’re a super popular band about to sell tickets for a world tour, and just 10 minutes after tickets got released, you sold out. On the surface, that looks awesome. But if you think about it, you could have made a lot more money if you sold the tickets for a bit more.

As a Product Manager, you want to find a pricing strategy where most people are still just about willing to pay for your product. Of course, you don’t want to be in a situation where no one is buying and everyone is begging for a discount. However, having some pushback on your prices while maintaining consistent customer acquisition indicates that your prices are better than if you’re selling them without issues. 

How should you implement new product pricing strategies?

A change in pricing can be difficult to oversee. You don’t want to rush it and upset existing customers by suddenly changing things without them expecting it. You want to go about your business in a proper way. Here are a few things to keep in mind. 

Communicate the change effectively

When changing your prices, you need to make sure that everyone knows what’s up. Open up communication with your current customers so that they’re fully aware of what you’re doing. Don’t apologize for a price change, but instead treat it as an opportunity. Offering a new tier to your product that’s a bit more pricey? Let them know and make it sound too valuable to ignore. This transparency is key. 

But also don’t forget about internal communication. You definitely want Sales and Marketing Teams to be clued in so that they’re not quoting old, outdated prices or models. Keep all stakeholders informed of changes and the rationale behind them. 

Monitor and adjust

When you change your pricing strategy, don’t feel like you have to stick it out if it’s not working. You’re free to tweak and revert if that’s the best thing for your product. This flexibility will allow you to be agile and change your prices so that it’s better for you and your customers. Track the performance of your product after the price change, looking out for things like user activation, to see if there’s a dip you need to address. 

Be sure to also monitor the KPIs you’ve decided at the start of your product strategy, as this will make it clear if your product is maintaining success with the new prices. If you’re struggling to decide KPIs for your product, we’ve got a list of all the options to choose from that you can steal if needed. Download it below : 

Get customer feedback 

When you change prices, be sure to maintain your customer feedback loop, so that insight can be used to guide further changes and innovation. Actively seek the thoughts of your customers about the new pricing. Do they think it’s fair? Do they like the new model that you’ve adopted? This process ensures that you’re making good changes for your users.

Prepare for pushback

A significant change to your product pricing strategies and model may result in some resistance from customers. If your strategy has made you go from a one-off payment to a subscription-based model, that change could be pretty jarring and cause dissatisfaction. 

Make sure to have a plan in place to deal with these objections. You can sweeten the deal by offering discounts and promotions to ease customers into your new way of pricing. 

But it’s not just customers you need to think about. Your competitors may also react to your new product pricing strategy, so you’ll want to keep a close eye on the market to see if they respond and change their tactics. This may force you to make further changes down the road to keep up. 

What happens if you get your product pricing strategy wrong?

We’re not going to fearmonger and say that getting your product pricing strategy wrong is going to ruin your company. If you notice quickly enough that things are wrong, you can pivot and start to recover. 

That said, there are some consequences that you want to avoid, which is why it’s useful to inspect and monitor your pricing regularly so that you can tweak it when needed. 

The biggest issue is that you leave money on the table. If your pricing is too low and people are snapping up your product, then you’re missing out on more money that could have been made. On the flip side, if you go too far the other way, you may put customers off from buying from you. 

Both of these situations can lead to a low profit margin, which can make things pretty dicey if not sorted out quickly. 

Getting your product pricing wrong can also affect how the market views you. If you’re using a product pricing strategy that undercuts your competitors and that is constantly running sales or discounts, you can dilute the value of your brand. Customers may start to see your product as low quality, even if it isn’t. This forces you into a corner in terms of product positioning. No one is going to buy that it’s a premium option if they’ve already built up a conflicting perception in their head. 

If you’re keen to learn more about product positioning, we’ve got an awesome on-demand webinar with the even more awesome April Dunford. She’s a product positioning expert, so it’s worth checking out the webinar below : 

In summary, a poor pricing strategy is a missed opportunity. You’ll be sacrificing potential income and giving up some customers to your competitors who would have loved your product. All this can harm you in the long run, so be confident to switch things up when needed. 

