Product Pathfinder Plus With Pragmatic Marketing Add On

Pragmatic Marketing has had a profound influence on the discipline of product management. With the Pragmatic Marketing Add On, Product Pathfinder helps product managers to implement this framework by supporting the collection of multiple types of market evidence and supporting the identification of market problems as a central tenet of product management.

The Problem

The problem with feature requests is that they are not a problem. Instead, they are usually a poorly designed solution to an unstated problem. This unstated problem is what you really want to identify. It is the key to a successful product release and to the untold riches your investors are eagerly waiting for.

In many small software companies, however, the feature request is king. It is the only piece of market evidence that is tracked in any meaningful way (if Excel spreadsheets can be called meaningful). Product releases often consist of nothing more than a list of accepted feature requests.

Put Feature Requests In Their Place

Feature requests must be put in their proper perspective. They are one type of market evidence that is no more important than any other. To that end, they are referred to with the more diminutive name "Enhancement Requests" within Product Pathfinder. Features are listed on web sites. Enhancements are not. It is a small thing, but it makes a difference as you communicate with others in your organization.

Other types of market evidence supported by Product Pathfinder include:

Solve Problems, Don’t Approve Features

When you communicate a new release with the rest of the organization, don't talk about it in terms of the features that will be included. Talk about the release in terms of the problems that will be solved and the requirements needed to solve these problems.

The support and sales teams have a lot vested in making individual customers happy. When they see your release requirements, the first thing they do is start counting the number of customers or prospects that they can call and congratulate. "Your feature request has been accepted. It will be released in 6 months."

Once feature requests are taken out of the picture, they will begin to realize that the number of customers they can call are ALL OF THEM. Because the release is focused on market problems and not individual requests, a vast majority of the customers will stand to benefit from the new release instead of only your most influential few.

It will take some time for the support organization to catch on to this mindset – especially in enterprise software companies. As a product manager, you live 18 months in front of the current product. In support, they live 12-18 months behind it. There is going to be an extended period of time when they will not have specific feature requests to speak about and no market problems either. This period of time may be measured in years. Be patient and stay the course. It is worth it.

Wrapping Up

So now you understand the double entendre presented in the title of this article. The problem with feature requests is that they are not a problem and a problem is exactly what you need to identify.

Disclaimer: There is no business relationship between Pragmatic Marketing and Product Pathfinder.