You’re presenting a well-crafted product roadmap to a room of stakeholders and crew members when a senior chief begins to take over the assembly. This particular person is asserting their very own judgments, suggesting alterations, and usually shifting focus away out of your plan. Whereas these actions could come from a spot of excellent intentions and former expertise, the impact could be demoralizing. If not dealt with appropriately, this state of affairs may have damaging penalties on the product roadmap.

For those who’ve been a product supervisor for any size of time, you’ve possible discovered your self on this scenario, 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 best wage—are likely to take priority over the insights of different crew members. With such authority, the HiPPO can have a big impression on the path of the product roadmap; thus, going up towards, and even disagreeing with, the HiPPO could be extraordinarily intimidating.

I’ve been constructing merchandise for greater than a decade and I nonetheless repeatedly encounter the HiPPO. Over that point, nevertheless, I’ve developed methods to enact earlier than any product roadmap presentation to make sure stakeholder satisfaction and the very best roadmap potential.

Why HiPPOs Are Harmful

In a product improvement context, the HiPPO’s impression could be harmful once they impose modifications based mostly on private expertise, instinct, or with out full information of the product or the vary of things that might have an effect on its success. Moreover, these modifications might not be in step with buyer wants or market developments, leading to merchandise which might be outdated, irrelevant, or fail to fulfill buyer expectations.

One other downside arises when the HiPPO is threat averse, preferring the relative security of techniques they’ve seen work properly prior to now. This could result in a scarcity of innovation or a stagnant product roadmap. It might probably additionally result in losing time and sources on initiatives that find yourself failing, being axed, or getting redirected down the road.

Generally, govt enter can lead to roadmaps which have much less room for creativity and experimentation. Agile product roadmaps ought to talk outcomes relatively 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 govt management give attention to speaking outputs over outcomes.

Product roadmaps regularly influenced by the HiPPO can stifle creativity and harm the morale of the product crew. That is probably essentially the most detrimental impression of all, as a high-functioning crew is significant to success.

Methods to Handle the HiPPO

Whereas HiPPOs pose many challenges, there are steps you possibly can take to take care of 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 vital basis for countering any opposing views, as you possibly can have full confidence that your roadmap is the suitable approach to go.

A robust product roadmap ought to embrace a transparent imaginative and prescient and goals, in addition to a timeline for reaching 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, overview and replace the roadmap, and check and validate concepts. Quantitative knowledge from surveys, mixed with qualitative sentiment assortment from interviews and different interactions, affords compelling insights which might be onerous to refute. Information from different sources, resembling market analysis and competitor evaluation, must 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 Resolution-making Course of

In an effort to preserve management of your product roadmap, create a sturdy course of for decision-making. For those who don’t have one already, develop a framework for gathering buyer knowledge and evaluating this data. This course of and its outcomes must 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 along with your evidence-based roadmap.

Put collectively a crew with representatives from all related departments, together with product administration, engineering, advertising and marketing, and buyer assist. This crew can have the authority to make collaborative choices based mostly on each knowledge and material experience at sure factors within the roadmap (though it is best to take steps to make sure that having this crew 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 Usually 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 maintaining stakeholders knowledgeable of modifications 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 will probably be an important element in constructing constructive long-term relationships between the senior determine and the product crew. Strengthen belief by celebrating evidence-based choices from crew members that produce profitable outcomes. A way that has labored properly in my expertise is a month-to-month or quarterly award given to a person or group that tackled an issue having a detrimental impression on the product. This serves to show the worth and experience of the crew, which is able to afford larger 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 crew to handle their involvement in decision-making. It’s best to permit all events to really feel heard whereas setting clear expectations for his or her roles and tasks. Everybody—together with senior figures—must be held accountable for his or her choices and enter and be anticipated to offer proof to assist them. Make sure to doc these processes formally and clearly for all crew 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 by which to precise their issues 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 relatively than private expertise or instinct. The HiPPO can, subsequently, have a big impression if their enter just isn’t dealt with properly. Making use of the straightforward however efficient methods I’ve laid out right here can mitigate and forestall harm to the roadmap, product, and crew. Having clear roles and limits in place, constructing belief, and making evidence-based choices are vital.

Strong, constant processes will assist you and your crew confidently design and execute product roadmaps which might be in step with buyer wants and market developments—and that may result in worthwhile merchandise. Suggestions from senior figures can undoubtedly be priceless, however with regards to the product and its roadmap, you and your crew ought to have the insights that matter most.