A product pricing strategy you can bank on

Choosing the right pricing strategy can feel like trying to hit a moving target. It’s a mix of understanding your market, knowing your customers, and keeping an eye on your costs, all while trying to squeeze out a profit. 

Whether you’re using competitive based, value-based, or cost-plus pricing, the key is to keep experimenting and adjusting. After all, even the most seasoned Product Managers need to tweak their strategies to stay ahead. And speaking of staying ahead, why not use a tool that’s as flexible as your pricing needs to be? 

With ProdPad, you can manage your entire product roadmap in the Now-Next-Later framework, track customer feedback, and highlight recurring ideas to find out what you should be working on next. Why not take it for a test drive? Sign up for a free trial today and see how ProdPad can help you.

The post Product Pricing Strategies: Choosing the Right Approach for You appeared first on ProdPad.

Why is Product Team Structure important?

The structure of your product team is the spine that supports how you do things. It dictates how ideas flow between teammates, how decisions are made, and ultimately, how successful your product becomes. Without the right structure, even the best ideas can get lost in the chaos, and your team might end up feeling like they’re constantly on the back foot.

A well-thought-out team structure ensures that everyone knows their role, who they report to, and how their work contributes to the bigger picture. It’s the difference between a symphony and a garage band—both can make music, but one is a lot more likely to hit the right notes consistently. It helps with task prioritization, making the whole team more efficient, innovative, and, let’s be honest, a lot more fun to work with.

What are the benefits of a solid Product Team Structure?

Putting together a great product team structure comes with many benefits. Would you like to hear them? Of course, you do. Nailing your product team structure can: 

• Improve communication: A well-structured team knows who to talk to and when, cutting down on mixed messaging and “I thought you were doing that” moments.
• Enhance collaboration: By building a team structure that better connects departments and roles, you’ll be better equipped to work on the same goals. 
• Boost efficiency: When everyone knows their responsibilities and what everyone else is working on, there’s less time wasted on duplication of effort or stepping on each other’s toes. Just smooth sailing ahead.
• Accelerate value delivery: A strong structure allows your team to move faster from ideation to execution, bringing valuable features to your users before they even knew they needed them. 
• Increase product quality: With a balanced team, every detail gets the attention it deserves, leading to a polished product that your users will love—and that you’ll be proud to ship.
• Strengthen accountability: By knowing what everyone is responsible for, a solid product team structure makes it easier to track progress, celebrate wins, and address any hiccups before they become full-blown issues.

Roles on a product team

To build the best product team structure for you, you need to first understand the various roles that can fit into a team. These roles are your building blocks, the Lego pieces you need to fit together to create an effective team. 

Some of these roles are essential – you won’t get away with not having them in your product team – while others can supplement your team depending on factors like your industry, type of products, and finances. It’s best practice to have defined roles with specific responsibilities, but we all know that best practices can often end up as a pipe dream. 

Many team members within a product team structure will wear multiple hats depending on what your company needs. A Product Designer can also fulfill the responsibilities of a UX researcher. A Product Manager may also be doing jobs that may fall under the job spec of a Product Marketer.

The number and types of roles in any product organization will vary. Because of that, we’ll cover the core and supplementary roles that are possible. 

First, let’s look at the key roles that you’ll see in 99% of product team structures:

1. Product Manager

The role of a Product Manager is multifaceted, and the scope of responsibilities and tasks will look different for every team. In a nutshell, the PM is focused on the entire product strategy, owning the product vision, collecting user feedback, leading product discovery, and bringing vetted solutions into reality. Sounds like a lot right? Well, that’s because it is. 

In bigger teams, some of the responsibilities can be delegated to other roles to support the Product Manager, but for many, they’ll be working around the clock to complete these tasks.

