The Path to Product Excellence: Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Enhancing Communication

1. Lack of Clearly Communicated Goals
2. Ignoring User Feedback
3. Focusing on Outputs over Outcomes
4. Overlooking the Importance of UX / Design
5. Inadequate Resource Allocation
6. Neglecting Professional Growth and Team Morale
7. Resistance to Change and Adaptation
© 2024 David Bard, VP Product Coaching
7 Common Pitfalls in Product Organizations
…and how to avoid or course-correct them.

Pitfall 1: Lack of Clearly Communicated Goals
Without a well-deﬁned uniﬁed vision or
mission, teams work in silos, leading to
misaligned product features and
objectives.
?

Insuﬃcient direction:
Over 80% of employees feel that
leaders do not have a clear direction.
2019 Gallup Poll: Organizations suﬀer from…
?
?
?

Solution Example: Cascading OKRs
The cascading process: high-level OKRs ﬂow
downwards to department heads, managers, and
individual employees who take ownership of
speciﬁc Key Results from those above them in the
organization.
Company Exec.
Product Dept.
Joint Team
Individual

Cascading O (outcome) / KRs (how to get there)
Company Exec.
Product Dept.
Project Team
Individual
Gain market share in particular category
Increase user satisfaction
Improve product market value
Improve understanding of users’ JTBD
Sell 10% more licenses than market avg
Build three of the most valued features
Build a highly anticipated, valued feature
Conduct add’l quarterly user needs audit
Objectives: Key Results:
Communicating…

“...when communication is open,
accurate, and timely…employees
are more likely to be engaged,
thrive, and have lower burnout
rates when they feel they have
enough information to do their
job well."
2019 Gallup study found…

Add’l Strategies for Improving Communication
● Promote radical transparency (- Ray Dalio)
● Develop/Nurture communication skills.
● Avoid assumptions, but presume positive intent.
● Use visual aids regularly.
● Give regular feedback. Weekly, bi-weekly..
● Resolve language barriers.
● Reduce distance between timezones.
https://deakinco.com/resource/improving-employee-communication-skills/ © 2024 David Bard, VP Product Coaching

Pitfall 2: Ignoring User Feedback
Integrating User Feedback Into the Development Cycle
● Problem: Failing to incorporate user feedback can
result in products that don't meet user needs.
● Solution: Implementing regular user testing sessions
and feedback loops at all stages of the product life
cycle.
● Success Example: Airbnb's design thinking approach,
where continuous user feedback through prototypes
and testing sessions drives product decisions.

Sprint 1 Sprint 1 Sprint 1 Sprint 1 Sprint n,...
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 1
Stage > Define Problem Ideation/Design Validate / Iterate Requirements Define Problem
Who...
Sales (Jon) Sales to share market view
of problem / Confirm value
impact
Train on impact of newly
released features
Sales to share market
view of problem / Confirm
value impact
Product (Cindy) Product to define market
problem
Product to draft initial
product specs
Draft/enter user stories Next sprint planning Product to define market
problem
Review previous release Present ideas to
customers
Backlog grooming /
prioritization
Review previous release
New Release Notes (Prior
Sprint)
Validate solutions with
customers
New Release Notes
Development
(Arik)
Code Release Dev to provide
input/feasibility
Dev review Estimate stories Code Release
Retrospective of previous
release
Retrospective of previous
release
Start new sprint Start new sprint
Marketing
(Steven)
Testimonial gathering from
release impact
Prod to update w/ Mktg on
new features and timing
Testimonial gathering
from release impact
Exec Mgmt
(Adam)
Status/update on rolling
progress
progress
progress
progress
progress
Customers /
CSMs
Feedback / confirm value
impact
Vet / sign off on proposed
solution
Feedback / confirm value
impact

Incorporating User
Feedback into Sprints
Illustrations: copyright © 1998-2024 Nielsen
Norman Group, All Rights Reserved.

Incorporating User
Feedback into Sprints
Illustrations: copyright © 1998-2024 Nielsen
Norman Group, All Rights Reserved.
Get the free guide to
interviewing users:

Pitfall 3: Focusing on Outputs over Outcomes
Problem: By focusing on outputs over outcomes
— speciﬁcally what features to build before
clearly deﬁning their purpose or value — may
cause users to question the why of your product.
This way of thinking prioritizes creating features
over understanding the ultimate value delivered
to users.
“Can you build me a wheelchair?”

