How Product Teams Collaborate - Product Science Journal #40

The whole team should be involved in discovery, and here's why

Hello, wonderful product leaders and startup founders,

This week, the Product Science Group team has been considering the importance and impact of involving team members in gathering insights from customers and potential customers. We were particularly inspired by the podcast interview we recorded with Inessa Lurye of Hinge Health—it’s still in production, but it’s something to look forward to.

In the meantime, we discussed how important team dynamics and cohesion are—how a team works together makes such a difference in the products the team creates. Taking that team on the journey of talking to and observing customers is a great way to develop the team's energy and excitement.

Below are some of our favorite articles about the teamwork of customer insight generation and teamwork in general. And this time, Dina and Mark from the team have contributed two of the article selections!

Warmly,
Holly

Product Science Group’s Picks

Crucial Conversations for PMs and Product Leaders: Advanced Techniques
by Aakash Gupta
As Product Leaders, one of the most critical contributions we can make is to drive decisions where clarity is lacking, even when emotions are running strong. A Crucial Conversation is one where 1) Opinions vary, 2) Stakes are high, and 3) Emotions run strong. Check out this article to learn more about navigating Crucial Conversations as a Product Leader. - Dina Levitan

Google re:Work on Understanding Team Effectiveness
by Google via the Wayback Machine
Original research demystifying what makes for a great team coming from a company whose founding team created products, philosophies, and practices we still use across tech today? Yes, please! I’ve always said that connecting with your teammates is the predecessor to connecting with customers—and ultimately building things they’ll love. Read on to learn why Google would agree. - Mark Enache

Ask Teresa: Who’s Responsible for What in the Product Trio?
by Teresa Torres
Teresa argues that the product trio is responsible and accountable for all of the major risks that need to be managed in product development and argues against classic silo and “that’s not my job” thinking. It’s a thought-provoking read. - Holly Hester-Reilly

My Talk at NY Product Conference

Back in May I had the pleasure of speaking at the NY Product Conference about Setting Your Team Up for Success with the Product Science Principles. You can check out my recap here.

I’ll be speaking at Agile 2024 in July

I'm speaking on Beyond Agile: Tales From the Trenches of In-Progress Product Transformations at Agile 2024 in Grapevine, Texas!

Learn more and get your discount code here.

Join My Upcoming Maven Cohort

Want to learn how to make space for continuous product discovery? After the beta cohort, I got this feedback:

“Thank you for the course. It was very insightful and I took a lot of notes that I am now eager to try!” - Tanya Zuger, Head of Product, Splash

The third cohort is slated for mid-June. It’s just twice a week for two weeks, and, like Tanya, you’ll come away with many ideas to improve your work.

Brought to you by Product Science Group

Our team at Product Science Group partners with startup founders and product leaders to share The Product Science Principles and the accompanying framework, the Product Science Method, which I've developed over my time in tech startups. Through our coaching and consulting work, we help our clients determine which product growth opportunities they should pursue and build the product management skills to deliver on their goals. Reach out if you'd like to explore working together as a client or team member!

Thank you for reading!

Got a question for me or want to share something you're excited about? Just hit reply. I read every e-mail.