April 16

25 Product Growth Pitfalls

The problems that come along with rapid growth at first glance seem to fit under the category of good problems to have. If those problems go unaddressed, they can result in existential threats to your organization. Here are five explorations of growth-related mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Product development pitfalls. Through decades of consulting for large companies, John Carter has seen his share of product development snafus. Many of the same problems show up across organizations and across industries. Most of them are simple, all of them avoidable, and yet their effects are significant. John describes five of the most common product development pitfalls he’s experienced and how to avoid them.

(via @zohoprojects)

Startup scaling mistakes. Rob Zuber has found that while startups are glorified throughout the business world, very little is understood about the day-to-day experience of being inside one, and especially what good technical leadership looks like from the driver’s seat. Startups are a wild ride, but they also put a lot of pressure on their leaders to make the right choices, find signals from noise, and move fast. Ron identifies 5 mistakes that startups make when they scale and how you can avoid them.

(via @thenextweb)

Product innovation mistakes. Most companies talk about the importance of product innovation for their business. And yet their processes, culture, and management are usually 100% focused on exploiting the core business and milking their existing cash cow. When organizations do try to launch a new product, they fail 60 – 80% of the time. Caroline Parnell explores 5 main reasons why product innovation fails and shares some thoughts on how to address them.

(via @caroline8425)

Product development mistakes. There is a variety of product development mistakes your company might make that prevent you from becoming market leaders in the digital era and attaining the growth level you want. Gerard Chiva explains five major product development mistakes that have devastating effects on your company’s ability to deliver products with a high acceptance rate in the market. It is no longer news that within 40% – 50% of products fall short of their market acceptance expectations.

(via @Evolution4All)

Pitfalls of rapid growth. A company that grows much faster than expected can cause headaches and stress at a time when any business owner would prefer to be celebrating. While some businesses manage to transition from niche to mainstream by scaling with ease, others struggle to maintain their identity and high standards of customer service—and eventually, their profits. With these problems in mind, Matt Bragg outlined some of the pitfalls of rapid growth, and how your organization can avoid them.

(via @cmoe)

Kent J McDonald

About the author

Kent J McDonald writes about and practices software product management. He has product development experience in a variety of industries including financial services, health insurance, nonprofit, and automotive. Kent practices his craft with a variety of product teams and provides just in time resources for product people at KBP.media and Product Collective. When not writing or product managing, Kent is his family’s #ubersherpa, listens to jazz and podcasts (but not necessarily podcasts about jazz), and collects national parks.


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