The Nature of Product

Marty Cagan argues that the essential nature of technology-powered products is hard to grasp until you've worked on a strong product team, and that most people think they understand it but don't. He highlights a rarely seen 1995 interview with Steve Jobs, recovered decades later, in which Jobs describes product craftsmanship as a continuous evolution of an idea through trade-offs and new discoveries. Cagan treats Jobs's description as an excellent definition of product discovery, especially solution discovery, which many product managers avoid. He closes by urging readers to compare how their own companies treat product: as feature delivery and process, or as the discovery of valuable solutions.

01Key takeaways

• Technology-powered products evolve through craftsmanship, so the initial idea will almost always change as you learn.
• Product work involves constant trade-offs among many interdependent considerations, and those trade-offs need ongoing attention.
• Product managers should participate in solution discovery, not only problem discovery, and stay close to the how.
• Feature delivery driven by stakeholder favorites and roadmaps is unlikely to produce strong products.
• Assess whether your company treats product teams as feature implementers or as discoverers of valuable solutions.

02Key sections

Why product is hard to understand

Cagan notes that describing the nature of technology-powered products is difficult, much like describing the Grand Canyon to someone who has only seen photos. Until someone has experienced strong product work, the concept remains abstract.

The Steve Jobs interview

A 70-minute 1995 PBS interview with Jobs, lost and later rediscovered, covers product teams, process, roadmaps, and leadership. Cagan considers it one of the most valuable hours a product professional can spend.

Product as craftsmanship

Jobs explains that great ideas evolve and rarely end up as they began, because learning reveals subtleties and trade-offs. Designing a product means holding thousands of considerations and recombining them as new problems and opportunities emerge.

Solution discovery matters

Cagan points out that Jobs emphasizes solution discovery, not just problem discovery. He criticizes the idea that product managers should only own the what and not the how.

Reflecting on your own company

Cagan asks readers to check whether their product teams are merely implementing business-requested features or actually discovering valuable solutions. If not, he suggests transformation may be needed.

03From the post

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

04Frameworks mentioned

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