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Understanding the job

Working with a product company, one of the bigger dilemmas facing the Product team is what to build based on the backlog of product items. Listening to a Harvard lecture podcast online recently, I came across a concept which helped me clear this dilemma. It simply asks a question- what is the job that your product is hired to perform?

Ideas for the product you are building can come through various routes. We're going to lose this customer if we don't incorporate this now, this is something the CEO really wants to see in the product, it's been sitting in the backlog forever etc. But a very good way to go about prioritizing what goes into the product is to find the answer to the question- what is the job that your product is hired to perform? Imagine the product to be an employee who is hired for a particular profile. Now there are certain roles and responsibilities or KPI's which will define whether this employee is fit for the post. The same logic will apply to the product you are creating or the functionality you are adding. While making the decision of what feature or functionality you are looking to add into the product, make sure you ask the question!

You are to hire a marketing professional who will be in charge of sending out email campaigns to new leads who are visiting your store, managing Social Media and the online jazz! What do you expect this person to do? Primarily, you want him to be efficient at keeping track of happenings, sending out email campaigns to every new lead coming in touch with your business and to welcome them onboard etc. Similarly, as a Product Manager- you're creating a feature to send out email campaigns let's say. Someone who buys this product from you will expect it to do everything this marketing professional would have, but quicker, without fault, and do more while turning out to be cheaper than what it would cost to hire this person!

So the mantra-hire your product feature to do an intended job, monitor to improve and see it succeed!

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