How do you handle exec input in the roadmap, and convey a point of view while also accommodating?

Let’s say that a product team and an executive team are aligned on the goal of improving customer satisfaction with the product (measured by a CSAT survey). The product team will then do research and perform experiments to validate the best way to impact customer satisfaction. Including executives in the research process via stakeholder interviews is a great way to get input early - executives are viewing things from a much different perspective than team ICs and often have great ideas. When the ...Read More

This is certainly a tricky one! I like to think of a roadmap being made up of four sensing mechanisms:  1. External stakeholders - investors, board members  2. Market landscape - competitors, analyst reviews or reports, and prospects 3. Internal stakeholders - CEO, leadership, cross-functional teams  4. Customers - install base or existing paying and free users  When you are able to attribute the sources of your roadmap features transparently, it becomes a trade-off conversation with executives ...Read More

Executive alignment on your roadmap is pretty key to getting funding and resources to deliver on your roadmap. Your executive team probably cares about customer success, growth, and potentially things like margin/security/compliance. Tie your roadmap to these outcomes very clearly. If you can communicate very clearly HOW your roadmap item helps achieve more than one of these outcomes / benefits, you are more likely to get buy-in.  What happens when you disagree with the executive? Well, that dep ...Read More

Our product cycle is as follows: Quarterly roadmapping showing a rolling 3 quarters (now/next/later) with what is to be started, what is in discovery, and what is to be launched Monthly CEO strategy sessions, where we debate and discuss key initiatives and make adjustments to our plan and priorities Weekly "Exec Pulse" meetings, where key conflicts/challenges/clarifications are presented for discussion. These meetings typically include business stakeholders and product + design leaders, and happ ...Read More

Finding the right balance of leadership input to infuse in roadmap planning is always a challenging endeavor. What has been most effective in my career is coming to the table with a clear perspective and reasoning for prioritization. As a leader, staying in tune with the business should allow you to preempt those initiatives that are top of mind for your executive team. It is absolutely not an exact science, but building a bridge between 1. The company/executive priorities and 2. The areas that ...Read More

It's always good to review roadmaps with leadership on an ongoing basis. These touchpoints allow you to keep your leadership informed and give you the opportunity to solicit feedback.  At the end of the day, gaining alignment is key to getting funding and resources. The leadership team is often looking to understand how your product is doing (e.g., usage, adoption, success stories) and how your roadmap can deliver additional impact (e.g., growth in usage, adoption, customer happiness). Clearly c ...Read More

Exec input is key so that you're aligned on the company goals. First get a breakdown from the Execs and finace on which levers the company intends to pull so that it achieves it's goals, and then categorise, eg, X% from new customers acquired , Y% from existing customers , Z% from cost savings. Then map the biggest customer problems to each of these categories - this gives you your key themes.Now that you have this mapped out First playback your understanding of the importance and priority of ea ...Read More

As a PM, it's important to seek input from and align your roadmap with executives regularly. Executives can be valuable in several ways. Executives can help define strategy. They can use their expertise to guide your roadmap and prioritization based on company strategy Executives can help refine the roadmap. They can challenge initiatives and question timelines or impact to help sharpen your roadmap before sharing it with the broader organization. It's crucial to back up initiatives with data wh ...Read More

The most helpful way to maintain alignment with the exec team is to align early and often on the product vision and strategy. Those conversations will likely surface gaps or areas of misalignment that you can address or close at the strategy level before you ever get into a roadmap discussion. If however, you find yourself at the receiving end of some exec input that isn’t aligned with a strategy you have socialized, there are several ways to handle it. Pull the suggestion into your input proces ...Read More

Great question—this is something every product leader faces at some point, and navigating it well can really define the maturity of your product practice. First, I believe that executive input should never be dismissed—it often reflects strategic priorities, broader market insights, or signals from key customers. That said, as Teresa Torres often reminds us, "decisions should be made based on continuous discovery, not hierarchy." So, while I receive that input with respect and curiosity, I alway ...Read More

It is tricky but important to handle exec input. Here are some tips: Get a good understanding of the company objectives, priorities, OKR's and exec interest in your area. Articulate your product strategy and how it aligns with the overall business objectives. Explain how your roadmap supports the broader objective. Bring metrics data and customer to support your views. Also any competitive data as applicable. Clearly show all blockers, tradeoffs, and gaps. Ask for any resourcing or funding you m ...Read More

I think this mostly comes down to being prepared. Good execs are usually looking for input, it’s not their way or the highway, but they’re also not going to just take your word for it. If you have a point of view, you need to back it up with real evidence and show that you understand the tradeoffs. If you’re going to challenge, expect to be challenged back. That’s a healthy dynamic. The goal isn’t to win an argument, it’s to get to the right decision. So come in with a clear recommendation like ...Read More

When executives are highly involved in your roadmap, your first job is to understand WHY. Are they providing a lot of input because they don’t trust the team and their direction? Are they trying to provoke a change in direction or strategy? Is there an actual problem they need to solve? Do they just like it? Each of these situations should be handled a bit differently.  If your exec is wanting to influence the roadmap due to lack of trust, you need to go back to the basics. Gather your data, art ...Read More

Executives should have influence over the roadmap, but ownership remains with the product manager. A PM is responsible for making strategic decisions that align with the North Star and business value. Transparency is key—an internal roadmap ensures that stakeholders feel heard, understand where their input fits in (or doesn’t), and see the reasoning behind prioritization. Clarity on the “why” and the impact on business goals strengthens a PM’s position when balancing different perspectives. The ...Read More

In executive conversations about roadmaps, I nearly always express them team's (and my own POV) up front. I also connect the dots from business principles/priorities to the investment themes for the roadmap to the projects and milestones in the roadmap. By doing it in this way (i.e. "here's our understanding of our business position and strategy, here's our understanding of company/broader org priorities, here's how our team's mission and scope will contribute to these..."), I find I get clear f ...Read More

Exec input on the roadmap can be a double-edged sword. It can bring valuable strategic insights, but it can also lead to feature creep or misalignment with the product vision. Start by understanding the context that led them to provide input and use it to augment your current thinking. Once you have reformed the opinion based on the new data, convey your well-informed point of view while demonstrating respect for their perspective and finding a solution that benefits both the product and the bro ...Read More

I usually focus on deeply understanding the "why" behind an ask or input. One time, I heard "We should build a new product A" directly from a CEO. Asking the question "why" helped me understand that the broader delivery organization was undergoing a transformation, and building a new product would support the business while creating customer delight. In return, when conveying a point of view, I often refer to data or customer anecdotes. Offering customer-centric insights helps executives underst ...Read More