Unlocking the Power of Internal Product Management
When it comes to product management, there are various ways to categorize the role, including by stage, function, or type of product. However, there’s another crucial aspect of product management that often flies under the radar: internal product management. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of internal products and explore the unique challenges and opportunities that come with managing products designed for internal use.
The Internal Product Development Process
To better understand the internal products role, let’s examine a real-world example. Imagine your HR manager approaches you to develop a new onboarding platform for employees. The company has experienced rapid growth, and the current manual processes can’t keep up. The HR team is overwhelmed, and they need support with the onboarding process.
The product development process for internal products involves five distinct stages: discovery, ideation, prototype and test, development, and delivery. Each stage presents its own set of challenges and opportunities.
Discovery: Understanding the Problem
The discovery phase is where you gather insights to inform product direction. Since your users are your colleagues, you can easily gather feedback and insights to help shape the solution. Conduct a kickoff workshop with relevant stakeholders, including the HR manager, representatives from the HR team, people managers, and the product team. The goal is to understand the current process, define the problem, and envision the solution.
Ideation: Brainstorming Solutions
Once you’ve gathered insights, it’s time to brainstorm solutions. Gather the same team for another workshop, where you’ll articulate the two-year goal, define the challenge, and identify success metrics. From these sessions, you’ll get a clear list of business and user requirements from employees and HR.
Prototype and Test: Validating Assumptions
Before investing resources into development, create a quick prototype and test it with a small group of users. This will give you valuable insights into the solution and help you identify any usability issues early on.
Development: Building the Solution
With the prototype validated, it’s time to prepare your outcome-based roadmap for the development team. Manage the team’s backlog, address any questions, and be involved in reviews and acceptance of developed features.
Delivery: Rolling Out the Solution
When the first version of the onboarding tool is ready, it’s time to roll it out to your colleagues. But, you can’t just send them a link and expect them to use it. Create a change management plan with HR, considering aspects like pilot groups, learning materials, communication, training sessions, and feedback gathering.
Common Challenges in Internal Product Management
Internal product management comes with its own set of challenges, including:
- Avoiding scope creep and feature factories
- Getting stakeholder alignment and buy-in
- Resistance to change
- Technical challenges and integration with existing systems
To overcome these challenges, it’s essential to advocate for the users, find allies among stakeholders, and plan ahead for change management and technical integration.
Final Thoughts
Internal products present a unique opportunity to build user-centered, valuable tools that can greatly benefit your organization. By understanding the specific challenges and opportunities of internal product management, you can create solutions that make a real difference in the lives of your colleagues.