Mark Gray's Hot Take - We Shouldn't Be Prioritising By Effort (with Mark Gray, Senior Product Manager @ Nexford University)
Oct 9, 2024
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Mark Gray, a Senior Product Manager at Nexford University, brings 12 years of expertise in both B2B and B2C sectors. He challenges the traditional 'value divided by effort' prioritization, arguing it hampers innovation and creates a feature factory mindset. Mark advocates for engaging diverse teams in discussions to determine priorities based on desired outcomes. He also discusses the balance between quick wins and high-impact projects, emphasizing the need for intentional decision-making and collaborative dialogue in product management.
Prioritizing product initiatives solely by value divided by effort can hinder innovation and reduce strategic vision within teams.
Engaging in collaborative discussions across diverse teams fosters a deeper understanding of business goals and promotes more impactful project initiatives.
Deep dives
Rethinking Product Prioritization
Product managers are encouraged to move away from the traditional prioritization method of calculating value divided by effort. This common approach often leads to a lack of vision and strategic direction, reducing teams to a 'feature factory' mindset. Instead of merely ranking a list of potential solutions based on perceived value or ease of implementation, product managers should engage in deeper discussions that consider multiple factors and encourage innovative thinking. Such conversations can lead to emergent insights about which initiatives to pursue, emphasizing the need for cross-functional collaboration.
Challenges with Estimating Value and Effort
Many product managers struggle with accurately determining both the value and the effort required for various features, which can lead to misguided prioritization. Historical patterns show that items perceived as high value may not yield the expected benefits, while quick-win opportunities often require more resources than anticipated. This uncertainty complicates decision-making, making it difficult to prioritize effectively. As a result, relying solely on value and effort can stifle innovation and limit the pursuit of more impactful projects.
The Importance of Strategic Conversations
Constructive dialogue among product, design, and tech teams is essential for identifying goals and formulating effective strategies. Rather than defaulting to quantitative metrics, teams should focus on shared understanding and collaborative decision-making to define what success looks like. Engaging in discussions about long-term objectives can create pathways for tackling larger, riskier initiatives that may drive significant value. Building trust and aligning on a strategic vision ultimately enhances the ability to navigate complex product landscapes.
Mark Gray is a product manager with nearly 12 years of experience across various roles in the UK and Europe. He has worked in both B2B and B2C sectors, progressing from delivery-focused product owner roles to more strategic product management and leadership positions.
His hot take? Product managers should stop defaulting to prioritisation through value divided by effort, which he argues can stifle innovation. Value and effort aren't unimportant, but they're just part of the puzzle. He believes the path to deciding what to build next should emerge from discussions with smart, diverse teams, focusing on the desired outcomes and business goals.