2. Product Owner

The Product Owner is like a Product Manager for your agile sprint cycle. One of their main priorities is to review the backlog and act as a representative for your customers by understanding their needs and writing user stories.  

There are a few other key responsibilities of a Product Owner. You can check out the full list below to help you better spec out the role . 

Now here’s when things get complicated. In small teams, the Product Manager can also be the Product Owner. That’s because it’s best to think of the Product Owner as a responsibility instead of a defined role. It’s one of the many hats that your team members can wear. 

Regardless of whether it’s a separate role or a responsibility, you need someone to complete the tasks attributed to the Product Owner, so it’s still a crucial role you can’t ignore, even if it is fulfilled by a pre-existing team member.

3. Product Designer

The Product Designer is responsible for making your products look good and feel intuitive to use. You need this role in your product team structure if you’re hoping to build an effective product that works. Concepts like UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) rule the designer’s world. 

Again, depending on the size of your team, a Product Manager will often be dipping into a Product Designer’s responsibilities. However, if you’re looking to restructure your team and define the specific responsibilities for each role, read on about the difference between a product manager and a product designer.

4. Engineer

The engineer’s role is pretty self-explanatory. They’re the people putting the product together, often coding the software and bringing the ideas from the Product Manager to life. It’s important to see the engineer as a core role of the product team, and not exclusively belonging to “engineering” or “development.” 

The product team needs an engineer’s perspective on the feasibility and viability of any product solution. Your team may have an amazing, outlandish idea, but an engineer will help keep your feet on the ground and ensure you only focus on what’s possible to make. 

Supplemental roles on a product team

If your team is big enough and has enough resources, you might invest in additional roles that support the core product management team.

These roles could be:

• Product operations. These folks are devoted to optimizing the way the product team works, through tools, data analysis, and other facilitation. Learn more about how your team could harness the power of product operations.
• Data analyst. When SaaS analytics tools just don’t cut it anymore for a complex product, a product team might bring on their own dedicated data analyst to support product discovery and retrospectives with key performance metrics being tracked.
• UX researcher. Since understanding and improving the user experience is central to great product management, a full-time UX researcher might come on board to support the team.
• Growth marketer. Some of the most effective product feature changes can actually be a matter of product marketing, rather than hard code. Working hand-in-hand with a growth marketer brings a wider range of ideas and solutions to the table.
• Legal expert, business analyst, or domain expert. These specialists especially come in handy if you’re in a highly regulated field, such as finance or medicine, or when launching in a new market.
• Customer Success Manager, or Account Manager. Most of the time, the most valuable insights don’t come from the Product Leaders themselves but from the external customers. Having the customer experiences brought into the product development process via your customer-facing team brings that deep understanding of the customer base to the product team.

How to approach your Product Team Structure?

So, how do you piece all these product roles together? Well, there are many different formulations and constellations you can try to build a high-performing product team structure. Here are just five of some of the most successful ones that work well across multiple types of companies. 

The Product Trio

The product trio is a model that revolves around a Product Manager, an Engineer, and a Product Designer. Think of these as the three musketeers of product, combining to work together on Product Management as a whole or on a specific problem within a product.

Product trios are small by design, to facilitate collaborative decision-making while still being balanced. What makes this structure so effective is the tight-knit collaboration it fosters. Instead of working in silos, each member of the trio is involved from the very beginning, which means fewer surprises down the road and a more cohesive final product. Decisions are made faster, roadblocks are cleared more efficiently, and everyone stays on the same page. It’s a recipe for not just building great products, but building them with a lot less friction and a lot more fun.

A product trio is a flexible concept, and you can include other roles in this team if it works for you. It’s just that these there are the most common. For example,  if you’re a user-focused team, you can add a user researcher to your trio to make it a quad, or a squad.

Product squads

Product squads are similar to product trios, with the main difference being that they’re not limited to three people. A product squad is modeled after the product trio, with you then adding roles that might be key for your Product Development, based on your industry or goals. 

