33. Navigating the Maze: Finding Your Way with a Low Maturity Product Team

There’s always a path forward

I’m excited to kick off the “From Chaos to Clarity” series this week with our first episode diving into low Product Team operational maturity.

When your product team doesn’t function like a well-oiled machine it can be extremely frustrating. It can feel like you’re constantly running around not knowing what to do. It can feel like you’re doing duplicative work. It can feel like no one wants you there.

That really sucks.

But there are some things you can do to make the relationship with your product team work for you, regardless of its level of operational maturity.

It won’t be easy. And it won’t be quick.

But you can make it better with some time, patience, and a healthy dose of perseverance.

Good humor helps too.

Topics:
• 05:58 – How does this impact the UX team?
• 07:43 – Who is on the product team?
• 10:24 – NN/g survey
• 11:33 – Examples of low product maturity
• 16:40 – The point is to work with what we have not change ht entire team
• 17:54 – It’s perfectly OK to quit
• 18:40 – Tips for creating clarity with low operational maturity team
• 19:22 – 01. Assume positive intent
• 20:16 – 02. Understand the players
• 21:00 – 03. Foster relationships and trust
• 22:14 – 04. Set the right expectations
• 24:13 – 05. Establish Clear communication
• 25:14 – 06. Find allies
• 26:21 – 07. Build bridges, not walls
• 27:43 – 08 Practice Followership
• 28:40 – 09. Normalize it
• 29:31 – 10. Show don’t tell
• 30:07 – 11. Adapt and be proactive
• 30:42 – 12. Seek feedback
• 31:35 – 13. Be patient

Helpful Links:
• UXers and Product Managers Both Say Others Intrude on Their Work | NN/g
• PM and UX Have Markedly Different Views of Their Job Responsibilities | NN/g
• How to stop the battle between Product Managers and Designers | UX Collective
• An Open Letter to Product Managers: From a UX Designer | Aha!
• What is a product management maturity model? | Aha!
• Hang Xu’s LinkedIn Posts
• 16. Playing the Game or How To Join a New Team

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