Product vs Project

Inspired by Product Manager vs Project Manager

Problems and Contradictions

Undervaluing the Position of an Analyst

The paradigm of "give us clear requirements" is gradually fading due to obvious contradictions and oppositions between analysis and implementation teams. Development teams are usually comprised of well-prepared and well-paid specialists, a bragging right that analysts do not always have. Their work is often undervalued, because they supposedly don’t require specialized technological training – well, what is the demand is the supply, right? Yet, it’s the analysts, often working solo, who bear the entire burden of ensuring the completeness and alignment of requirements. When it comes to non-functional requirements, it's like a poor girl (apologies for the phrasing – it’s more from experience than sexism) is left stranded. She is lucky if there is a matured friendly architect to help around.

A good analyst on a project is just too expensive… Well, try a bad one

There are evaluations on the cost of fixing errors and amendments depending on the project stage. Guess, whose mistakes cost the most?

Shifting Responsibility

"That wasn't in the requirements! You wrote it yourselves!" sound familiar? Validating requirements has never lost its relevance. When and how to do this - let's discuss that shortly.

Give us your estimates! - Well, give us a clear scope!

I’ve witnessed lengthy grooming sessions stretching for months. An entire team on the payroll spent hours in a meeting room to provide the desired estimates for managers. Meanwhile, risk management was essentially shifted onto the team, managing as best they could.

And yes, I get it that you need estimates for prioritization. You’ve been specifically trained in risk management in all those seminars you never seem to leave. Just stop shifting responsibility!

Managing risks is so simple!

This is how the team thinks. Any uncertainties are covered up with exaggerated estimates. As a result, the topic ends up buried deep in the backlog or quietly dies off due to disproportionate costs.

Solutions

Demanding clear requirements and estimates is no longer in vogue. I’ve tried to schematically describe two typically stressful processes: finalizing requirements and estimates, both equally detested and easily smoothed out with mutual willingness. Those who would keep them will eventually wash out of the market. Below, I share my experience.

The Two-Week Rule (a sprint).

Once, our Product/Project Manager (same person) suggested my team develop an engine for a real estate site and set (without asking us) a 2-week deadline. We silently shrugged and took it on. Two weeks later, we had to present a ready engine to our Product/Project Manager, who commented, "You didn’t protest against the timeline..."

The demo showcased analysis results with diagrams, models, and an implementation plan. The Product/Project Manager was content, now understanding what we are undertaking, and it bypassed time-wasting grooming and inflated estimates.

So, the rule itself:

Without wasting time and nerves on estimates, start doing; within 2 weeks, you'll have either a finished result or a refined plan with validated requirements.

The Analysis Stage - the Best Time for trade-Offs.

I've had to combine Product and Project Management several times, and those were my most successful projects. This combination allows for:

·??????? Avoiding unnecessary spending of time on estimation

·??????? Quick decision-making on compromises

·??????? Eliminating toxic searches for culprits

·??????? Directing resources into the most efficient stream.

Scalability.

This issue arises eventually as the product grows and time becomes a constraint to handle everything alone. SAFe 6.0 could be the closest approach to solving this problem.

The familiar role of a Project Manager isn’t found there, just like an analyst's. Working with artifacts is blur, managing requirements as a process is also absent; it's increasingly resembling Trotsky's slogans. However, it's not wise to reject it outright. It didn't click with me immediately either. I think it's worth considering.

Your thoughts are highly welcome!