Avoiding Product Waste

April 10, 2023

Happy Monday everyone! There is a lot going on in the Cleveland Product scene, so let’s get to it!

Article of the Week

We Product people want to work on stuff that is important and has an impact for our customers. The last thing we want to do is waste our time on things that don't matter. But companies do that all the time. The CEO might have a pet project, sales might ask for a custom solution for one customer, or engineering teams might want to use a cool new technology. But how do we focus our teams and our organizations on things that bring the most value?

We need to focus on the problem (not the symptom), create solutions that can solve problems for lots of customers, and use experimentation and data to ensure we are creating the right solution (not just the one the customer asked for). We need to present ideas and solutions in terms of revenue (we need to be bilingual in finance and tech), have the right incentives for all associated teams, and adopt the same language (what is your definition of MVP).

We need to avoid what Rich Mironov describes as "product waste". Read more about his thoughts in the article below.

Product Jobs of the Week

The Product roles at Cleveland companies keep rolling in!

Upcoming Events

  • April 19th - Social event with our friends at UX Akron and Cleveland Accessibility

  • April 27th - Product Lean Coffee

About the Author

My name is Shawn Leitner. I started the Cleveland Product networking group in 2017, which helps to connect Product professionals around Cleveland, providing them with a forum to network, learn, and share stories. For my day job, I'm a Product Consultant & Coach for Pathfinder Product and help clients implement strong Product practices so they can create products that their teams love building and their customers love using. Connect with me on LinkedIn or feel free to attend one of my events either virtually or in-person. Always up for meeting for a cup of coffee also!