Escaping the Build Trap

Companies often measure success by “output,” prioritizing what they ship over its value to customers.

Focusing on output instead of customer outcomes is the “build trap.” Sound product management offers an escape route: Optimize value for your business and its customers.

Consider Marquetly, an online subscription service offering training classes. The company staffed up with hundreds of developers who, having embraced Scrum, understood the importance of working with product managers. Marquetly’s leaders assigned marketing people to product management, reasoning that they knew the audience, even if they lacked product management experience. The newly hired product vice president, faced with delivering on promises the sales team had made to customers, set up demanding deadlines for building products from nothing. She had no time to think through a plan of action.

The CEO declined to hire experienced product developers, insisting that Marquetly could train its incumbent staff. Leaders complained that the product they needed in the field wasn’t forthcoming. The company had numerous initiatives underway that required several teams, yet...