This article on companies that are ‘feature factories’. I experienced a sense of discomfort reading the ‘signs’ the writer lists, having been guilty of some of them myself when I ran product management earlier, and then at other companies since. Examples:
No measurement. Teams do not measure the impact of their work. Or, if measurement happens, it is done in isolation by the product management team and selectively shared. You have no idea if your work worked…
No removed features. Primary measure of success is delivered features, not delivered outcomes. Work is rarely discarded in light of data and learning.
Prioritization rigor is designed exclusively to temper internal agendas so that people “feel confident”.
Roadmaps show a list of features, not areas of focus and/or outcomes…
Once work is shipped, team has little contact with support, customer success, and sales.
100% worth a read if you’re a business owner or a founder.