Why shipping features isn't enough

How to stop building for the sake of it and start solving what really matters.

👋 Hey, Sam here! Welcome back to The Product Trench. Every other Wednesday, I cut through the noise to share actionable insights, no-nonsense advice, and stories related to product management and leadership. Occasionally, I share hot takes on topics that get me fired up.

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On paper, it looked like a win: new features, shiny capabilities, and a roadmap full of updates. We shipped on time, we hit our sprint goals, and I was feeling pretty good—until the data started coming in. Crickets. Hardly anyone used it. Customers didn't care.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of shipping new features. But have you ever asked yourself if we are solving real problems or just shipping features for the sake of it?

If you've ever asked yourself that, congrats! You've stumbled into the world of feature factories, where product teams churn out shiny new bells and whistles faster than a TikTok trend but often miss the forest for the trees. Let's face it, many teams are still stuck in the feature factory trap.

So, how did we end up here? And more importantly, how do we stop?

Why do teams fall into the feature factory trap?

A feature factory is when teams focus on cranking out features without connecting those features to real customer problems. Think of it like fixing the symptoms of a problem instead of addressing the root cause. You're constantly shipping features, meeting deadlines, and checking off boxes. It feels productive because there's movement, but in reality, you're just layering temporary fixes on top of bigger, unresolved issues.

According to the 2023 State of Product Management Report, 54% of roadmaps are built around outputs, while only 44% communicate outcomes. Even worse, 19% of teams get their actionable feature ideas from senior management, many of whom are disconnected from day-to-day customer needs.

But why do we fall into this trap?

1. Lack of a clear strategy

Here's a fun fact to keep you up at night: when product investments don't meet expectations, it's due to a lack of clear company strategy 23% of the time. Without a well-defined North Star to guide the team, the pressure to deliver visible progress often leads to shipping features that may not address the core issues users are facing.

Imagine being on a team that scrambles to meet feature delivery goals every quarter. There's no bigger vision to tie those features back to. The team ends up focusing on output rather than impact, which leads to poor resource allocation and wasted effort. It's a perfect storm of "we don't know what we're doing, but we're doing it really fast!"

Without a clear strategy, product teams end up playing whack-a-mole with features, trying to please everyone and ultimately pleasing no one. It's a fundamental issue of prioritization. A strong strategy should align short-term wins with long-term outcomes, allowing teams to be adaptable while staying true to their mission.

2. The shiny object syndrome

Another reason teams become feature factories is the irresistible pursuit of the next shiny object, or as Radhika Dutt described in her book Radical Product Thinking, Pivotitis.

Executives often chase after the hottest new feature or "market-disrupting ideas," believing it will be the magic bullet for their product's success. It's impulse buying but for product management. A new feature comes along, and suddenly, priorities shift. The team, which was focused on solving a core customer problem, is now thrown off course.

As product managers, we often get caught between these executive demands and what we know to be best for the product. Learning to push back is crucial, but it's all about tact. 52% of product managers say their product strategy is influenced by requests from senior executives. The real danger here is that these executive-driven ideas often lack the rigorous validation that customer-centric features undergo. They're based on gut feelings or competitive pressures rather than actual user needs.

The next time you're faced with an executive request for a shiny new feature, ask yourself: Does this solve a problem for the customer? If not, it's your job to protect your roadmap from these distractions.

3. The customer is always right... Until they're not

Let's start with the age-old adage: "The customer is always right." Spoiler alert: they're not. Don't get me wrong, customer feedback is crucial and a goldmine of insights. But treating every customer request like gospel is a one-way ticket to Featureville.

We've all faced the VIP B2B customer ("If you don't add this feature, we're taking our business to your competitor... who also doesn't have this feature") who demands a specific feature that benefits only them, or the unreasonable customer requesting a complex feature for their niche needs. Or worse, the confused customer—the one who thinks they know what they want but hasn't really thought it through.

A common trap is building these requests without proper validation. Customer feature requests are still the top source of new ideas (35%), but they're often just noise. Validation is key here. You want to understand the jobs your customers are trying to get done and the progress they're trying to make in their lives.

So, before diving into development, ask yourself: Does this solve a broader problem? Can this feature be generalized to help a larger group of users? If the answer is no, it's time to reframe or reject the request.

How do you get out of the feature factory?

So, how do we break free from this cycle? Here are some practical tips to help you focus on value and outcomes, rather than just pumping out features like they're going out of style.

1. Learn to say no (without getting fired)

Saying no is an art form. It's not about being a dream-crushing, fun-sucking black hole of negativity. It's about steering the conversation towards outcomes. Not every idea from a customer or executive deserves a spot on your roadmap. The key here is to reframe the conversation around the broader product goals and be clear about why you're declining specific requests.

When someone comes to you with the "next big feature idea," instead of a flat "no," ask them what problem it solves and how it aligns with your product strategy. If they stare at you blankly, congratulations, you've identified a feature in search of a problem. This approach helps stakeholders think more critically about their requests, often leading to more productive discussions about product direction.

2. Validate, validate, validate (and then validate some more)

Before committing to a feature, validate the problem with multiple core customers. Don't take one customer's word for it. Test their request against the broader market. You want to understand the root cause of their request, not just the symptoms.

