You’re presenting a well-crafted product roadmap to a room of stakeholders and group members when a senior chief begins to take over the assembly. This particular person is asserting their very own judgments, suggesting alterations, and customarily shifting focus away out of your plan. Whereas these actions could come from a spot of fine intentions and former expertise, the impact will be demoralizing. If not dealt with appropriately, this state of affairs may also have destructive penalties on the product roadmap.
In case you’ve been a product supervisor for any size of time, you’ve possible discovered your self on this state of affairs, face-to-face with the HiPPO: the “highest-paid particular person’s opinion.” The opinions of a high-ranking or influential particular person within the group—who is usually the particular person in a gathering with the very best wage—are inclined to take priority over the insights of different group members. With such authority, the HiPPO can have a big affect on the course of the product roadmap; thus, going up towards, and even disagreeing with, the HiPPO will be extraordinarily intimidating.
I’ve been constructing merchandise for greater than a decade and I nonetheless frequently encounter the HiPPO. Over that point, nonetheless, I’ve developed methods to enact earlier than any product roadmap presentation to make sure stakeholder satisfaction and one of the best roadmap doable.
Why HiPPOs Are Harmful
In a product improvement context, the HiPPO’s affect will be harmful once they impose adjustments based mostly on private expertise, instinct, or with out full information of the product or the vary of things that would have an effect on its success. Moreover, these adjustments might not be consistent with buyer wants or market tendencies, leading to merchandise which are outdated, irrelevant, or fail to fulfill buyer expectations.
One other drawback arises when the HiPPO is danger averse, preferring the relative security of techniques they’ve seen work effectively up to now. This could result in an absence of innovation or a stagnant product roadmap. It may well additionally result in losing time and assets on initiatives that find yourself failing, being axed, or getting redirected down the road.
Generally, government enter may end up in roadmaps which have much less room for creativity and experimentation. Agile product roadmaps ought to talk outcomes moderately than the outputs that Waterfall roadmaps usually do, however the 2023 State of Product Administration Report discovered that 70% of roadmaps most affected by requests from government management deal with speaking outputs over outcomes.
Product roadmaps frequently influenced by the HiPPO can stifle creativity and harm the morale of the product group. That is probably probably the most detrimental affect of all, as a high-functioning group is important to success.
Methods to Handle the HiPPO
Whereas HiPPOs pose many challenges, there are steps you may take to keep up management of your product and get buy-in from management.
Develop a Excessive-quality, Proof-based Roadmap
Step one is to make sure you have a product roadmap that works. It is a essential basis for countering any opposing views, as you may have full confidence that your roadmap is the correct method to go.
A powerful product roadmap ought to embody a transparent imaginative and prescient and goals, in addition to a timeline for attaining them, with key milestones plotted. Establish the stakeholders concerned at every stage of the method. Select how you’ll measure success. Resolve which metrics to trace (e.g., buyer satisfaction, engagement, income). Use this knowledge to validate the standard of your future roadmaps.
For good product roadmap execution, determine how you’ll monitor progress, evaluation and replace the roadmap, and take a look at and validate concepts. Quantitative knowledge from surveys, mixed with qualitative sentiment assortment from interviews and different interactions, affords compelling insights which are arduous to refute. Information from different sources, similar to market analysis and competitor evaluation, ought to be utilized too. You need to have the ability to reply to buyer suggestions and adapt to altering wants; you are able to do this by incorporating a suggestions loop into the roadmap.
Set up a Determination-making Course of
In an effort to keep management of your product roadmap, create a strong course of for decision-making. In case you don’t have one already, develop a framework for gathering buyer knowledge and evaluating this data. This course of and its outcomes ought to be clearly documented and communicated to all stakeholders, together with the senior determine. Refer again to this evaluation to counter any opinions that don’t align together with your evidence-based roadmap.
Put collectively a group with representatives from all related departments, together with product administration, engineering, advertising, and buyer help. This group could have the authority to make collaborative selections based mostly on each knowledge and subject material experience at sure factors within the roadmap (though you must take steps to make sure that having this group in place doesn’t decelerate your improvement course of). Ought to the HiPPO intervene, this constant analysis will make sure the product stays on monitor.
Talk Frequently With Stakeholders
Each stakeholder—together with the senior determine—is essential in making a profitable product, however it’s essential to make sure that there’s a clear understanding of the product roadmap and every particular person’s function in it throughout all departments.
Set up one system for retaining stakeholders knowledgeable of adjustments to the roadmap, and one other system for gathering, evaluating, responding to, and incorporating their suggestions. When everybody feels heard, you’ll encounter fewer points alongside the journey.
Foster Belief within the Product Workforce
Belief might be an important part in constructing constructive long-term relationships between the senior determine and the product group. Strengthen belief by celebrating evidence-based selections from group members that produce profitable outcomes. A way that has labored effectively in my expertise is a month-to-month or quarterly award given to a person or group that tackled an issue having a detrimental affect on the product. This serves to reveal the worth and experience of the group, which is able to afford higher autonomy from senior figures sooner or later. It additionally emphasizes the significance of data-driven decision-making.
Set Clear Expectations
Lastly, and maybe most significantly, previous to any roadmap discussions, develop a system in partnership with the senior determine and your product group to handle their involvement in decision-making. It is best to permit all events to really feel heard whereas setting clear expectations for his or her roles and duties. Everybody—together with senior figures—ought to be held accountable for his or her selections and enter and be anticipated to offer proof to help them. Make sure you doc these processes formally and clearly for all group members. (This course of could even deter the senior determine from providing unfounded opinions.)
Meet with the senior determine in a one-on-one setting a day or two earlier than any giant shows, giving them a discussion board during which to precise their considerations and you a chance to handle these previous to the assembly. An intimate setting makes it simpler to have harder discussions with out the added stress of an viewers.
Product Roadmaps Are Pushed by Information, Not Expertise
The success of a product roadmap depends on being pushed by knowledge moderately than private expertise or instinct. The HiPPO can, due to this fact, have a big affect if their enter isn’t dealt with effectively. Making use of the easy however efficient methods I’ve laid out right here can mitigate and stop harm to the roadmap, product, and group. Having clear roles and limits in place, constructing belief, and making evidence-based selections are essential.
Strong, constant processes will show you how to and your group confidently design and execute product roadmaps which are consistent with buyer wants and market tendencies—and that can result in worthwhile merchandise. Suggestions from senior figures can undoubtedly be beneficial, however in terms of the product and its roadmap, you and your group ought to have the insights that matter most.
