ISSUE #7 - JULY 7, 2022
How to get your next feature request instantly prioritized
Are you the person who constantly comes up with new creative ideas? Make sure that you maximize your chances to see them productized.
Product managers have a reputation as people who like to push back or kill ideas. I am sure that many of my previous or current colleagues think that about me and I know that many of the future ones will.
I have been there too. During my first years in product teams, I can vividly remember being excited and energized with my new idea. Then, it was time to pitch it to the product manager, being certain that she would be excited as well. Once I pitched it, certain that the next sprint would be all about it, I was getting the response "this is a nice idea, but it's not a priority right now" or "let me add this to the backlog". The next thing I recall is a feeling of disappointment and occasionally frustration. Why couldn't they see the value that I saw?
Since then, I have given this answer to others many times too. Numerous of those requests that are added to the backlog never make it to the development pipeline.
Even though this happens frequently in product teams, it is still a problem. People whose requests and ideas are constantly shot down are starting to get frustrated, or even worse discouraged. They even might end up losing trust in the product team.
On the other hand, product managers might be getting a bunch of requests or ideas daily. It's part of their job to filter and prioritize them and sometimes manage the people making those requests. Especially when those people are senior management members, their management can be even tricky.
It doesn't need to be that way though. The solution to this issue is all about how we communicate our needs or even our ideas within the team. To overcome the obstacles and the frustrations described above, all we need to do is communicate in a specific, effective manner. There are some simple rules that ensure that the information that we are transmitting to the product manager is the right one. This way you can maximize your probabilities that your requests will not be left rotting in the backlog in eternity. Most importantly, trust will be regained within the team. Let’s see how you can achieve that:
1. Focus on the problem
Product people are conditioned to respond to problems. This is their job, to identify a problem and deliver the best possible solution with the help of their team. The issue here is that most people come to them with ideas or solutions. Often, those ideas do not tackle the most important problems that are currently faced and the result is the idea ending up rotting in a backlog.
The next time that you will make a request, don't start from the solution. Explain the problem in detail. Who is this pain relevant with? What is the pain point and how is this pain inflicted? Why are the users' lives getting harder because of it?
This is the best way to hook the product manager and make her pay attention to the problem. You will have your time to talk about solutions later.
2. Emphasize the importance of the problem
Describing the problem is not enough to get it prioritized. Minor issues and inconveniences exist anywhere. The problem needs to be big enough too. And you also need to be able to prove this. Quantitative or qualitative data are helpful on that front and are going to make your case way more strong.
Especially in smaller product teams, a problem that is not big enough will rarely make it into the development pipeline. The resources are usually not sufficient, so the team will only have time to deal with the bigger issues, leaving the smaller ones in the backlog to be dealt with later.
3. Show that it must be solved now
So, you have identified a problem and on top of it, it's a big one as well. That should be enough to get this prioritized, right? Well, things are not that simple. There are many important problems whose solutions can wait. To get this prioritized, there is one more step. You have to show that it must be solved now.
There are many ways to demonstrate that. This problem could be a great strategic fit, perfectly aligning with the current goals of the company. Consequently, it should be prioritized accordingly. Alternatively, show that unless it isn't solved immediately, the risks are too big to ignore. For instance, a client might leave or an important milestone will be lost.
4. Now you can also recommend solutions
Last, now feel free to recommend your solutions. In this step, your creativity can be employed to its full potential and you can share any idea you might have. The help is always welcome. And a very important factor for that is that you have made your point and convinced the other party about the significance of the problem and the need for an instant solution.
Concluding
Trust and alignment within the team is an asset of great importance. Many times this trust might be affected if there are constant pushbacks in a big amount of feature requests. Mutual understanding between product managers and stakeholders is necessary on that front.
On the part of feature requests, this can start by finding a common code of communication, which revolves around the problems that people face. Ensuring that the problem that your request is presented as a problem that is real, big, and urgent is the best way to maximize the chances to get it prioritized.
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