To build alignment and reinforce their strategic vision, product leaders must:
– Achieve cross-functional alignment with the right narrative
– Maintain customer-centric visibility across teams
– Align internal and external teams with centralized data
Listening to the voice of the customer (VOC) is essential for creating products and features that resonate with key audiences. With real-time access to customer feedback and related insights, product teams can develop a more timely and accurate understanding of customer desires and needs.
CPOs must ensure their leaders have taken the roadmap and pressure tested it across the organization. It’s about syncing with marketing, sales, and finance leaders to align on goals, resources, and feasibility while incorporating feedback from cross-functional leaders to address any gaps or conflicts.
Translating goals into execution requires more than a list of projects; it’s about setting clear priorities that direct the team’s energy toward the most impactful initiatives. In other words, focusing on the “big rocks” first—the major objectives that define success for the next year or two—and then determining how much room remains for smaller, complementary initiatives. A big rock should have a positive impact on business outcomes, customer satisfaction, and market differentiation.
From all of Shelly’s insights, the actions product operations teams need to take for an effective product planning cycle are clear:
1. Tie your product plan and roadmap to OKRs and business goals
2. Communicate the connection between your product strategy and business objectives (ideally documented in a way that’s accessible across the business)
3. Establish a hub and center of truth for all customer feedback and insights
4. Use trends and customer evidence to support key elements in the product plan
5. Set up recurring request reviews to identify cross-domain dependencies
6. Assess new requests according to their fit to your documented product plan and how they would further business goals
As a CPO, the first phase of annual planning is more than deciding what your team should build next—it’s a chance to drive real change. It’s about synthesizing diverse inputs from stakeholders, balancing insights from your CEO, go-to-market leaders, and customers while keeping an eye on shifting market dynamics. A CPO needs a deep understanding of the business, industry, and technology landscape to identify the most critical needle movers that will shape the product vision.
In the first-ever episode of Product Makers, Justin sits down with Courtney Arnott, Director of Product & Solutions at 120Water, to discuss her journey in product management, her team’s mission, and key takeaways for aspiring product leaders. With over a decade of experience in product management, Courtney’s insights provide a
For companies looking to achieve Product Excellence, there are valuable lessons to be learned from this move. First, it’s crucial to have a clear vision of how new features can enhance your product’s value proposition. This begins with understanding your users and their needs. Never underestimate the power of seamless integration—users want solutions that fit naturally into their existing workflows without adding complexity. Second, establish a crystal clear product strategy. Know precisely how and in what sequence you will deliver your product to the market. Finally, execute your roadmap and plan with precision.
Macroeconomic conditions are still turbulent, and that has naturally led to people questioning how feasible it currently is to find a new job. And for Product Managers especially, where it’s common to be referred to new positions, applying for jobs might feel extra daunting.
James Jordan, the founder of US-based product recruitment company Producto, joined a Product Makers community event to chat about navigating the product job market and stand out among other applicants.
For product people, it’s always easy to design for happy users. But if you let that dominate your work, you run the risk of your products not being ready when things go wrong (and believe us, they will go wrong eventually). Jess McMullin, a human-centered management consultant and the founder of Situ Strategy, spoke at a Product Makers community event on how to design resilient products that can stand up to real-world turbulence. Here are some of the takeaways from his session.
CMC Markets uses Productboard to build what its 80,000+ active global clients need most (here’s the case study). Sharing a single source of product truth, the financial services company has already cut 9 hours of team meetings monthly and can even solve specific customer needs.
With a flexible roadmap in hand, businesses can stay efficient and productive while maintaining customer trust and instilling confidence in the product development process. Here’s how to build one.
