Hi Product People, Carlos here. Desmond Tutu said, “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” The same thing can be said about building a product. These are the 7 phases I use to break down the Product Process and make it more manageable.
The Product Development Process can be broken down in many ways, but I like to break it down into 7 phases. They help me distinguish between development and deployment and be prepared to face the challenges involved at every step. Even the most experienced Product People invest weeks, months and sometimes even years, into designing new and more innovative products that will hopefully solve customer problems and improve their lives.
Navigating the Phases in Product Development
Phase 1. Discovery
Objective: Find a problem to solve
Product Discovery is the initiation phase, where the Product Manager talks to customers, listens to their feedback and pays attention to customers using competing products. Once you know which features customer value most, the main goal is to obtain, validate and implement customer feedback.
There are two key perspectives: an inductive one; and a deductive one. How are they different?
With regards to inductive reasoning, this type of process seeks to develop a line of inquiry by looking at different sources of qualitative and quantitative data. Thus, the starting point are usually surveys, documentation from previous projects, competition research, focus groups, semi-structured interviews and consultancy reports. These sources of information are based on processing large quantities of information to identify a gap in the market. Remember, this gap must not always be profitable from day 1: we can think about monetization later if the project is interesting enough.
There are certain problems with this perspective. Largely, that it merely seeks to extract what is already “out there.” It can be a long time before the different pieces assemble together into something truly original. In the meantime, a whole team of researchers has to be maintained and oriented. That is, only large organizations or financiers can really afford leading this kind of initiatives with any success. We are talking about the Apples and Googles of the world.
Deductive methods, on the other hand, rely much more on small-team creative sessions. They attempt to come up with an original idea; truly something that has never been thought of before. Here, methodologies are much more diverse: from intensive team-building experiences to internal company experiments, anything goes. The point is to amplify your sources of innovation: customers, partners or international markets can be integrated to the product ideation process and provide unexpectedly exciting ideas. This makes it particularly attractive for startups, as the number of resources you have is not necessarily what will determine your product’s success. It is all about ideas!
One example I've spoken about recently is the Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) framework. JTBD, rather than thinking in terms of “solutions” (solving a problem for users), thinks in terms of jobs or tasks. That is, while developers might have an established conception of why they are building and upgrading their product; possibly customers will think otherwise. Your external stakeholders could be employing your task management application as a sales call solution, for example. What if your developers work hard at expanding your solution horizontally, moving towards those areas where your product is already providing a service?
That said, both inductive and deductive reasoning are often employed in tandem. Any seasoned Product Manager should be able to know when to use one or the other.
Phase 2. Define
Objective: Determine the MVP – (Minimum Viable Product)
The goal is to have a product that has the minimum set of features to test key assumptions. In this phase, it is important to not waste valuable resources where they are not necessary. Work until you get a solid understanding of the problem to solve and the needed features.
Determining the MVP is not a straightforward process. Seasoned Product Managers can trust their instincts, built up during years of experimentation. But, for those with less experience, it is much more important to have a system. For example, Design Sprints provide a quickfire working model that forces teams to think on their feet. Over a short period of days, team members and deciders with different functions meet in a quick discovery, brainstorm, strategy, and execution process. At the end of the sprint they have a prototype available to test with users, which they can then expand into an MVP.
One advantage of Product Management is the discipline’s connection with the digital revolution, which allows for this fast movement and creation. In fact, Product Managers understand that their work is never really finished. The day after they release anything, they are again thinking about what is working and not working for their users and company.
Phase 3. Design
Objective: Defining and designing
We have the solution to a problem. Now we need to bring in the designers to make it functional, easy to use, and delightful. The PM works with them to create mock-ups. They meet with customers and get their feedback on what works and what doesn’t, and the mock-ups are tested with customers. This process is repeated until there is a well-defined product that solves key problems for customers.
When it comes to considering these points, the Product Manager must remain an open communicator. Between and within teams, openness is really important to achieve alignment. A bad design is often the result of bad planning. Finally, User Experience designers might have a keen eye for customer use of your product. But the only professional who is really aware of how this connects to the larger project, is you. Features might look clunky or easy to discard from a designer point of view; however, as a Product Manager, you will know whether it does or does not make sense to remove them.