Product output: Wearable Smart Glasses
Outcome 2013: Prototype released publicly too
earlier without end-user feedback. Criticized by
press and panned by ﬁrst adopters.

Product output: Wearable Smart Glasses
Outcome 2021: Ray-Ban bluetooth-enabled
smart glasses released after extensive
research and user feedback.
Solution: Achieving the right
outcomes involves understanding
not only the Job to Be Done
(JTBD) with speciﬁc features but,
more importantly, the holistic
value to be created for the user.

Pitfall 4: Overlooking the Importance of UX / Design
Prioritizing Product Design/UX as a Key Component of
Product Strategy
● Problem: Undervaluing product UX/UI/design can lead
to poor user experience and product failure.
● Solution: Ensure UX/UI design is involved from the start
and is given equal importance as technical development.
● Success Example: Apple's emphasis on design, where
product design and user experience are central to the
development process, leading to highly successful
products.

Donald Norman said, “Design can…
✓ Beautiful - wonderful to look at.
✓ Functional - works as expected.
✓ Performs well - a delight to use.
Feels good = Delighted Feels bad = Unhappy
“delight us…”
⌀ Not Beautiful - isn’t wonderful to look at.
⌀ Not Functional - doesn’t works as expected.
⌀ Doesn’t Performs well - not a delight to use.
“...or disappoint us”

“Companies with design as a core tenet performed 2x
better than their industry average.”
McKinsey’s Four Critical
design actions…
- Design Leadership
- Cross-functional Talent
- Continuous Iteration
- User Experience (UX)
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-design/our-insights/the-business-value-of-design
2x● Review growth
● Total return to shareholders
McKinsey calculated the value of design to be…

“Design used to be the seasoning
you’d sprinkle on for taste; now
it’s the ﬂour you need at the start
of the recipe.”
— John Maeda, Designer and Technologist

Pitfall 5: Inadequate Resource Allocation
Optimizing Resource Allocation for Team Efficiency
● Problem: Misallocated resources can lead to burnout and
project delays.
● Solution: Strategic planning and project management tools
can help ensure resources are efficiently utilized.
● Success Example: Microsoft and Atlassian utilize portfolio
management techniques to align resources with strategic
priorities, enhancing productivity and project success.

Calculating Resource Capacity
The formula for calculating resource capacity is:
1. Calculate the total number of hours needed to work on
projects per week
2. Determine the number of applicable team members for a
given time period
3. Multiply the number of employees by the number of hours
they work per week
4. Calculate the total utilization rate
5. Subtract time off for each person from the net work hours
6. Multiply the result by availability to get individual capacity
for each resource
1500 hours estimated for project.
9 members x 40 hrs/wk
= 360 hours per week (total utilization)
Subtract 16 hours for 2 part-time
members = one week’s capacity of 344
hours.
1500/344 hrs = 4.4 weeks of work.
Buffer for unexpected delays.

Dependencies for Resource Allocation
Common dependencies to consider when allocating resources:
● A project's priority level
● Who is available to work on the project
● Capacity of those available
● What budget or tools are available
● Any additional resources needed
● Who needs to approve the resource allocation plan
● Changes in project scope
● Differences in time zones - Onshore/Offshore
● Process and task delays
Value
Budget
Schedule
Priority
People

Help execs understand how resource allocation
impacts project delivery over time:
1 UX + 1 Dev = 1 project in the next quarter
1 UX + 1 PM + 2 Dev = 2 projects in the quarter
2 UX + 2 PM + 4 Dev
= 5 projects in the quarter

Pitfall 6: Neglecting Professional Growth and
Team Morale
Supporting Team Development and Morale
● Problem: Neglecting team development and morale can
decrease productivity and innovation.
● Solution: Invest in professional development,
recognize/reward achievements, foster a growth mindset and
positive team culture.
● Success Example: At CareerArc, I started a weekly lunch and
learn on Wednesdays. Over lunch, the team would meet while
a team presented something they learned from an industry
book or at a recent conference.

Pitfall 7: Resistance to Change and Adaptation
Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement
● Problem: Resistance to change can stiﬂe innovation and
adaptation to market demands.
● Solution: Encourage a growth mindset within teams,
promote experimentation and curiosity, and be open to
pivoting strategies based on learnings and market
feedback.
● Success Example: Amazon's culture of innovation, where
experimentation and a willingness to fail and learn are
part of its DNA, drives continuous improvement and
market leadership.

The Path to Product Excellence: Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Enhancing Communication

The Path to Product Excellence: Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Enhancing Communication

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