Better Product Decision Practices

Foster a shared understanding to drive decision-making.

Sometimes individuals and teams can get lost in the weeds when working on specific tasks. But, by fostering a shared understanding, you can create a culture in which teams are aligned when it comes to your organization’s identity and purpose. There are practical ways to do this.

For example, during customer interviews, invite a member of the engineering team to sit in so they can hear feedback directly from the customer, or be explicit about how you will make a decision when there are disagreements.

Champion the one-page PRD.

Creating a one-page dashboard (or roadmap) for your product requirements documents helps to remind everyone of the big picture. This kind of artifact can serve as an important point of reference—a touchstone—so that everyone can remember who the customer is and the motivation for their work.

“To get to good decisions the first time, you need participatory buy-in from the beginning. Bring all stakeholders in and get input. There is danger in rushing ahead to develop a solution or reach a decision without everyone’s involvement.”

– Tony Bairos, Director of Global Documentation & Training Compliance at Insulet