Product Managers: Countdown to Transparent Decision Making
Product managers are on the hook to make decisions and build consensus. Nothing is harder. In most organizations, no one reports to product management. The job requires execution by influence. There are many stakeholders: design, development, marketing, and sales, to name a few. And they all have differing needs and priorities.
Effective decision making is critical to success, but most companies treat it as a vague alchemy of charismatic leadership and gut judg
ment mixed with data and analysis, with no systems in place to transparently manage the decision-making process itself.
What is the best way to reconcile everyone’s perspectives, drive to a conclusion, and build consensus around final decisions? And how do you track results, measure your success and continue to improve your product team’s decision-making process over time?
Below is a 3-step countdown for product managers to boost their product teams to decision-making escape velocity:
“Three.”
Read The Decision-Making White Paper
Learn more about decision making. Understanding behavior is essential to changing it. Want to understand the science behind how humans actually make decisions, and how you can do it better? Read the decision-making white paper. It’s behavioral science, not rocket science.
“Two.”
Download The Free Decision Log
Start tracking your decisions. People don’t trust what they can’t see. When you document and share your decisions, you create transparency which creates trust. Documenting and sharing the decision criteria, participants, options considered, final decision, and reasoning, will improve buy-in, especially from stakeholders not in the room. You can get started easily, using this decision log template. It’s like training wheels for your rocket ship.
“One.”
Try The Cloverpop Decision-Making Platform
Implement a decision-making platform. Logging your decisions and understanding the behaviors around decision making are a great start. The next step is to standardize on a process and put a system in place to record decisions and ensure the right behaviors happen consistently. Use Cloverpop to track, measure, and improve your product team decision-making over time.Learn more about about how Cloverpop for Product Teams can help you home in on the right strategy, quickly and collaboratively determine your direction, and prepare for a perfect launch.
“Liftoff!”
Launch Moon Shot Products With Transparent Decision Making
The product management role is critical for great products, and the ability to make great decisions quickly is essential for success. This countdown sets a trajectory for product teams to get started easily and begin building up your decision-making competency. Treat decision making as a human process rather than a rational equation or a mystical art. Track and share decisions transparently. Do this consistently. Product managers will quickly see the speed, quality and alignment of your decisions improve. That’s why product teams use Cloverpop - to follow a transparent decision-making process, track and measure your decision effectiveness, and deliver great products more easily.