For example, if your company is expanding into a new market or region like Germany, you may want to create a ‘Germany Squad’ for that region that includes the core three roles as well as a legal expert who knows that domain.

The benefit of product squads is that they’re flexible and can be molded around your aims and goals. It gives you the ability to build your squads in a way that makes the most sense for your product. 

With squads, you’re empowered to tailor your teams to what’s needed, and failing to do so is a common sign of a poorly constructed team structure.

Cross-functional teams

The cross-functional team is an evolution of the traditional team structure, where different departments are grouped into their own siloed teams. In this traditional structure, product teams, engineering teams, and design teams are separate from each other, focusing on their specific work. This approach leads to each team operating as a faux agency for the other, handing over what’s required to other teams while waiting for their own requests. 

As you can imagine, this traditional approach fostered less collaboration, resulting in siloed thinking and mismatched product planning. The cross-functional team structure is designed to fix this. 

In a cross-functional team, a team is made up of folks with diverse skill sets, pinched from each department, working towards the same goal. With this team, silos are broken down to foster deeper collaboration between the company. You get a diverse range of perspectives and a shared sense of goals and responsibilities. The team members in these cross-functional teams are able to report back to their departments to ensure that the right hand knows what the left hand is doing.

User persona structure

One popular way to structure your product teams is to divide teams by user segments, or user personas. This is a good option for companies that serve different types of users, as this allows you to focus on and cater to the needs of different customers. 

In this model, you can divide your teams to focus on a certain type of user, with one team working to make the product better for one segment, while another focuses on a different one. This approach helps you position good customer experience as one of your core objectives, as each team works on addressing specific pain points and needs. 

For this structure to succeed, each team needs to fully understand the needs of the customers they’re building for. You’ll need to use data-backed insights, behavior analytics, and also consider running a Customer Advisory Board.

A negative of this approach is that it can harm coordination between different teams, making it important that the Product Manager implements ways to ensure good communication between these customer-focused teams.

Performance metrics structure

As long as you’ve clearly identified your target KPIs and metrics and have aligned them with business goals, you can decide to structure your teams by working to improve specific metrics. 

In this structure, each team – which can be a trio or a squad – performs tasks and creates features that help them achieve or enhance their North Star metric values. For example, one team can focus its effort on improving user activation, while another works on boosting customer lifetime value. This makes it easier to measure product success and gives each team a clear focus.

Be mindful that this approach to team structure isn’t for everyone. You’ll need a fixed set of KPIs that won’t change often, and you’ll also need highly coordinated cross-team functionality. If you need a hand picking the best KPIs and metrics to track, we’ve got a definitive list of PM KPIs you can download.

Product Team Structure in action

So you’ve seen the structures, but how does this work in real life? Well, we’ve spoken to Trevor Acy, who formerly held the role of PM and Associate Director of a 1000-team-member company with about 30 product teams, about how they approached their team structure.

But what about an example where things haven’t worked out that well? We’ve also chatted to Antonia Landi, a Product Coach & Consultant, who’s got a lot to say about what was learnt after a poor approach to getting an engineering team more aligned with business goals .

Who is responsible for setting the Product Team Structure?

So, who’s the mastermind behind setting the product team structure? Well, in the world of product management, that role usually falls to the Chief Product Officer (CPO) or other product leaders, depending on the size of your company. They’re the ones who have the bird’s-eye view of the product vision, company goals, and team strengths, making them perfectly positioned to assemble the dream team.

But this isn’t a solo gig. Setting the product team structure is often a collaborative effort, with input from key stakeholders like engineering leaders, design heads, and even HR. 

As a product manager, you definitely have a voice in the process. Your insights into how the team operates on the ground are invaluable when it comes to making adjustments or advocating for the right mix of people. You’re certainly one of the key advisors helping to shape the blockbuster team that’s going to build the next big thing.

