Product Strategy Function
Learn all about the Product Strategy function in Tech Fleet project training.
Last updated
Learn all about the Product Strategy function in Tech Fleet project training.
Last updated
A role is not a person! Learn more about Function vs. Commitment vs. Person here.
"Product Strategy" is at the heart of the operations of the team. They orchestrate the Agile work, coordinate sprint plans, manage the backlog, and write requirements. They collaborate with the UX research, UX design, and development teams in their work, while also coordinating the work with them.
Who "Wears the Hats" at companies between the Product Owner, Product Manager, and Business Analyst commitments? It depends!
Here's a visual breakdown:
There could be one person playing product owner + product manager role, and another playing business analyst commitments.
There could be one person playing product manager role and another playing business analyst + product owner commitments.
There could be three separate people, each playing product manager, product owner, and business analyst commitments.
There could be one person playing all commitments.
In Tech Fleet, product strategy functions are a combo of product owner, product manager, and business analyst commitments.
The Product Strategy Function typically owns a combination of 5 commitments:
Product Ownership commitments
Product Management commitments
Business Analysis commitments
Scrum Master commitments
UX Research commitments (In collaboration with UX researchers on the team)
Coaching teammates in Agile
Writing requirements
Managing roadmaps
Managing the backlog
Planning sprints with the team
Managing sprint plans
Running sprint retros
Facilitating sprint demos
Ensuring standups happen
Facilitating working agreements
Facilitating team process
Co-leads and apprentices both contribute to work equally.
Co-leads guide apprentices, and apprentices guide co-leads.
You guide other team members and/or apprentices while others guide you in areas you want to focus on.
Explore the product vision with the client and work with the UX team to form objectives each week.
Manage the project phase roadmap and product roadmap.
Manage the project backlog and weekly sprint activities on the kanban board.
Work with the team to define and prioritize weekly tasks and sprint goals throughout the project.
Help the team cut or add scope, or change direction when necessary.
Facilitate the teamâs planning, retros, standups, and working sessions to ensure meetings are successful.
Create user stories and acceptance criteria for tasks that are done in the project.
Be the voice of the customer along with the UX team for the client.
Here are some RACI charts depicting the daily tasks that a Product Strategy team is responsible for, and how they work with other teams:
Product Strategists "herd the cats" to do their work. They don't know all of the answers. They get everyone else together to build an agreement. They produce work, and then collaborate with others, and may consult others before producing.
You like defining the "big picture"
You like getting into the technical details of how a product should be engineered
You feel comfortable working through uncertainty to create clarity
You like orchestrating work across teams
You like to facilitate discussions
With the Client - facilitate requirements discussions; gather insight and feedback about the solutions being delivered
With Research - drive the priorities of research based on the product roadmap / plans
With the Project Lead - facilitate meetings and discussions; pair up to work together on deliverables
With Design - drive the priorities and requirements of design based on the product roadmap / plans
With Development - drive the priorities and requirements of development based on the product roadmap / plans
Ability to work without direct guidance or micromanagement
Take ownership of product-related tasks
Understanding of Agile methods and an ability to coach others in Agile.
Prior experience with Kanban, Scrum, or another Agile method is helpful but not required.
Ability to "herd cats" and help the team prioritize the most important tasks each week.
Ability to create direction out of uncertainty and explore business problems.
Be the âvoice of the customerâ and âcustomer expertâ for the group, the person who grows their subject matter expertise in the product industry and user groups involved; socialize and evangelize the voice of the customer to the project group and to the client when the group needs to make decisions.
Working directly with the other team leads to strategize activities and decisions.
Competitive analysis
Product-market fit
Epics and features
User stories
Acceptance criteria
BDD scenarios
Annotations
