Case StudyStream Team: Prioritising Assumptions,Prioritising Solutions - Improving Prioritization to Strengthen Stakeholder Relationships
Indeed, a leading job search engine, faced challenges in aligning its product development efforts with stakeholder expectations. The fast-paced environment and the complexity of managing multiple priorities often led to misalignment between product teams and stakeholders. This misalignment resulted in delays, frustration, and missed opportunities to deliver impactful solutions.
The Solution
Indeed adopted a systematic approach to improve the prioritization process. Parul Goel, Director of Product Management at Indeed, led this initiative, focusing on several key areas:
- Defining Clear Prioritization Criteria: The team established clear criteria for prioritizing opportunities, including factors such as potential impact, alignment with strategic goals, feasibility, and stakeholder value.
- Stakeholder Involvement: Stakeholders were actively involved in the prioritization process to ensure their needs and expectations were accurately understood and considered.
- Assumption Validation: Before committing to solutions, the team rigorously tested assumptions through experiments and data analysis to validate their potential impact and feasibility.
- Structured Prioritization Frameworks: Tools and frameworks such as the RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) scoring model were employed to evaluate and rank opportunities objectively.
- Regular Review and Adjustment: The prioritization process was not static; regular reviews and adjustments were made based on feedback, market changes, and new data to ensure ongoing alignment with stakeholder needs and strategic objectives.
- Transparent Communication: Clear and transparent communication channels were established to keep stakeholders informed about prioritization decisions, progress, and any changes in plans.
Outcomes achieved
The adoption of this improved prioritization approach led to several positive outcomes for Indeed:
- Enhanced Stakeholder Relationships: Involving stakeholders in the prioritization process and maintaining transparent communication helped build trust and strengthen relationships, leading to better collaboration and support.
- Improved Alignment and Focus: Clear prioritization criteria and frameworks ensured that the product teams focused on the most impactful opportunities, aligning their efforts with strategic goals and stakeholder expectations.
- Higher Quality Solutions: Validating assumptions before committing to solutions reduced the risk of pursuing ineffective or unfeasible projects, resulting in higher quality and more impactful solutions.
- Increased Efficiency: By prioritizing the most promising opportunities and validating assumptions early, the teams were able to work more efficiently, reducing wasted effort and accelerating time-to-market for key initiatives.
- Adaptability and Responsiveness: The regular review and adjustment of priorities allowed Indeed to remain adaptable and responsive to changing market conditions and stakeholder needs, maintaining its competitive edge.
