How do you balance prioritizing current customer needs vs where technology is going with AI?

This is one of the most interesting tensions in product right now, and honestly there is no perfect formula. The way we think about it: current customer needs tell you where to play, and AI tells you how far you can go. If you only build for what customers are asking for today, you ship incrementally and get disrupted. If you only chase the technology, you build things nobody is ready to use yet. What grounds us is starting with the job to be done. What is the user fundamentally trying to accomp ...Read More

My assumption when reading this question is that you're being asked for "an AI roadmap" or to more quickly ship customer experiences "with AI". If I got that right, welcome to the boat! The first step is to unpack why you’re being asked this. Most likely, the company and your leaders are wanting to send a signal to the board or to investors. If you're privy to contributing or reviewing the executive presentations, you'll likely see a narrative of change, where AI is positioned as an accelerator ...Read More

Good one. Balancing the now versus the future is one of the trickiest parts of product strategy, especially with the rapid improvements we have seen with AI. This is still a moving target for us, so we are all still learning, but here are some concepts I believe might help: Allocate resources in “buckets”: I like to intentionally divide product investment into buckets by horizon. Let's say Horizon 1 is for immediate customer needs, improvements, Horizon 2 is mid-term strategic projects, and Hori ...Read More

This question makes it sound like there is a trade-off to be made between these - however, in my opinion, they need not be separate goals. AI, if applied to solve the right problems, could actually help solve for customer needs. Lets take a real example on a product we just launched with Cisco's cloud management for Wi-Fi networks - AI-RRM. Before I dive into the specific product feature, let me present the problem statement and why AI was applied here. Customer Problem Statement: Radio Frequenc ...Read More

AI features should be evaluated using the same prioritization frameworks that your organization would apply to any other product initiative. This ensures that potential roadmap items are compared on equal terms and that investments are directed toward the initiatives that deliver the most value to customers and the business.That said, given the current market emphasis on AI, these features may carry outsized marketing or strategic value, which can increase their perceived impact or opportunity s ...Read More

Balancing current customer needs with the ever-evolving landscape of AI and technology is a critical facet of effective product management. To achieve this delicate balance, consider the following key strategies: 1. Define Business Goals: Begin by setting clear business goals for the upcoming quarter or another suitable timeframe. This establishes a framework for decision-making aligned with the company's overall objectives. 2. Develop a Comprehensive Product Roadmap: Craft a product roadmap tha ...Read More