Why your Product Discovery
Feels too Theoretical

​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 — focusing on following lengthy processes rather than reducing uncertainties from wherever they are right now. Discovery doesn't need a 28-phase framework to be valuable.

Let's treat Discovery like a product to make it practical:

For product teams, Product Discovery helps reduce uncertainty about problems and solutions worth pursuing. We know it's valuable when investment decisions are based on reliable evidence rather than assumptions, and teams avoid building features that don't solve validated problems.

Let's unpack this value statement:

For your audience (product teams with high uncertainty)

• Discovery isn't equally valuable for all teams at all times—its intensity should match your level of uncertainty.
• Teams with established products in mature markets might need less extensive discovery than those entering new spaces.
• If stakeholders become the primary audience, Discovery risks becoming a theater of validation rather than genuine learning.

For the problem you're solving (reducing risk through evidence):

• The goal isn't perfect certainty, but just enough confidence to make better decisions.
• ​Methods should be selected based on which uncertainties need the most reduction, not which process looks the most thorough.
• The most valuable evidence comes from observing behavior (what users do) rather than just collecting opinions (what users say).

For your success measures (evidence-based decisions):

• Track how many feature ideas were discarded based on Discovery evidence (a healthy Discovery process kills bad ideas).
• Monitor the adoption of shipped features that went through Discovery versus those that didn't. Putting an Epic into the Done column doesn't mean it had an Impact on customer behavior or business goals.
• Evaluate how quickly teams reach sufficient confidence to make decisions, not just how many research activities they completed.

Instead of worrying about following discovery theory, I recommend a practical approach: the "one-week test." If you could spend one week reducing uncertainty about your biggest uncertainty, what would you do? This approach forces teams to focus on high-leverage activities rather than comprehensive processes.

Remember: You're not a better product manager because you followed a six-phase Discovery process exactly. You're better when you can confidently explain, based on reliable evidence, which customer problems are worth solving.

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Thank you for Practicing Product,

​Tim​

PS: My inner dialogue whenever I discover a new coffee brewer:

How to Dive Deeper into Product Discovery

Learn how I helped companies like Deutsche Telekom and Forto hone their Product Discovery practices. I closely work with product organizations through workshops and coaching to introduce and adapt Product Discovery.

Content I found Practical This Week

Product Discovery with Internal Customers ​ Watch it here

Who is Tim Herbig?

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.