Good people with good purpose want to be effective and efficient. The largest outcome for the smallest effort. Yet there isn’t a universal process that guarantees this.

In Lean vs Agile vs Design Thinking, Jeff Gothelf recognised, “At the end of the day, your customers don’t care whether you practice Agile, Lean, or Design Thinking. They care about great products and services that solve meaningful problems for them in effective ways. The more you can focus your teams on satisfying customer needs, collaborating to create compelling experiences, and incentivizing them to continuously improve, it won’t matter which methodology they employ. Their process will simply be better.”

In Principles over Process, Marty Cagan continued, “My sense is that more people in our industry are starting recognizing this issue, and maybe we can get people back to what’s important – the principles – rather than the rituals.”

Airfocus is a tool where product teams set strategy, understand user needs, prioritise, and align around roadmaps.

Ironically, despite offering a product management tool for Product Managers, airfocus did not have a product-led culture. Typically, other team members described the company as founder-led, sales-led, or competitor-led.

How could the company be effective and efficient if the culture was role-centric and competitor-centric rather than customer-centric?

I moved the attention from staff and competitors to users by reviewing the experience for a potential customer and highlighting their onboarding challenges. Customers over competitors.

I analysed customer feedback, identified needs, and grouped business opportunities. I prioritised by factoring viability, desirability, and feasibility. Focus over frenzy.

I implemented a product operating model by negotiating and establishing end-to-end prioritisation, discovery, delivery, and collaboration methods and measures. Trust over control.

I worked in the open by sharing research and proposals. Progress over perfection.

I explained concepts using a variety of communication methods, synchronously and asynchronously. Clarity over confusion.

I sought feedback and documented specifications. Change over certainty.

I shared progress, insights, and achievements. Evidence over ego.

We increased revenue per customer by prioritising improvements for target teams. Outcomes over outputs.

I promoted best practices in product management by hosting webinars with industry experts and customers. Learn over fail.

Continue with good problems.