AMA: Asana Head of Product Operations, Saikat Paul on Product Development Process

Balancing timely delivery with market insights isn't about conflicting goals; it's about ensuring we ship the most impactful solutions. Here are some best practices to achieve that: 1. Continuous Market Research: Make market research an ongoing effort beyond sprint planning. Monitor industry trends, analyze competitors, and gather user feedback regularly through surveys or interviews. Proactive effort is key to staying ahead. 2. Groom Your Backlog: Keep your backlog fresh by regularly reviewing and prioritizing items. With a steady stream of market insights, it becomes easier to identify the most impactful backlog items. Clear out outdated items to focus on what truly matters. 3. Iterative Development: Embrace the iterative nature of agile development. Break down solutions into smaller, manageable chunks to deliver and test in each sprint. This flexibility allows us to adapt to changing market conditions while continuously delivering value. 4. Feedback Loops: Establish feedback loops with stakeholders and end-users to validate assumptions and gather input on features. Utilize lightweight prototypes for early feedback and be willing to pivot based on insights. Testing and iterating are essential for delivering solutions that truly meet user needs.

I honestly don't think there is a right ratio. Team makeup should not be decided by arbitrary industry averages, but rather based on the nature and complexity of the problem (or problem space) that the team is working on. I've seen a PM work with 10+ engineers and I've seen a PM work with 3 engineers. Both teams were successful because they were sized to the problems at hand.

Short answer: Always :) Seriously, discussing success metrics with your development team is essential to ensure alignment on project and sprint goals, plus it's a great motivational tool. Everyone loves to know how their work contributes to the overall success of the product. Here's when you should bring up success metrics: 1. Early Stage Planning: Success metrics should be discussed during the early stages of project planning. As you define project goals and objectives, it's crucial to identify the key metrics that will measure the success of the project. You might realize that your solution doesn't align with what you want to measure. 2. Sprint Planning: Success metrics should also be discussed during sprint planning sessions. As you plan the sprint activities, consider establishing sprint goals. They're a great way to introduct success metrics that can measured at a smaller time interval 3. Regular Check-ins: Success metrics should be revisited regularly during team check-ins or stand-up meetings. This provides an opportunity to track progress towards the goals and identify any issues or obstacles and keep everyone focused and accountable. 4. Post-Release Review: After releasing a feature, remember to revisit those success metrics. And don't forget to have a time component to success. A metric might not be met one day after release, but it could be 30 days out. Make it clear from the outset not just what you are going to measure but when as well. . Discussing success metrics with your development team is indeed crucial at every stage of the project lifecycle to ensure alignment, motivation, and accountability. Integrating success metrics discussions into early planning, sprint planning, regular check-ins, and post-release reviews keeps everyone focused and aware of how their work impacts the product's success. It's not just about what you measure but also when you measure it, ensuring clarity and relevance throughout the process.

Be transparent and over-communicate. Clear expectations between development teams and upper leadership are crucial for alignment and stakeholder satisfaction. 1. Establish a Communication Plan: Set a schedule for project status updates and adhere to it. Keep updates concise and actionable. If there are risks to the schedule with mitigation plans in place, communicate them upfront. When needing leadership intervention or decision-making, request it directly. 2. Actively Seek Feedback and Alignment: Request feedback from upper leadership on project direction, priorities, and performance. Transparently communicate project risks or concerns, as their decisions may differ from assumptions. 3. Be Transparent: Never withhold or sugarcoat information. Openness enables effective problem-solving and decision-making. Upper leadership's role is to support and remove obstacles, which requires awareness of issues.