My pc dings with a brand new message. It’s from the pinnacle of gross sales, and I do know precisely what the message will probably be earlier than I open it. It’ll say, “Huge Tech Firm will signal a 5-year contract if we will ship x new characteristic by finish of 12 months. Can we are saying sure?”
I take a look at the whiteboard hanging above my couch, a light, hand-written roadmap collaged with sticky notes. We have now three MVPs in manufacturing that actually want some consideration already and including one other barebones characteristic will complexify issues additional. “However Olivia,” he’ll say, “A contract with Huge Tech Firm is admittedly vital for our progress. Can’t the fellows get one thing out?”
While you’re a product supervisor (PM) on a product with a captive viewers, like a B2B SaaS or inner software program product, your well-meaning North Star metrics might be simply swept apart in favor of appeasing the buying decision-maker or the loudest VP within the room. In spite of everything, your day-to-day finish person has no alternative however to make use of your product. Who wouldn’t prioritize characteristic requests from the one who indicators the contracts? That is how we find yourself with sad-looking, utilitarian merchandise that ship on necessities however are annoying and drab to make use of.