Collaboration between product and engineering is key to success, but sometimes it’s hard to make it work. One of the biggest mistakes I've made is addressing the symptoms of poor collaboration rather than the underlying issues. Based on my experience, I've outlined the top five issues that can undermine collaboration between product and engineering teams. 1️⃣ Unclear end goal. If we don't know where we're going, how can we possibly get there? A lack of clarity around the end goal can lead to confusion, misunderstandings, and a lack of focus. 2️⃣ Misalignment of incentives. When product and engineering teams have different priorities and metrics, they'll likely head in different directions. 3️⃣ Poor information sharing. Miscommunication and mistrust can easily arise when important decisions are not properly communicated or lack a clear rationale. 4️⃣ Broken communication protocol. Engineers and product managers often speak “different languages” and effective collaboration is impossible without deeply understanding each other. 5️⃣ Lack of mutual interest/curiosity. A high level of collaboration requires a genuine interest in understanding each other’s domains and challenges. What did I miss? Please share your view in the comments below! #productmanagement #engineering #collaboration
All of these create extra work, interruptions and context switching. Which ultimately make the problems you listed even worse. No wonder our cognitive load is constantly maxed out. The reinforcing feedback loop is strong. Breaking the cycle requires having a clear #1 across the entire org, so we can put our energy in the same place, together.
In some way related to #2, but I would add the case where it exists a technical roadmap disconnected by business needs or opportunities.
Excellent analysis Mauro B. 👍
That's great! Anything to add on top in case of remote engineering team?
You really nailed the top three ✔️
Senior tech leader | Investor & Tech Advisor
6moI wrote about this topic more extensively (and with concrete examples) in my latest article. https://www.leadbeyondcode.com/blog/five-reasons-behind-dfficult-product-and-engineering-team-collaboration