Through the Product Lens

I?have heard people comment that?Product people have it?easy - they?just sit around sipping their Chai Latte and come up with hard things for others to build and support.?

Having worked “behind the curtain,” I can tell you it isn’t all rosy.? When I visualize what a good Product team does,?I think in terms of the?Product Lens.?

I?draw from the analogy of?a camera lens to explain what I mean. Using our helpful ChatGPT, the definition of a lens?is…?

“a vital component that not only?gathers and focuses light?but also contributes significantly to the overall image quality and creative control of a photographer.”?

While a camera lens gathers and focuses light,?the Product team?gathers and focuses on?product ideas.?

A camera lens has the key functions of light gathering, focusing, image formation, aperture control, depth of field, distortion/aberration control, and image stabilization. It is?easy?to draw a correlation to what a product person needs to do in taking raw ideas from multiple sources and combine it into a crystal-clear image which is the product vision and roadmap at a macro level and well-defined Epics and User Stories at a micro level.?

The number of stakeholders a Product team engages with regarding product requirements depends on the organization's size and the market their product serves. A broad spectrum of perspectives is essential for crafting a genuinely impactful application.?

Some of the stakeholders include:?

• Site Reliability Engineering?
• Finance?
• Software Engineering?
• Customers?
• Sales?
• Compliance/Regulatory?
• Information Security?

?The Product team must figure out the right balance of investment for?each stakeholder.?It is critical to build stakeholder trust,?hear everyone’s voice, and balance all needs. The art of comprise.?

The Product role is challenging,?but when?viewed through the Product Lens,?you get a great deal of satisfaction as the team rolls out new releases that make everyone’s lives better. ?