From Project to Product

Why you cant just replace the word project

Sophie Seiwald-Højer & Matthias Patzak
August 05, 2024

Project Product Management

Lets nail it down - when we started to work in IT more than 20 years ago - everything was about Projects. Our first training was about Project Management and for many years to come, no one challenged the idea of how software projects are being delivered.

But then new players arrived in the market: Amazon, Google, Spotify, delivering software to the customer like no one has ever seen before. What was their secret sauce ?

In attempt to become better, many have copied cultural elements from the big tech players but the secret to their success was something else: Their unique approach in delivering great software based on a product mindset - always having the customer in mind.

So what is so different about Projects and Products ? Can we not just cross out the word ‘Project’ and replace it with ‘Product’.

Unfortunately not (but many do 🙂 )

Here are our 5 key differentiators why ultimately we talk about two totally different topics:

Our Manifesto

	Project	Product
Team Setup	People remain in their line organization while working on the project(s).	Cross functional and fully dedicated team. Homebase for every individual contributor is the team
Mindset	Goal is clear. You manage the triangle of scope, time and budget.	Hypothesis Driven. Scope is adapting, optimizing for metrics that are being set
Method	Sequential phases of development work	Iterative sometimes even parallel phases of development work
How to track progress	Project framework and reporting, steering committees	Periodic check-ins & planning sessions, Customer Feedback, Show & Tells
Whats the result	Clear Deliverables/ Output Driven	Experiment & Test/ Outcome Driven

Better ?

We are keen to know your questions around Projects vs. Products - where do you struggle to find a differentiator. Just reply to this email and we can have a conversation.

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