You’re presenting a well-crafted product roadmap to a room of stakeholders and staff 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 excellent intentions and former expertise, the impact will be demoralizing. If not dealt with appropriately, this state of affairs also can have unfavorable penalties on the product roadmap.
When you’ve been a product supervisor for any size of time, you’ve seemingly 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 commonly the particular person in a gathering with the best wage—are inclined to take priority over the insights of different staff members. With such authority, the HiPPO can have a major affect on the path 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 recurrently 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 attainable.
Why HiPPOs Are Harmful
In a product improvement context, the HiPPO’s affect will be harmful after they impose modifications primarily based on private expertise, instinct, or with out full data of the product or the vary of things that would have an effect on its success. Moreover, these modifications will not be in step with buyer wants or market developments, leading to merchandise which are outdated, irrelevant, or fail to fulfill buyer expectations.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 effectively previously. This may result in a scarcity of innovation or a stagnant product roadmap. It will possibly additionally result in losing time and assets on initiatives that find yourself failing, being axed, or getting redirected down the road.
Typically, govt enter may end up in roadmaps which have much less room for creativity and experimentation. Agile product roadmaps ought to talk outcomes slightly than the outputs that Waterfall roadmaps sometimes do, however the 2023 State of Product Administration Report discovered that 70% of roadmaps most affected by requests from govt management concentrate on speaking outputs over outcomes.
Product roadmaps frequently influenced by the HiPPO can stifle creativity and harm the morale of the product staff. That is doubtlessly probably the most detrimental affect of all, as a high-functioning staff is important to success.
Methods to Handle the HiPPO
Whereas HiPPOs pose many challenges, there are steps you possibly can 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. This can be a important basis for countering any opposing views, as you possibly can have full confidence that your roadmap is the suitable solution to go.
A robust product roadmap ought to embrace a transparent imaginative and prescient and aims, in addition to a timeline for reaching them, with key milestones plotted. Determine the stakeholders concerned at every stage of the method. Select how you’ll measure success. Determine which metrics to trace (e.g., buyer satisfaction, engagement, income). Use this information to validate the standard of your future roadmaps.
For good product roadmap execution, establish how you’ll observe progress, evaluate and replace the roadmap, and check and validate concepts. Quantitative information from surveys, mixed with qualitative sentiment assortment from interviews and different interactions, affords compelling insights which are arduous to refute. Knowledge from different sources, comparable 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 Resolution-making Course of
With the intention to preserve management of your product roadmap, create a strong course of for decision-making. When you don’t have one already, develop a framework for gathering buyer information 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 along with your evidence-based roadmap.
Put collectively a staff with representatives from all related departments, together with product administration, engineering, advertising and marketing, and buyer help. This staff may have the authority to make collaborative selections primarily based on each information and subject material experience at sure factors within the roadmap (though it is best to take steps to make sure that having this staff in place doesn’t decelerate your improvement course of). Ought to the HiPPO intervene, this constant analysis will make sure the product stays on observe.
Talk Recurrently 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 position in it throughout all departments.
Set up one system for preserving 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 Group
Belief will likely be a significant part in constructing optimistic long-term relationships between the senior determine and the product staff. Strengthen belief by celebrating evidence-based selections from staff 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 exhibit the worth and experience of the staff, 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 staff to handle their involvement in decision-making. You must enable 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 supply proof to help them. Make sure you doc these processes formally and clearly for all staff 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 specific their issues and you a chance to handle these previous to the assembly. An intimate surroundings makes it simpler to have tougher discussions with out the added stress of an viewers.
Product Roadmaps Are Pushed by Knowledge, Not Expertise
The success of a product roadmap depends on being pushed by information slightly than private expertise or instinct. The HiPPO can, due to this fact, have a major affect if their enter shouldn’t be dealt with effectively. Making use of the straightforward however efficient methods I’ve laid out right here can mitigate and forestall harm to the roadmap, product, and staff. Having clear roles and limits in place, constructing belief, and making evidence-based selections are important.
Sturdy, constant processes will assist you and your staff confidently design and execute product roadmaps which are in step with buyer wants and market developments—and that can result in worthwhile merchandise. Suggestions from senior figures can undoubtedly be worthwhile, however relating to the product and its roadmap, you and your staff ought to have the insights that matter most.
