The Importance of Observing the Field to Gain Clarity on A New Product

Problem

"We were developing a new mobile product and there was conflict on what direction we should take and how we should build the roadmap. There were a lot of ideas around it, but there was no agreement between a variety of stakeholders and the technology team."

Actions taken

"I realized the best way to gain agreement was to go out into the field where our mobile product was being used. I went on a field trip with two energy assessors and observed what they did in the field with our current mobile product to get a better understanding of the problems they were having and what they were doing when they were using the product. I just followed them around while they were working. When they were finished, I asked them several questions and took notes as they explained their processes. One of my other product managers also went on a field trip to get a stronger viewpoint as to what was important to the assessors while they were in the field. Our learning went a long way in providing a strong point of view on our new mobile product based on factual data from the field."

Lessons learned

"Throughout this process, we gained more clarity on what direction we should be going with our mobile product. Overall, it was really valuable. I was able to share our findings with the technology team and stakeholders with greater credibility and conviction. This allowed us to gain agreement and we were able to create a successful roadmap."