Product Thinking Episode 248: Escaping the Reactive Trap in Product Teams
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Sep 26, 2025 Navigating a backlog of customer requests can be overwhelming for product teams. Strategic thinking is key, as categorizing requests and establishing regular review rhythms helps prioritize effectively. Emphasizing quick wins can rebuild credibility, while resetting stakeholder expectations ensures collaboration. Protecting time for discovery and building a solid framework for product strategy are vital for long-term success. Training customer support to triage effectively also enhances the process, ensuring a more strategic approach to product management.
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Triage Into Simple Buckets
- Create buckets like critical bugs, feature requests, and technical debt to bring order to your backlog.
- Segment by impact, effort, and customer type to surface what needs attention now versus later.
Customer Type Reveals Strategic Fit
- Segmenting requests by customer type reveals whether you're serving the customers you want to target.
- That insight helps refine strategy, like whether to pursue enterprise features or avoid premature commitments.
Set Regular Communication Rhythms
- Establish a regular cadence for backlog reviews and publish simple status updates on what's being worked on and why.
- Give stakeholders visibility into what's not being worked on and the reasons so account teams can update customers.