About the author Kira Balabanova is an experienced Product Lead with over a decade’s worth of experience in B2C/B2B software development and successful market launches. She specializes in mobile app and website development in the fintech sector. Ki...
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Kira's tips for escaping the 'delivery trap' are spot-on, especially the focus on problem-first thinking and meaningful customer feedback. Prioritizing real customer problems over endless feature releases can make a huge difference in both product quality and team satisfaction. Her approach of testing with prototypes and defining clear success metrics gives product teams a structured way to stay user-centered and avoid burnout—a refreshing take on smart, sustainable product management!
Really insightful, Kira! I completely agree about prioritizing problems over features. I’ve often found myself in feature factory mode, building things that don’t seem to solve any real issues. Starting with a clear customer problem and setting success criteria sounds like a great way to keep the team focused.
I’ve seen so many projects go straight to MVP without user feedback on the initial design, and it often leads to wasted effort. Testing prototypes makes so much sense for catching usability issues early. Have you found certain types of user feedback sessions more useful than others during prototyping?
I've been in teams where jumping straight to solutions led to rework later on, so asking "What problem are we solving?" has been a game changer. Also, testing prototypes early is something we often overlook, but it makes such a big difference in refining the product before heavy development starts
Elchie Lodriguez
In cases where companies are under heavy time-to-market pressure, how can a product manager maintain a balance between avoiding the delivery trap and still meeting tight deadlines? Are there specific techniques or tools you recommend for managing this tension effectively?