Things I have learned working in Product teams.
I started working on digital product design about 6 years ago, learning as I went along, understanding the mechanics of the team from observation, and understanding how processes are articulated from trial and error.
I understood more about the role of a Product Manager, for example, through my own experience working with them and understanding what they do on a day-to-day basis. But the most interesting thing is that in this area the meaning of teamwork makes a lot of sense, without it everything falls apart.
Today, with some experience as a Product Designer and after having worked in startups and large companies within multidisciplinary teams, after having seen products fail and understanding why they failed, for example, or vice versa, understanding why a product was successful , I was able to discern between what is harmful and beneficial for the health of the team which directly impacts the results.
What things affect teams and their performance?
Inertia
I call inertia that state in which people are not capable of turning situations or modifying habits. They stay still in their zone or continue their march but never stopping for a moment to observe the situation from another side or question themselves. This disables people, for example, to ask questions or transform situations.
Silence
Being silent or keeping comments and questions speaks first of a lack of confidence in the team, insecurity or lack of interest from the person. The last case is the worst, but in the first two it is important for the team to weld the foundations of trust and freedom to express opinions. Speaking in time and asking questions can avoid many unwanted situations.
Assumptions
This comes hand in hand with the above, sometimes people assume things by not questioning them, by biases, by ego. In any case, making product decisions based on assumptions often leads to mistakes. This is avoidable since we have tools to work on solid foundations such as research or workshops.
Lack of planning
Planning can never be underestimated. Short or long term planning is the support of the team, it is the guide. Plan in terms of tasks, time, scope. A team that does not work on a plan, works in the air, and that is unsustainable in the short term.
Work in isolation
This goes against one of the principles of building experiences which is co-creation. No member of the team should work in isolation, nor should their departments. Working on product means amalgamating disciplines and skills.
“Great things in business are never done by one person” — Steve Jobs
One person, many hats
This I have seen many times. Although it happened to all of us that we had to have fulfilled more than one role, it should not become a practice. People have their expertise, and when cognitive capacity is saturated, it stops performing. In addition, this generates fatigue, and in abuse, demotivation.
Deadly Deadlines
Always working within tight deadlines brings performance problems in the medium term, generally this is linked to a lack of planning and promises made to the client on the fly.
Research
Prioritize which areas to do research on, and then make good use of the results and data. Research is often underestimated or overlooked due to time and cost issues, but then the results are seen when we launch a product that does not work.
Concrete and realistic goals
Consider what the vision of the product is, in 2 years, 4 years, it does not matter. Then define intermediate goals, smaller, manageable and measurable. The most important thing is to make sure that the whole team is aligned with them and that they work towards meeting those goals, towards a common goal.
Scope, and specifications
This is what designers and developers cry out for and that many times does not exist or is never fully defined. Scope Definitions, User Stories, and Definitions of Done are critical to implementing functionality as expected.
Questions and more questions
No question is stupid, and even more stupid is who does not ask. Sometimes we do not ask because of shyness, especially when we are new to the teams, it is precisely the moment in which we must ask the most to understand the mechanics in depth.
Solid communication
The basis of the success of the teams. Good communication is essential, ask for help, collaborate with others, be open to receive feedback and give opinions with respect. Generate retrospective instances to evaluate how the team can improve. Another aspect is, for example, knowing when to request collaboration from other departments and knowing when to work together, for example Project managers with Sales, or Research with Design and Engineering, or Project Management and Research, etc.
You have already seen the challenges of working on the product, I invite you to reflect with your teams to improve if they have weak points, or otherwise continue to do that good work and transmit these ideas to others.
