At Hubvisory, we’ve always focused on building digital products and helping companies transform towards a product-centric organization. Creating successful digital products is not always smooth sailing, though: each client has its own set of specific needs, and potential pitfalls and surprises abound. After three years filled with challenges and learning, we carefully reviewed some obstacles Hubvisors encountered with their customers, and decided to structure a unique offering to boost our impact: the Product Team!

What does a Product Team do, exactly?

Very concretely, a Product Team allows Hubvisory to offer companies a complete team with three areas of expertise:

• Product Management, with a Product Manager who creates the product vision in close communication with the end user and stakeholders, and who is responsible for writing the backlog.
• Product Design, with a Product Designer who co-builds the target UX/UI paths, models them and collaborates in the overall product reflection in conjunction with PMs and developers.
• Product Build, with a team of Developers who concretely ship the features and produce the product, but above all help to design it by taking part in the team's product approach from the initial diagnosis!

What are the stages of Product Team support?

Once formed, the Product Team uses a 4-step system to support your company.

1. Product exploration & definition of the functional scope

This initial discovery phase allows the Product Team to align with user needs and collect user input so that they can develop the product vision and strategy.

2. Framing and prototyping the product

Once the vision has been structured and shared, it’s time to illustrate it! The second phase aims to define the product, model it and verify that the stakeholders are aligned. At the same time, the product team specifies the target paths, business objectives and uses. It is also at this stage that the technical architecture is chosen.

3. Formalization of the product backlog

This third phase aims to prepare for product development. That’s done via a product roadmap oriented to user value, and on top of that, through editing and specifying the User Stories to build an editable backlog for developers.

4. Product development

Last but certainly not least is product development. This is done in an iterative and incremental way using the backlog conceived in step 3, with the aim of being flexible by integrating feedback from user testing. Technical and functional documentation is also compiled during this phase.

What is the philosophy of a Product Team?

The philosophy of a Product Team is in line with the Hubvisory philosophy, while accelerating its implementation and maximizing its potential.

The philosophy of a Product Team is based on 5 points:

• Place the user at the center throughout the process by organizing an initial intense discovery phase, followed by the implementation of a user research schedule consistent with the mission.
• Validate all the hypotheses produced by the design thanks to an optimized circuit between the collection of user feedback, the arbitration according to the objectives set and the work of design modeling of the hypotheses formulated.
• Produce efficient and quality code by bringing Product Builders up on the product design to produce a shared vision of the product, then by installing increasingly demanding delivered code review processes.
• Evaluate and guarantee the performance objectives of the product thanks to a system of KPIs tailor-made for each of the needs and according to the environments concerned.
• Manage product developments with the aim of continuous improvement because there is no point in building a product that will not run. The Product Team is committed to providing visibility on short, medium and long-term objectives as well as providing qualitative and quantitative assessment tools to pilot the product.

Why call on a Product Team?

Each member of the Product Team is recruited for their know-how and ability to work together. All members - from Product Managers to Designers and Developers - follow the same initial Product Management training. That allows them to understand the concepts and gain a common understanding of the Hubvisory method.

This guarantees that every Product Team member has a deep understanding of the methods, guaranteeing consistent management and value-oriented delivery.

Team member alignment also allows for simplified communication:

• Emphasis is placed on the all-important link between Product Builders and Product Designers, forged through dedicated ceremonies and processes.
• The Product Manager is your primary contact and the voice of the Product Team. His clear vision of the product allows him to interface seamlessly with the company, the Team and above all, the end users!

If you want to know more about the Product Team, do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this approach!