Discovery – Delivery

Marty Cagan argues against a damaging anti-pattern in which a product organization splits into a discovery team that decides what to build and a delivery team that simply implements it. He notes that good modern practice is a single cross-functional product team owning both discovery and delivery, with all members engaged in both to foster empowerment and innovation. He describes common manifestations, such as product managers handing off requirements to designers and engineers or outsourcing engineering to agencies. Cagan explains that this handoff model makes receiving teams feel like mercenaries, reduces ownership and motivation, and drives away the people most likely to contribute strong ideas, which is why corporate innovation labs often underperform.

01Key takeaways

• Make every cross-functional product team responsible for both discovery and delivery, not separate discovery and delivery groups.
• Engage engineers and other delivery members in ongoing discovery work, which requires only modest time.
• Avoid handing off requirements, since receiving teams lose ownership and feel like mercenaries.
• Be cautious with outsourcing engineering to agencies or contractors when you want innovative, owned solutions.
• Expect that a handoff culture will gradually attract people who accept passive roles, lowering skill and initiative over time.
• Hold each team accountable for achieving outcomes, not just shipping defined features.

02Key sections

The core principle

A product team should continuously perform both discovery and delivery rather than dividing these activities between separate groups. Cagan points out that people naturally emphasize different activities, but everyone should stay engaged with both.

Common manifestations of the problem

The anti-pattern appears when product managers define solutions and hand off requirements to designers and engineers, or when engineering is outsourced to agencies or contractors. Upstream stakeholders defining solutions produce the same split.

Why handoffs fail

Passing learnings from one group to another for execution strips receiving teams of ownership and discourages them from suggesting better solutions. This also explains the poor track record of corporate innovation labs.

Consequences over time

Strong leaders may still get good short-term output, but teams gradually select for people willing to work without ownership. Leaders then complain about low skill and initiative, when the structure itself caused the problem.

Recommended remedy

Leaders should make sure each cross-functional product team understands it owns both discovery and delivery, including responsibility for effective solutions and achieving results.

03From the post

“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.