SUNDAY REWIND: A product development framework with a focus on problem solving

Experience teaches us that software product development is more of an art than a science, and building great products is more about people than technology. In this Sunday Rewind episode, we look back to when Manohar Sreekanth suggested a product development framework, designed to conceive a new product, develop it, and take it to market.

Manohar says how the framework offers a big-picture view of the activities broadly needed to conceive a new product, develop it, and take it to the market. It adopts a problem-solving approach to structure these activities and includes both Product and Engineering domains.

Approaching the software lifecycle as a set of problems to solve radically changes the nature of conversations in your teams. The rigour this introduces leads to better decisions, an improved grasp on managing priorities, and a change in mindset that leads to less waste. Viewing both the product management and engineering as parts of a single frame breaks down barriers that often exist between them. You begin to see how both roles can contribute throughout the lifecycle, resulting in a better product.

The framework can be used as a blueprint while starting a journey to build a new product, but one doesn’t have to follow it religiously to benefit from it. Think of it as a guideline, something to internalise and use as a checklist. Use it also to structure the portfolio of products you are building. The framework is an effective communication tool, a common way to present all products/services in your area, and align all teams with the big-picture and the business goals. Use this structure also to assess, across different problem areas, the relative strengths of your product portfolio.

To find out more about this framework, read A Product Development Framework With a Focus on Problem Solving in full.