Proverbs are age-old nuggets of wisdom that offer insights into various aspects of life. In a business context, they can sound cliché and I am sure most people think of them as corny, however I thought it would be interesting to explore how five particular proverbs resonate with me, and how they can guide us in building successful products.
1) "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"
What if the opposite is happening? Product teams are full of talented people - all with unique hard and soft skills. However, if individuals with uninformed opinions take the product in the direction of their choosing, the business can experience unintended and potentially negative outcomes.
How can you realise this proverb? To achieve a product development team working in sync, you must ensure all disciplines—product, engineering, and UX—have a shared understanding of the product or company vision. Communicate this vision clearly, consistently, and regularly.
2) "Too many cooks spoil the broth"
What problems does this create? Too many people with a say in product development decisions brings uncertainty and lack of trust in any decisions. This slows down development and often leads to rework.
How can you prevent this? Assign clear responsibility and accountability to a single product owner to streamline decision-making and maintain trust within the team. All communication from stakeholders, and setting their expectations, should come from the product owner.
3) "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"
How does this apply to product development? It is not uncommon for companies to build products that they assume will be successful. Even with thorough research and feedback, success is not guaranteed.
What would is best practice? Start small. Be cautious and validate assumptions before scaling. Utilize MVPs to test hypotheses, gather real user feedback, and iteratively improve the product based on actual data.
4) "Don’t cross the bridge till you come to it"
How does this apply to product development? Delaying a launch out of fear of potential problems can mean releasing products too late, or even having funding withdrawn before you get the chance to launch.
How can you avoid this? Accept risk, and tackle the issue should it arise. Embrace an agile mindset and focus on quick iterations and continuous improvement. My preference is to release an MVP and build on it from there. Implement agile methodologies so that you can focus on quick iterations and continuous improvement, but most importantly embrace an agile mindset.
5) "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs"
Lesson: Difficult decisions are necessary in product development, and not everyone in the team or company will be happy.
Practice: Align decisions with the overall product vision, but also be data led. Show metrics or qualitiative information that justifies decisions.
While they might seem cliché in a business context, the true value of proverbs should not be overlooked. Despite their corny reputation, proverbs can and should serve as powerful guides in navigating the complexities of product development.
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