A Guide for Product Trios

Product trios tend to fall into four categories when it comes to setting outcomes: 1) they are asked to deliver outputs and don’t work toward outcomes (this is, by far, the most common scenario); 2) their product leader sets their outcome with little input from the team; 3) the product trio sets their own outcomes with little input from their product leader; 4) the product trio is negotiating their outcomes with their leaders as described in this chapter.

If you are being asked to deliver outputs with no regard for outcomes, try these tips to shift toward a more outcome-focused mindset:

• When your product leader assigns a new initiative to your product trio, ask your leader to share more of the business context with you. Explore these questions:
  • Who is the target customer for this initiative?
  • What business outcome are we trying to drive with this initiative?
  • Why do we think this initiative will drive that outcome? (Be careful with Why? questions. They can put some leaders on the defensive. Use your best judgment, based on your knowledge of your specific leader.)
• Try to connect the dots between the business outcome and potential product outcomes. Can you clearly define how this new initiative will impact a product outcome? Is that outcome a leading indicator of the lagging indicator, business outcome?

If your product leader is asking you to deliver an outcome with no input from your team, try these tips to shift to a two-way negotiation:

• If you are being asked to deliver a business outcome, try mapping out which product outcomes might drive that business outcome, and get feedback from your leader.
• If you are being asked to deliver a product outcome, ask your leader for more of the business context. Try asking, “What business outcomes are we trying to drive with this product outcome?”
• In either case, clearly communicate how far you think you can get in the allotted time.

If your team is setting their own outcome with no input from the product leader, try these tips to shift to a two-way negotiation:

• Before you set your own outcome, ask your product leader for more business context. Try these questions:
  • What’s most important to the business right now? Try to frame this conversation in terms of business outcomes.
  • Is there a customer segment that is more important than other customer segments?
  • Are there strategic initiatives we should know about?
• Use the information you gain to map out the most important business outcomes and what product outcomes might drive those business outcomes. Get feedback from your leader.
• Choose a product outcome that your team has the most influence over.

If your product trio is already negotiating outcomes with your product leader, congratulations! However, remember to keep these tips in mind as you set outcomes with your leader:

• Is your team being tasked with a product outcome and not a business outcome or a traction metric?
• If you are being tasked with a traction metric, is the metric well known? Have you already confirmed that your customers want to exhibit the behavior being tracked?
• If it’s the first time you are working on a new metric, are you starting with a learning goal (e.g., discover the relevant opportunities) before committing to a challenging performance goal?
• If you have experience with the metric, have you set a specific and challenging goal?