Imagine a world where every product has a hidden superpower, a secret force that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. That secret force is “Purpose”. Purpose can seem like a grand word, just another buzzword or a fleeting trend but it can be a driving force behind some of the most successful and impactful products.
What is “Purpose” in Product Management
To embark on this journey, we must first grasp the essence of purpose in product management. Purpose isn't merely a mission statement or a catchy tagline. It is the soul of your product. It is the fundamental reason why your product exists and the answer to the question: "What positive change does it bring to the world?" This is a bigger question than what customer job does my product solve? What customer problem does my product solve?
In the context of product management, purpose signifies a deep understanding of the problems your product solves, the needs it addresses, and the value it delivers to its users. It goes beyond the surface-level functionalities and design to touch upon the very heart of your product's identity. To actually have an impact on a customer’s life. To define purpose in product management is to uncover the unique contribution your product makes to the lives of its users.
What is the Role of Impact in Product Success
Impact can mean many things. It is very common for us to think about business impact and impact on customer metrics but what if it becomes the social impact compass? It is the true measure of success—the litmus test that separates a purposeful product from one that merely occupies digital or physical space. The impact extends far beyond the confines of code and design; it reaches into the lives of users, the dynamics of the market, and even the broader contours of society.
Impact is what transforms a mere tool into a solution, a product into a phenomenon. It's the measure of how much better, more efficient, or more enjoyable the lives of your users become with your product in their hands. It's the ripple effect that radiates from every interaction, influencing not just individuals but entire communities and industries.
When we are inundated with data, insights, and customer feedback, purpose can guide us on the journey toward building products that not only succeed but also make a truly positive difference in this world.
How can you make your product more purposeful?
Define a Clear Mission: Begin by crafting a clear and impactful mission statement for your product. This mission should embody the positive change your product aims to bring about.
Be Obsessively Customer-Centric: Be customer first in your approach to product management. Understand your users' needs, challenges, and aspirations, ensuring that your product resonates on a profound level.
Align Objectives to Mission: Set objectives that directly align with your product's mission. These objectives should serve as benchmarks for measuring the product's impact and success.
Measure Impact: Identify and prioritize metrics that gauge the real-world impact of your product. These metrics should reflect how well your product fulfills its mission, whether in social, environmental, or community terms.
Ethics in PDLC: Make ethics a foundation in all product decisions. This will help you build products that avoid harm to users, society, or the environment.
Integrate Sustainability Into Your Products: Integrate sustainable practices into your product's design and production. Assess and reduce the product's environmental impact to align with its mission.
Make Accessibility and Inclusion the core of your products: Ensure that your product is inclusive and accessible to a diverse range of users. Ensure all relevant dimensions such as gender, age, income, disabilities, race, cultural backgrounds, etc., are able to use your products
Continuously Evaluate Impact: Regularly evaluate and measure the product's impact against the mission. Share these results with your team and stakeholders to reinforce its commitment to the mission.
As product managers, we stand at the threshold of a remarkable opportunity. Purpose, when woven into the fabric of our products, transforms them from mere creations into agents of positive change. Your products go from being just products to meeting customer needs to shaping a better world.
With a clear mission, customer-centricity, aligned objectives, measurable impact, ethical integrity, sustainability, inclusivity, and unwavering commitment, we can craft products that are not just successful but also truly purposeful.
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