The Best Product Partners are Matchmakers

The best product partners are matchmakers. They spark vivid customer profiles in the minds of engineers; encourage engineers to tell customer stories through wisely crafted templates; and even arrange for nervous, impressionable engineers meet actual customers. They psych up both sides of a blind date and then sit back and let the magic happenStepping out of the metaphor for a moment – check out a key insight from Managing and Measuring Performance In Organizations: engineers are intrinsicly motivated to do a good job and will naturally try to maximize customer satisfaction. I believe the best way to acheive this is to introduce engineers to customers.

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The worst product partners are haughty viziers. They gather messy customer stories and return with a sterile list of requirements; require strict product review boards to guard against rogue projects; and shield engineers and customers from meeting each other. They arrange a marriage in the best interest of the kingdom and then demand that others to respect their wisdom.

Look for matchmakers, not viziers.