Product Operations Fundamentals: Part 2 The Mindset (2 of 2)
In part 1, I highlighted the importance of a 'framework' for product teams that is centrally located and helps capture important considerations related to marketing, product, design, and engineering.
Today, let's delve into the second crucial element—the collective mindset of the product team.
Reflecting on an experience I had last year, I joined a renowned development agency as the lead UX designer for a 6-8 week RDP engagement. Transitioning from a startup environment, I was reminded of some of the differences between agency and non agency organizations. The first thing that stood out was the agency team's collective understanding of basic problem-solving methodologies (sometimes referred to as product or design thinking). These methodologies include some variation of discovery, validation, testing, and solution development. My hunch is that these methodologies might be leveraged more within agency organizations as they navigate the complexities that come with handling multiple client engagements at the same time and the need for them to stay collectively oriented within each project.
The point here is that some basic methodologies can and should be used by teams as they work from problem to solution. The more familiar teams are with a problem-solving methodology baseline the better they can perform with more focus and effectiveness. For instance, when a key project leader took a brief hiatus, our team didn't lose momentum. Their foundational understanding of the problem-solving process meant that catching up wasn't about retracing steps but aligning on progress based on the top-level goals (OKRs) that were established at the outset of the project. This shared cognitive framework not only streamlined internal processes but also enhanced collaboration with clients, ensuring everyone was synchronized in their journey from problem identification to solution implementation. So much so that we drafted (see image below) out some of these steps early on in the project and shared them with the client so they could understand where we were headed and how we planned on getting there.
Design Thinking Steps Draft
I realize every project and every feature request comes with different constraints and discovery needs. This particular project was the design and launch of something completely new so there was more research work that needed to be done versus say delivering a simple feature in an existing product. Somewhere I read that the difference between a junior and senior product professionals is knowing what parts of the problem-solving steps you can skip. Having a collective understanding of a problem solving methodology is not meant to slow things down but to speed things up with improved accuracy. Without one things can get collectively disorienting quickly with more time being spent on internal alignment rather than solving the actual problem at hand. As I wrote previously, creating great products requires entire teams, teams that have a product and design thinking mindset and framework that effectively supports this collective problem-solving work in real-time. I believe this contrast in organizational mindset is rooted in a lack of a collective understanding of basic problem-solving methodologies and is driven by a feature request culture versus one that is rooted in OKRs that connect individual product initiatives to top-level organizational goals.
An Invitation To Transform Your Team
Some actionable next steps that you can take include identifying your organization's top-level goals (OKRs) and making sure that there is a clear connection between those top-level goals and the daily work that is being done by your team. Another step you can take is getting your entire team (leadership, design, marketing, product, and engineering) familiarized with basic design and product thinking methodologies. This can be done through online courses, workshops, or hiring an educator to work with your team. Lastly, I would suggest implementing a holistic product framework that includes a consistent PRD/ticket structure, defined feature priority methodology, roadmap with OKRs, theme epics task and subtask definitions, and ready-for-handoff figma file template.
If you're intrigued by the prospect of integrating these principles into your organization, I extend an invitation to connect with me. I believe in the transformational power of proper product operation methodologies within highly functional teams and am here to guide you through that transformation, ensuring that your team not only understands these methodologies but also excels in applying them to deliver exceptional products and services.
Send me an email at brock@commonlanguage.io