Product Team

A product team is a cross-functional and collaborative that works to accomplish the common goal of developing a product with all the required features and amenities. It is set up with different cross-functional roles, where each member is meant to bring a specific set of skills to the team required to develop the product. When a product team comprises the best-skilled members, all the product development, release, and post-launch phases are dealt with utmost efficiency.

No matter how valuable is the idea, it is the great product team that turns an idea into a complete product experience. There is the one who sets up the development strategy, and roadmap and ensures timely and quality product delivery.

When a product team comprises the best-skilled members, all the product development, release, and post-launch phases are dealt with utmost efficiency. So, what is a product team, who makes up it, and similar other elements are the key discussion points of this article?

What Is a Product Team?

A product team is a cross-functional and collaborative team that works to accomplish the common goal of developing a product with all the required features and amenities. It is set up with different cross-functional roles, where each member is meant to bring a specific set of skills required to develop the product.

Let's understand the role of specific skilled members in a squad with the help of the “car” example. If we look at a car, there are different parts in it, each with a specific job but works in collaboration with other parts to make the car do the functions rightly. If one part fails, the car won't be able to serve its purpose effectively. This is exactly how the product team works. It includes members with unique skill sets to contribute their roles and collaborate with others to develop a complete product.

Who Makes Up the Product Team?

A product team can include different roles depending on the nature of the product, targeted industry, size of the company, etc. However, if we look at it as a software firm, then it generally comprises the following members:

1. Product Manager: A product manager that drives the team and overcomes all the challenges during the development and release phases. The key duties of a product manager include prioritizing features, setting a roadmap, aligning stakeholders, addressing customer needs, etc.
2. Developers/Engineers: In software product development, there can be multiple developers involved who have experience in working with specific platforms, frameworks, and libraries required to develop the product.
3. Designers: Designers bring skillsets around developing a visual design that users find intuitive and attractive. Depending on the product size, there can be one or multiple designers.
4. Marketers: Marketing is crucial for any product's success, and it's the job of marketers to market the product to potential customers using the latest marketing tools and platforms. In many companies, marketing is handled by a separate team, so it is some things considered a separate unit from the product team.

Other than the above members' list, a product team can also include other members, depending on the product's nature.

Best Practices

Some of the best practices that product teams should adopt are as follows:

• Every member has a specific role to play in coordination with other members. So, they should be able to openly ask questions and clear their concerns.
• A product team should showcase an effective collaborative culture where everyone values each other opinions and work in a friendly and supportive environment.
• The opinions of stakeholders and customers should be valued and reflected in the product. Similarly, they should be open to accepting defects and work on enhancing the overall quality continuously.
• It also should not be short of members. For example, if there is a need for two developers, then it is a bad practice to force one developer to do the work of two persons.

In a nutshell, a great product requires great specialists, which is why it should include the right, experienced members to ensure quality and timely deliveries.