A product-driven culture is based on problem-solving by anticipating and investigating these problems. Only then can we raise the level of what will be built and create high-impact solutions and products.
Many have heard the metaphor between faster horses mexico phone numbers user and the creation of cars (if you asked users at that time what they wanted, they would say faster horses and not cars). This is actually a great truth to take forward. The point we need to demystify is what path we will take in the discovery of cars, until we make it clear that cars will be able to deliver more value than faster horses.
Therefore, I believe it makes sense to start by establishing clear assumptions and aligning expectations. Next, we will better understand what a product-driven culture is and what you should consider to put it into practice.
Being product-driven as a strategy and culture only works if the company and the Product team already have a customer-centric foundation.
To make it clearer, a product culture only works if the company's leadership and the Product team understand the importance of creating a product focused, first and foremost, on generating value and a good experience for its specific user.
Because if this doesn’t happen and prioritization is based on the decisions of a handful of individuals in meeting rooms, your product is being built in their image. We can say that, in this case, we are talking about an ego-based product culture . The famous “product for the sake of the product”. It starts there and ends there.
Furthermore, there are companies that are not used to a product-rich culture, but are already customer-centric . In other words, they tend to always solve problems and find solutions that do not consider the product at play. This is where the danger and the great challenge lie.
It's very interesting and I hope that at some point you'll be in an environment that not only values, with patience and credibility, the good execution of your work in Product, but also encourages the growth of the area.
Robust roadmaps , interested stakeholders , proactive teams, defined OKRs , launches based on product estimates, discoveries brought by Design, Research, Product teams, and so on.
I had the pleasure of working and developing in companies that had this mindset (it is important to say that not always with all these artifacts up to date. After all, nothing is ever perfect and, in the Product area, flexibility is always the most important soft skill ).
How to create a product-driven culture
But, of course, not all companies are like this. And they have many reasons not to be, given the scenario in which Product and Technology areas often find themselves, with situations such as:
Failed methodologies and processes, used as a way to create excuses for non-delivery;
Little knowledge of the team and the product;
Teams that fail to fully understand user pain points;
“ Front ” areas that need to find several palliative solutions given the non-deliveries;
Little knowledge of the need for people specialized in this and
Add to this list everything you probably experience or have experienced.
So what do you do if you’ve just moved to a company that’s facing pain points like this? How do you solve them and be co-responsible for creating a culture that has the product as its main driver ?
Here it is worth dividing the process into 4 parts, to make it easier:
1. Don't get lost in this change
To start thinking product-driven , have a clear vision of where you are starting from . Draw this vision based on:
In your self-analysis of the existing scenario;
What you hear from your team (especially if you are in a leadership position);
What you hear from your stakeholders (especially your peers or superiors, because they are often the ones who are discredited);
In short, understand and accept reality as it is. Your challenge will be to understand what your organization's product culture looks like;
Remember that culture starts with people and ends with product (and not the other way around)
Know where you want to go as a team and as a strategy. To do this, your product and product discovery background should be enough:
Clearly define the ultimate objective of each of these topics;
Then define what plan you will draw up to reach this objective;
Avoid the mistake of leaving this plan only in your mind. Actually put it on paper, in Miro or any tool that makes sense.
Share it with whoever you feel is necessary in order to provide context on where your process will go. And that brings me to point two.
2. It is your role to gain the credibility that was once lost.
Stay 100% aligned with teams and stakeholders .
At all necessary levels: operational, tactical and strategic.
Share the progress of your plan;
Share your teams’ roadmap ;
Share the product strategy used;
Have a clear idea of what victories have been achieved and share them. Celebration should also be done together.
Remember that the basics must be done well every day. Everyone must understand the product-driven strategy and commit to it.
There is no point in creating incredible plans on how to conquer the world through a product if our user still has the most basic pain that your product could offer. It seems obvious, but it is not.
This point is essential for your stakeholders to start gaining confidence in what is being done. The company needs to have visibility that everyone is concerned that the basics are being done with excellence. Without this, the culture of business -> product -> technology demand will never end . If we don't take responsibility for the basics, someone will have to take responsibility.
3. It all starts with you and your area!
It’s obvious, but we often tend to fall into the mindset of “who came first: the chicken or the egg?” and forget that this change will only begin if it comes from within. So, be proactive and demand this from your team. Bring data and know your users like no one else.
Also, understand how you can make smart organizational changes to your team to achieve what you need. If your company doesn’t have a product-driven culture yet , it will naturally tend to invest less in people for this area.
As a result, an overworked team that only puts out fires does not create Discovery , does not have creative leisure and is not able to concentrate enough to look ahead and in an innovative way.
The Spotify model is beautiful. But do you know how big their Product and Technology teams are? Respect your company’s current situation and don’t be afraid to think outside of what everyone else is doing. Only you know the reality of your team. What matters is solving the problem of not being able to focus on what you should.
4. Breathe, be patient and everything is fine!
The only thing you need for all this is a team that is close to you (whether it's your peers or your PM subordinates) and that is willing to learn.
And most importantly, the result has to come . Because you don't have many cards to spend without a result.
I want to make this point as the last and perhaps most important point. Changing a culture is not easy and requires attention , resilience and care . To get where you want to go, even with all the steps above, you will often need to set deadlines, deliver top-downs , demand stakeholders , layoffs and dissatisfaction. That is why sharing your plans is so important.
This is when you are given cards to play the game, and then understand and trust your planning and process.
Conclusion
Simply put, seek the vision you need for the present and future of the area, know how to align expectations and provide visibility for everything that is being discovered and done, share with people what is actually feasible to be done and, most importantly, fulfill what you committed to.
It's not new to say that a career in products is almost always more about soft skills than hard skills . The process of introducing a product-driven culture could not be different. The process is necessary for success.
Finally, remember to include a little fun in this process , making sure to learn above any other expectations created or success metric met.
Discover the Product Leadership Course
Do you already work in the Product area and want to take on leadership roles, manage people and directly influence your company's product strategy? Or, do you already work in this role and want to continue qualifying in the area? Then you need to learn about the Product Leadership Course !
The course brings together in-depth content with more than 25 hours of recorded content , made for leaders or senior people in the Product area (more than 3 years of experience).
More than 12 renowned leaders with extensive experience in the Brazilian market share their learnings and cases , transmitting the best practices in people management and product strategy.