Recently, I talked with a client who needed help with their software product strategy. This isn’t my main focus these days—I usually work more with data—but the meeting reminded me of my time in product development. It made me think about how different companies decide on their product strategies and how these ideas could help anyone in IT.
I’ve worked in many fields like software development, data science, telecom, and digital advertising. Each field had its own approach to product strategy. I’ll share a story from my past and five important lessons I learned that could help you in tech.
The Story: Changing Our Strategy
A few years ago, I was at a software company that was losing to its competitors. Our leaders disagreed on what to do. Some wanted to keep following our own plan, while others thought we should focus more on what our customers wanted. As we started losing our place in the market, it was clear we needed to change.
Our CEO has called us to a big meeting to discuss our strategy. It was a serious talk. We realized we had been too focused on our own goals and not enough on what our customers needed.
After a lot of discussion, we decided to switch our approach. We started by learning more about our users through detailed surveys and by creating user profiles. We also made sure our product ideas matched what the market wanted. Changing our strategy was hard, but it paid off. Our products got better, and we began to regain our place in the market.
Here are the five key lessons I learned from this experience:
1. The Importance of Flexibility in Vision
At first, our CEO had a strong vision that guided us. This worked well for a while. But as things changed, we saw that sticking to one person’s vision wasn’t enough. We had to adapt to new market conditions. The lesson here? It’s great to have a clear vision, but you must be ready to change when needed.
2. The Risk of Too Much Data
In the telecom industry, decisions were often based heavily on survey data and checklists. This led to products that had everything customers said they wanted but were hard to use. I learned that while data is important, it shouldn’t be the only thing that guides your decisions. It’s crucial to balance what the data says with what makes a product good to use.
3. Looking Beyond What Customers Say They Want
When I worked in data science, we always asked our customers what they wanted. Often, they would ask for small changes. We did what they asked, but it didn’t really make a big impact. I learned that it’s important to listen to customers but also to think ahead about what they might need in the future. Sometimes, the best ideas are bigger than what the customer is asking for right now.
4. Designing for Real People
In advertising, we used detailed personas to guide our product development. This approach worked well because it made us think about the real people who would use our products. Instead of trying to please everyone, we focused on making things that were perfect for specific groups of users. This taught me that focusing on specific users can make a product much more successful.
5. Mixing Different Approaches: Finding the Best Combination
Throughout my career, I’ve seen the struggle to mix different strategies in one product. It often led to products that felt confused. The key lesson here is to choose one main strategy and use others to support it. For example, you might start with a clear vision or detailed personas and then use customer feedback to refine your product. Trying to do everything at once can make things confusing and weaken the result.
Bringing It All Together for IT Strategy
You might wonder how this relates to IT. In fact, every system your IT department works on should be treated like a product. Just like with customers, your users’ needs will change, and today’s technology might be outdated tomorrow. Whether you’re working on systems for your team or for your customers, you need a strategy that can grow and change.
By considering these lessons, you can create a strategy that really works for your users and your company.