How do you handle exec input in the roadmap, and convey a point of view while also accommodating?
17 Answers
Braze Director of Product Management • 4y
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 t...
12106 Views
IBM Product Management • 4y
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 la...
884 Views
Cortex VP of Product | Formerly Splunk, Deloitte • 3y
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,...
671 Views
AlphaSense SVP, Product and Design • 1y
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 l...
1854 Views
Cloudflare Sr. Director of Product | Formerly Segment, WeWork, Airbnb • 2y
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 t...
3428 Views
Splunk Director of Product Management • 3y
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 soli...
1166 Views
Confluent Senior Director of Product, AI Products and Strategy • Apr 1
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 you...
367 Views
Airbase VP Product | Formerly Skype, Microsoft, Blink and Pipedrive • 4y
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 ach...
508 Views
Green Dot Principal Product Manager | Formerly Narvar, Stamps, Accenture • 3y
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 strat...
912 Views
Typeform Chief Product Officer • 3y
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...
583 Views
Barracuda Networks Sr. Director, Product Management • 1y
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...
948 Views
Atlassian Director of Product Management (Confluence) | Formerly PayPal, eBay, Intel, Verizon • 2y
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.A...
946 Views
BILL VP of Product, Product Platform • 10mo
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 di...
604 Views
Meta Director of Product - Horizon Worlds Platform & Creation Tools | Formerly Microsoft, Photobucket, 5 start-ups • 2y
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 t...
773 Views
JetBrains Head of Product | Formerly GitLab, Jit.io, Cellebrite, Anima • 1y
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 ...
481 Views
strongDM Sr. Director, Product Management • 2y
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 vi...
404 Views
Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 2y
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 "wh...
401 Views
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