Shifting from Feature Demands to Outcome Understanding: Janna Bastow’s Approach

In a recent LinkedIn post, Janna Bastow challenges a common, yet often counterproductive, approach to product roadmap planning. Bastow argues that the question, “What do you want on the roadmap?” is fundamentally flawed and can lead to conflict rather than collaboration.

Bastow highlights the pitfalls of this seemingly collaborative question, stating:

“It sounds collaborative, but it sets up a fight. You’re handing stakeholders a blank page and asking them to fill it in, then defending why you won’t build their list.”

The Problem with ‘What Do You Want?’

As Janna Bastow explains, this direct request for roadmap items often results in stakeholders presenting isolated demands without context. This can lead to a situation where product managers are forced to defend their decisions against a barrage of feature requests that may not align with broader strategic goals. Bastow shared an anecdote about a product manager who encountered five stakeholders making five different “demands.” Upon closer examination, it became apparent that all these demands were attempts to solve the same underlying problem, a nuance missed by the initial approach.

Introducing the ‘Outcome’ Question

Bastow proposes a more effective alternative: shifting the focus from specific features to desired outcomes. By asking “What outcome are you trying to hit?”, product professionals can uncover the core problems and business objectives that stakeholders are trying to address. This reframing encourages a deeper understanding of the ‘why’ behind a request, rather than just the ‘what’.

According to Bastow, this approach helps teams move beyond simply collecting feature requests and fosters a more strategic conversation. She notes:

“A PM I was working with had five stakeholders making five different ‘demands.’ Mapped them out, and they were all describing the same underlying problem. Nobody had asked the upstream question.”

Understanding Stakeholder Pressures

In Bastow’s view, understanding the pressures your colleagues are under is key to effective product development. The SimplyProduct newsletter, which Bastow writes, delves into this topic further. The goal is to move away from a reactive, demand-driven process towards a proactive, outcome-oriented strategy.

Bastow encourages product teams to identify and address the conversations they might be avoiding. By reframing the discussion around desired outcomes, teams can ensure that the roadmap truly reflects strategic priorities and addresses genuine business needs. As Bastow concludes:

“Better question: ‘What outcome are you trying to hit?'”

This shift in questioning, as highlighted by Janna Bastow, can transform roadmap discussions from potential battlegrounds into collaborative problem-solving sessions, ultimately leading to more impactful product development.