Perfect Your Q4 Planning by Putting Product First

Product-led thinking can transform end-of-year planning processes to reflect the realities of today’s market.

As Q4 begins, businesses are focused firmly on ending the year on a high note. It’s for good reason. Every leader will tell you that the last three months of the year pass quickly. There’s always so much to be done to ensure teams hit their metrics before it’s over. Add in the shorter days with holidays looming, and it’s no wonder decision makers tend to lock in on end-of-year objectives. They grit their teeth, and keep moving toward that December finish line.

Though the end of the year is firmly established within corporate strategies, the reality is that these markers are increasingly arbitrary. Yes, months, quarters, and fiscal years still offer useful parameters within ledgers and earnings reports. However, nowadays, nothing on the ground really changes when January arrives. Things keep moving, and progress toward goals must get underway the moment the calendar turns. That’s where adopting a product-centered model can help. 

What is a Product-Focused Business Model?

Traditional, project-focused operating models position each initiative as disconnected, discrete, and bound by strict start and end dates. Product-focused models, on the other hand, emphasize continuity and alignment. Developed and refined by software companies, product-oriented models aim to link product and business planning to better reflect the way today’s teams must work. This makes strategic planning a continuous rather than a periodic process. 

In short, it’s a model rooted in the understanding that one team’s work or one day’s work is only one piece in a much bigger picture. Each contributor may do something different. However, each is doing their best to support high-level objectives and build toward the long-term vision.

Product-led thinking can transform end-of-year planning processes to reflect the realities of today’s market. Although Q4 is already underway, there’s still time to review and refine your plans. Here is how to utilize product-first principles to guide the way toward a Q4 roadmap that looks toward the future. 

Zoom out, Then in.

Product-first thinking means starting with the whole and working your way into the details. Take some time to outline your long-term objectives. Then, work your way back to the present, noting key milestones and achievements along the way.

Focus on Outcomes.

This can be tricky for leaders accustomed to thinking in terms of budgets and deliverables. However, outcomes-oriented assessment and planning are key to balancing short- and long-term success. Using objectives and key results (OKRs) can help leaders unfamiliar with this type of thinking begin to change their mindset. This model helps to break big goals into manageable parts. Simply take the long-term objectives determined during your holistic audit. Then, list a few relevant quantifiable metrics for each to act as a guide for defining specific, time-bound goals. 

Think Cross-Functionally.

Whether it’s people management, admin, developers, or communications, businesses using product operating models recognize that all work is ultimately in service of the product. These businesses think about quarterly planning in a similar way. They pull data from across the organization to contextualize performance, right-size goals, and ensure Q4 targets drive toward next year’s overall objectives. 

Leave Room for Unknowns.

One of the key benefits of adopting a product operating model is the agility it enables. Markets, technologies, and circumstances change quickly and often in unforeseen ways. Aligning plans with objectives helps to account for this uncertainty, leaving room to adjust on the fly and prioritize the highest-value work. If there are known threats to the status quo, you may also want to fold contingency plans into your roadmap. This may encourage others to see goals and targets as guideposts rather than as strict expectations. 

Keep the Customer in Your Sights With a Product-First Mentality.

With internal pressures mounting and end-of-year quotas looming, teams are at high risk of losing track of what really matters: the customer. Although strategic planning is a behind-the-scenes task, it’s important to keep in mind that the goals you have in mind may not align with your customers’ needs. Product-first mindsets help remedy this by filtering every decision through the lens of its effects on the customer and end-product, so teams don’t get lost in the weeds of their own day-to-day tasks. 

Even if you aren’t sold on a full-scale transformation, you can benefit from keeping product-first principles in mind as you plan for the next quarter and beyond. Adopting this point of view for even an afternoon can change your understanding of what works and what doesn’t within your operations. You may find that you like how it feels to start to see your business in a new light. 

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This article was written by Louise K. Allen from Inc. and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.