Phase 4. Implementation
Objective: Construct results
The implementation phase is where designers, engineers, and the Product Manager shine. The product is designed and created by designers and engineers, and kept on track by the Project Manager. The engineers test the look and functionality against the product the designers have created to make sure they match.
The Product Manager is involved to prioritize features, create product specs and see and use the product, to make sure it is aligned with the Product Vision and OKRs. From there everything is passed to the Project Manager to make sure development runs on schedule. This collaboration is really important: Project Managers are particularly aware of time and economic constraints. At the same time, they might be too zealous in taking control, but this is only because they're focused on execution and timeline. Like with any other internal stakeholders, make sure to develop a good relationship with Project Managers. While you're focused on the future, they'll help you keep your head on straight in the present.
One important consideration of the implementation phase is to hold regular meetings with the relevant teams. Many Product Managers who come from non-tech backgrounds find it intimidating to engage with engineers. However, in the tight constraints of Product Development, a timely intervention can save you a lot of work in the long run.
Phase 5. Marketing
Objective: Define marketing objectives
While we might be listing this stage quite far on the list, you should actually involve marketers from the very start. Their particular knowledge of your target customers, the market and the sector is fundamental. Most of all, your product itself and their narrative to sell it must be coherent. It is not about them having a head-start so they can work on their copy for a longer time: it is about both the product and its marketing strategies screaming the same messages.
An important role in this process is the Product Marketing Manager. These professionals often work underneath Product Managers, and they work as the point of contact between the marketing team proper and the more technical side represented by the Product Manager. PMMs are becoming increasingly important in the industry because they share the Product Vision with the PM and help to bring it home across blogs, videos, and other promotional material.
The PM, however, has the last word. There is nothing worse than an over-hyped product; there are plenty of cases of Silicon Valley enthusiasm that melted into nothingness. Product Managers, since they have undertaken all the previous necessary steps, are aware of their potential and limitations. Often, a truthful, simple and direct campaign works better than the big announcements associated with the tech industry.
Phase 6. Training
Objective: Inform
Once we have the final product, we need to communicate how to use it to internal stakeholders and to users. Training material is created for internal and users.
This process need not be boring. We are not the corporations of old, after all. You can elaborate creative materials that reflect your achievements. If you have developed a software that helps one particular sector, for instance; why not involve them in the launch? Piloting your solution is the best way to know whether it works. Plus: your training might write itself!
Another important factor here is to build love for your product – internally! You might be based at a small startup where your development has been the main activity. Then, this is not so important: everyone should already be professionally and emotionally attached to your project! If you are at a large firm, on the other hand, creating an internal constituency of backers is extremely important. You should use your product community to achieve this.
The reason why this is important is twofold. First, if you are satisfied with your product, you ensure that all eyes are on you. You are probably taking for granted that everyone is aware of what you have been working on. Wrong! Work hard at selling your ideas, explaining your story, translating it into achievements. This will be particularly good if your product is a success. Secondly, if your product is not a success… involving a few decision-makers before launch is vital!
You might think that this is counter-intuitive. After all, we would all rather hide our mistakes! Quite the opposite: if you get some buy-in from upper management and experienced colleagues, you will receive that last-minute advice which will help you take your product to the next level. That sort of professional involvement will also protect you should things go wrong. All in all, you are making sure that your project is not misunderstood, and that is judged on your terms.
Phase 7. Launch (Party)
Objective: Send product to market
Finally! We are done. The product is where it needs to be. Potential users are aware of its existence. Current users are enjoying the product and can contact a dedicated Customer Success Team with any issues. Executives are out at conferences and marketers are reaching out to specialized publications to talk about your most recent success. You can change into your regular clothes and ride towards the sunset…
Actually, no.
Finishing well is as important as starting. Remember how at the beginning you sat down with the different teams to discuss achievable objectives? It is time to compare them with what you actually attained. Measure, measure, measure. Examine where you've met, surpassed, and fallen short of objectives. Then come up with a plan to keep checking in and reiterating!
And remember: a product is never really finished ;)
Check out some of the previous issues:
Using the Jobs To Be Done Framework for Product Management