1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
🛠️ How to Navigate Product Discovery Like a Map
How to Navigate Product Discovery Like a Map​Dear Reader,​ “We need to complete all six Discovery phases in order." "Let's perfect that JTBD statement before we talk to users." "Our process requires detailed one-pagers before any customer interviews." Does this sound familiar? These are examples of dogmatic defaults: Teams cycling through the same tools in the same order, regardless of context. While these practices aren't harmful, blindly following them as processed often means missing faster paths to reducing uncertainty. Instead of rigid processes, think of Discovery as a path you navigate. It consists of: Entry Points: Where you begin. Shaped through (new) business goals, changes in market conditions, or other triggers. Crossroads: Pivotal „What do we need to learn next“ moments that determine the direction of a team’s moves. Articulated through research intent questions (problem space) or assumptions (solution space). Moves: The distinct methods you use to progress.Typically in the shape of qualitative or quantitative methods linked to the specific research intent question or assumption Commitments: States of informed conviction leading to clear decisions. Conviction about additional needed work to reduce uncertainty, discarding a problem or solution, or committing to and implementing a solution The key is not which method you use but how you choose your next move based on what you need to learn. When navigating Discovery Paths, constantly ask yourself: What activity maximizes uncertainty reduction while shortening the lead time to the next viable insight as much as possible? Here are the paths of a Product Team working on a financial trading app: Product Discovery isn't about following prescribed steps. It's about using evidence to reduce uncertainty about what problems are worth solving and what solutions are worth delivering. Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Start reducing uncertainty from whatever entry point you find yourself at. Did you enjoy this newsletter or have feedback? Do reply. It's motivating. I'm not a robot; I read and respond to every subscriber email I get (just ask around). If this newsletter isn't for you anymore, you can unsubscribe here. Thank you for Practicing Product, ​Tim​ PS: Thanks to Paulius Tuzikas for contributing to the "accidental" shaping of the idea of Product Discovery Paths derived from our conversation. PPS: Join me on Nov 12 for an in-person deep dive on Product Discovery practices at Product Tank Cologne. Join my In-Person Workshops in BerlinI'm excited to bring my beloved in-person workshops back to Berlin in January 2025. You can choose between 1-day workshops on Product Strategy, Product OKRs, or Product Discovery OR get the full 3-day experience for you or your team.
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As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions. I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery. |
Product Practice Newsletter
1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
Product Practice #361 Connecting North Star Metricsto Business Models READ ON HERBIG.CO PUBLISHED May 2, 2025 READING TIME 4 min & 45 sec Dear Reader, In many organizations, there's still a disconnect between product and business metrics. Product teams focus on customer-centric outcomes while business teams chase financial targets, with neither side fully trusting how one drives the other. When done right, a North Star Metric (NSM) can establish a middle ground that brings together both...
Product Practice #360 Why your Product DiscoveryFeels too Theoretical READ ON HERBIG.CO PUBLISHED Apr 25, 2025 READING TIME 4 min & 17 sec Dear Reader, Over the past two weeks, I've explored treating Product Strategy and OKRs like products to avoid Alibi Progress. Today, let's tackle the practice that often gets dismissed as "good in theory, impossible in practice" — Product Discovery. When teams tell me "we don't have time for proper Discovery," they're usually stuck in Alibi Progress —...
Product Practice #359 Make OKRs Drive Decisions,not Spreadsheets READ ON HERBIG.CO PUBLISHED Apr 18, 2025 READING TIME 5 min & 32 sec Dear Reader, Last week, we explored how treating Product Strategy like a product helps you avoid "Alibi Progress" — prioritizing correctness over value. Today, let's apply this same thinking to OKRs. If you've ever found yourself more relieved that the quarterly OKR-setting theater is over than excited about the OKRs themselves, you've experienced the symptoms...