7 common mistakes in product reviews
Product reviews are a crucial forum for aligning as a team and with leadership on strategic decisions. I have drifted into repeating mistakes, so I wrote out guidance to remind myself for avoiding them.
The thread between these issues is abdicating ownership. It’s easy to assume the purpose of a review is for your boss to solve your problems or make a decision you’re unprepared or unwilling to. It’s not. You have the most context and focus, so your job is to frame up the problem, provide the relevant information, propose solutions, and drive the process of resolution.
Here are some mistakes to avoid:
Not enumerating the meeting goal or type of review. Is the goal to inform and get feedback or to align on a decision? State this up front, and direct the conversation to focus on the areas you need feedback.
Skipping the context. You live and breathe what you work on, but your leadership does not. Explain how this discussion fits into broader org and team context, define key terms, and calibrate metrics. For especially dense topics, include extra context in a pre-read even if you skip it during the meeting.
Presenting options without sharing a recommendation. This is the most severe tactical mistake. Remember that your team knows its space more than anyone. You may want feedback on the decision, but you should anchor with your opinion.
Obfuscating disagreements. While teams should align on a recommendation, if there isn’t consensus you should represent the various points of view and the crux of why there’s disagreement. This is especially important for escalation reviews, where you need to explain the source of conflict.
Only sharing what you think your managers want to hear. This is the most severe strategic mistake. First, you should build the strongest strategy you can — even if it goes against the org’s conventional wisdom. Second, you should share the ground truth — even if it’s nuanced, difficult, or makes you look bad. Your leaders are allies, not clients to be managed, and honesty will build trust and credibility.
Presenting risks without proposing mitigations. It’s useful to share what might prevent you from succeeding, but share what you plan to do about it. Emphasize mitigations that require leadership’s support (e.g. more resources, helping align with a partner team).
Forgetting the next steps. At the end of the review, recap the discussion and share next steps / action items. Follow up in writing to ensure clarity and create a record.