Factors to consider for your Product Team Structure

When choosing a specific structure that works best for your team, there are a few factors you should definitely consider when evaluating your options. This additional context can help you determine which one is most effective for you. 

Some things you should make sure to do is:

1. Structure your team with experience in mind

The amount of product or professional experience can determine how you structure the team. If there are more senior Product Managers, then these seniors can be carved off into product trios or squads to work more autonomously. However, if the team leans more junior, you might choose a structure that provides more guidance or oversight.

2. Consider your product line

If you have a small product portfolio or specific short-term projects, you might want to structure around project (or “initiative”) teams. This teams-within-a-team, such as a single Product Trio, is focused on a particular goal or problem.

On the other hand, if you have a diverse suite of products, it might not be feasible to create separate mini-teams to manage each one. That takes a ton of resources and organization. Instead, you might choose to stay more integrated and centralized.

3. Consider the size of your company

This one seems obvious, but it’s worth saying. If you have a small company, your product team is likely also small. Structure options are pretty simple. But if you work in a large company, there might be more options and flexibility to try new team formulations. For example, with more designers and engineers in-house, the more likely you can pull one of each to create a cross-functional team.

4. Remember that change happens!

As product people, embracing change is basically our job. So, remember that teams are not fixed! Allow them to grow, flux, change, and evolve. Like your product lifecycle, your product development cycle style will change and evolve. The structure that works for you now doesn’t need to be the structure you use in a year.

Pitfalls to avoid in product team structure

When building a product team structure, there are many things you can get wrong. One major issue is diving into reorganizing your teams without first evaluating your goals and objectives. These play a massive part in how you build an effective team.

The best product team structure is designed, in part, to avoid some of these product management pitfalls.

1. Conflicting priorities. Individual teams that are working in silos, or without great communication, can end up working against each other! Structure wisely and align your teams by writing good objectives and key results.
2. Psychologically unsafe environment. No single ego or voice should dominate the team. Everyone needs to feel they can speak up, challenge decisions, and make bets.
3. Poor meeting management. Even the best team structure can feel ineffective or annoying if meetings are: a) useless, or b) not frequent enough. Learn how to run a great product team meeting.
4. Using the wrong tools. It’s really important to invest in the right tools for product management teams. So important that we’ve dedicated a whole section to it!

Tools to facilitate good product team structure

No structure will work well if people aren’t supported with the right tools! Designers need their design tools; developers need their engineering tools.

But what about all the cross-functional collaboration we just talked about? You need to find the right tools that help the team work together. There are several categories of collaboration tools, which include:

• Video meetings, such as Zoom
• Messaging, such as Slack
• Virtual brainstorming, such as Miro
• Project management, such as Trello
• Product analytics tools, such as Mixpannel

If your team is hybrid or fully distributed, check out these tools for remote teamwork.

Building the Dream Team

When piecing your product team together, there’s a lot to think about to ensure that it works. You need to focus on crafting a team that matches your needs, focuses, and aims, as well as budget. Whether you opt for product trios, squads, cross-functional teams, or something different, you need to do your discovery and research to make sure that it’s best for you. 

A good product team structure is designed to make you a better team and ultimately, create a better product. The way you organize your teams is vital, but you’ll miss the mark if you’re not empowering these teams with the right tools. We’ve already mentioned some of the most effective collaboration tools but purposely foregoed to mention one of the most important: your product management tool. 

As your centralized platform for your roadmaps, planning, idea generation, and more, you need a product management tool that facilitates effective collaboration within your team structure. ProdPad does just that . 

In ProdPad, you’re able to capture feedback, ideas, and strategy all in one place. It also helps you present your product roadmap, manage experiments, and measure outcomes, boosting transparency and accountability within your entire team. If you’re not already in love with ProdPad, why don’t you give it a try? 

The post How to Nail Your Product Team Structure appeared first on ProdPad.