You’re presenting a well-crafted product roadmap to a room of stakeholders and group members when a senior chief begins to take over the assembly. This particular person is asserting their very own judgments, suggesting alterations, and usually shifting focus away out of your plan. Whereas these actions could come from a spot of excellent intentions and former expertise, the impact could be demoralizing. If not dealt with appropriately, this state of affairs may have detrimental penalties on the product roadmap.
For those who’ve been a product supervisor for any size of time, you’ve probably discovered your self on this state of affairs, face-to-face with the HiPPO: the “highest-paid particular person’s opinion.” The opinions of a high-ranking or influential particular person within the group—who is commonly the particular person in a gathering with the best wage—are inclined to take priority over the insights of different group members. With such authority, the HiPPO can have a big impression on the course of the product roadmap; thus, going up towards, and even disagreeing with, the HiPPO could be extraordinarily intimidating.
I’ve been constructing merchandise for greater than a decade and I nonetheless often encounter the HiPPO. Over that point, nevertheless, I’ve developed methods to enact earlier than any product roadmap presentation to make sure stakeholder satisfaction and the most effective roadmap attainable.
Why HiPPOs Are Harmful
In a product improvement context, the HiPPO’s impression could be harmful after they impose adjustments primarily based on private expertise, instinct, or with out full information of the product or the vary of things that would have an effect on its success. Moreover, these adjustments is probably not in keeping with buyer wants or market traits, leading to merchandise which might be outdated, irrelevant, or fail to fulfill buyer expectations.
One other downside arises when the HiPPO is threat averse, preferring the relative security of techniques they’ve seen work properly previously. This will result in an absence of innovation or a stagnant product roadmap. It will possibly additionally result in losing time and assets on initiatives that find yourself failing, being axed, or getting redirected down the road.
Generally, government enter can lead to roadmaps which have much less room for creativity and experimentation. Agile product roadmaps ought to talk outcomes slightly than the outputs that Waterfall roadmaps usually do, however the 2023 State of Product Administration Report discovered that 70% of roadmaps most affected by requests from government management give attention to speaking outputs over outcomes.
Product roadmaps frequently influenced by the HiPPO can stifle creativity and injury the morale of the product group. That is doubtlessly essentially the most detrimental impression of all, as a high-functioning group is significant to success.
Methods to Handle the HiPPO
Whereas HiPPOs pose many challenges, there are steps you’ll be able to take to take care of management of your product and get buy-in from management.
Develop a Excessive-quality, Proof-based Roadmap
Step one is to make sure you have a product roadmap that works. It is a important basis for countering any opposing views, as you’ll be able to have full confidence that your roadmap is the proper solution to go.
A robust product roadmap ought to embody a transparent imaginative and prescient and targets, in addition to a timeline for reaching them, with key milestones plotted. Determine the stakeholders concerned at every stage of the method. Select how you’ll measure success. Determine which metrics to trace (e.g., buyer satisfaction, engagement, income). Use this knowledge to validate the standard of your future roadmaps.
For good product roadmap execution, determine how you’ll observe progress, overview and replace the roadmap, and take a look at and validate concepts. Quantitative knowledge from surveys, mixed with qualitative sentiment assortment from interviews and different interactions, gives compelling insights which might be exhausting to refute. Knowledge from different sources, equivalent to market analysis and competitor evaluation, must be utilized too. You need to have the ability to reply to buyer suggestions and adapt to altering wants; you are able to do this by incorporating a suggestions loop into the roadmap.
Set up a Choice-making Course of
With the intention to keep management of your product roadmap, create a sturdy course of for decision-making. For those who don’t have one already, develop a framework for gathering buyer knowledge and evaluating this data. This course of and its outcomes must be clearly documented and communicated to all stakeholders, together with the senior determine. Refer again to this evaluation to counter any opinions that don’t align along with your evidence-based roadmap.
Put collectively a group with representatives from all related departments, together with product administration, engineering, advertising and marketing, and buyer assist. This group can have the authority to make collaborative selections primarily based on each knowledge and subject material experience at sure factors within the roadmap (though you need to take steps to make sure that having this group in place doesn’t decelerate your improvement course of). Ought to the HiPPO intervene, this constant analysis will make sure the product stays on observe.
Talk Repeatedly With Stakeholders
Each stakeholder—together with the senior determine—is necessary in making a profitable product, however it’s essential to make sure that there’s a clear understanding of the product roadmap and every particular person’s function in it throughout all departments.
Set up one system for preserving stakeholders knowledgeable of adjustments to the roadmap, and one other system for gathering, evaluating, responding to, and incorporating their suggestions. When everybody feels heard, you’ll encounter fewer points alongside the journey.
Foster Belief within the Product Workforce
Belief will likely be a significant part in constructing constructive long-term relationships between the senior determine and the product group. Strengthen belief by celebrating evidence-based selections from group members that produce profitable outcomes. A way that has labored properly in my expertise is a month-to-month or quarterly award given to a person or group that tackled an issue having a detrimental impression on the product. This serves to exhibit the worth and experience of the group, which is able to afford better autonomy from senior figures sooner or later. It additionally emphasizes the significance of data-driven decision-making.
Set Clear Expectations
Lastly, and maybe most significantly, previous to any roadmap discussions, develop a system in partnership with the senior determine and your product group to handle their involvement in decision-making. It is best to permit all events to really feel heard whereas setting clear expectations for his or her roles and tasks. Everybody—together with senior figures—must be held accountable for his or her selections and enter and be anticipated to offer proof to assist them. Make sure you doc these processes formally and clearly for all group members. (This course of could even deter the senior determine from providing unfounded opinions.)
Meet with the senior determine in a one-on-one setting a day or two earlier than any massive displays, giving them a discussion board during which to precise their issues and you a chance to deal with these previous to the assembly. An intimate surroundings makes it simpler to have tougher discussions with out the added stress of an viewers.
Product Roadmaps Are Pushed by Knowledge, Not Expertise
The success of a product roadmap depends on being pushed by knowledge slightly than private expertise or instinct. The HiPPO can, subsequently, have a big impression if their enter isn’t dealt with properly. Making use of the straightforward however efficient methods I’ve laid out right here can mitigate and forestall injury to the roadmap, product, and group. Having clear roles and limits in place, constructing belief, and making evidence-based selections are important.
Sturdy, constant processes will aid you and your group confidently design and execute product roadmaps which might be in keeping with buyer wants and market traits—and that can result in worthwhile merchandise. Suggestions from senior figures can undoubtedly be beneficial, however with regards to the product and its roadmap, you and your group ought to have the insights that matter most.