Think about it this way: customers often ask for solutions, but what you should be hunting for is the problem they're trying to solve. By reframing these requests around the job that needs to be done, you can dig deeper and avoid creating features that don't address a real need. For example, a customer might ask for more advanced reporting features, but the underlying issue could be that they're struggling with data accessibility. Addressing the latter creates far more value.

Remember, validation isn't a one-and-done process. It's ongoing. Your first idea might not be the right solution, and that's okay.

3. Use prioritization frameworks

Yes, I said it! Considering I am not a big fan of frameworks (topic for another week), I am shocked that I am actually recommending this. But hey, they work for some people, so here it goes.

Opportunity scoring, RICE, weighted shortest job first, etc., aren't just fancy terms to drop in meetings to sound smart. They can be powerful tools to help you focus on what really matters by eliminating isolated judgment calls. I still believe they can be subjective sometimes, but they do help battle-test some of your decisions when used correctly. They force everyone on your team to justify the need for a given feature and any trade-off decisions needed. They can guide you (keyword guide) in prioritizing the most impactful solutions rather than just the loudest requests.

Just keep in mind that a framework may or may not work for your company or product. You have to try a couple or adjust some of them to work for you. My go-to is to create quarterly goals and plan according to what drives my OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) forward.

4. Set OKRs, KPIs, and success metrics (and actually use them)

Did someone say OKRs?

OKRs, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and success metrics aren't just for impressing stakeholders in quarterly reviews. They're your North Star, guiding every decision you make. Are you trying to increase user engagement? Great, now every feature idea should be evaluated against that goal. If it doesn't move the needle, it goes in the "nice to have" bucket (also known as the "probably never" bucket).

OKRs, in particular, can be a powerful tool for aligning your team around outcomes rather than outputs. They force you to think about what you're trying to achieve, not just what you're going to build. For example, instead of "Launch feature X," your objective might be "Increase customer retention by 20%," with key results like "Reduce time to value for new users by 50%" or "Increase daily active users by 30%."

5. Adopt a featureless roadmap approach (yes, it's a real thing)

Featureless roadmaps, also known as theme-based or outcome-based roadmaps focus on, well, themes and outcomes rather than specific features. Instead of saying, "We'll launch features A, B, and C," you say, "This quarter, we'll focus on increasing user engagement by 20%." This gives your team flexibility. It doesn't matter how you achieve that—what matters is that you solve the problem. Themes keep you grounded in outcomes while allowing for creative flexibility in how you solve the problem.

Here's a real-world example: Let's say one of your themes is "Enhance user engagement." Under this theme, you might have initiatives like:

• Improve onboarding experience

• Increase content discovery

• Boost user-generated content

Notice how none of these specify exact features? That's the beauty of featureless roadmaps. They keep you focused on outcomes while giving your team the freedom to innovate and iterate.

Transitioning to this approach isn't always easy, especially if your organization is used to feature-based roadmaps. Start small – pick one upcoming initiative and try framing it as a theme rather than a feature list. Gradually expand this approach as your team and stakeholders see the benefits.

Handling objections (because change is scary)

Now, I know what you're thinking. "But Sam, how am I supposed to sell this to my stakeholders? They love their feature lists!"

Once shiny object syndrome creeps in, it's only natural that pushback follows when you try to refocus on outcomes. Executives and sales teams love features because they're easy to sell. So, what do you do when they push back on outcome-based roadmaps? Here's how to handle some common objections:

Objection: "But how will we know what we're building?"

Response: "We'll still build things, but we'll focus on solving problems rather than just adding features. This gives us the flexibility to find the best solution, not just the first one we think of. We'll use our OKRs and success metrics to guide us."

Objection: "Our competitors are adding features left and right!"

Response: "And how's that working out for them? We're going to focus on solving real customer problems, which will give us a competitive advantage in the long run. Remember, it's not about who has the most features. It's about who provides the most value to customers."

Side note: "According to a report from Pendo, 80% of product features rarely or never get used."

Objection: "But features are easier to market!"

Response: "True, but outcomes are easier to sell. Would you rather buy a product with 100 features or one that actually solves your problem? Plus, when we focus on outcomes, we often end up with more innovative and impactful features that truly resonate with our users."

Objection: "This sounds like it will slow us down."

Response: "Initially, it might seem that way. But in the long run, it'll actually speed us up. We'll be building the right things, not just anything. Think of it as 'slow down to speed up' – we take a bit more time upfront to ensure we're on the right track, but then we can move faster because we're not constantly course-correcting."

Final thoughts

Breaking free from the feature factory comes with challenges. It requires a fundamental shift in how we think about product development. But the payoff is worth it. When we focus on outcomes rather than outputs, we build products that truly resonate with our users. We solve real problems, not just imaginary ones.

Product management is about making the right bets. And the right bets aren't on the number of features you ship.

So the next time you're tempted to add "AI-powered taco folding" to your roadmap, take a step back and ask yourself: "Is this really what our users need, or am I just contributing to the feature factory industrial complex?" Your users (and your future self) will thank you.

Stats Source: The 2023 State of Product Management Report.

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See you next time.

— Sam ✌️

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