Product management is a vital aspect of any technology company, and at our tech consultancy in the UK, we understand the importance of getting it right. We are proud to be working on some of the most complex challenges across UK public sector. In this article, we'll take a look at our approach to product management and how we work to ensure that our clients' products/services are a success.
The first step in our product management process is understanding the client's goals and objectives. We work closely with our clients to understand their target market, their competition, and their desired outcomes. This information is used to create a product roadmap, which outlines the key milestones and deliverables for the project.
For the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) we successfully created product and service visions for the Winter Fuel Payment service during the various stages which were converted into a scoped work.
At DWP We:
- understood problem space, user needs andpolicy intent through workshops with stakeholders to co-design a service vision
- used evidence to describe the desired outcomes, future state and future user experience in the service vision, supported by visual empathy maps and user journeys
- tested hypothesis/assumptions to convert the vision and evidence into a scope of work for the journeys we intended to deliver, which included various constraints
Once the roadmap is in place, we work closely with our clients to define the product's features and functionality. We use a combination of user research, market analysis and data-driven insights to determine which features will be most valuable to the target market. We also take into account the client's budget and resources, as well as any technical limitations that may impact the product's development.
We replace assumptions with data-driven facts to ensure that both users' needs and business demands are being met. Our agile and iterative design process involves stakeholders every step of the way, focusing on cost-effective outcomes and proving value early and often.
Lean, agile, iterative and user-centred
Once the product's features and functionality have been defined, we move on to the development phase. We use agile methodologies, such as Scrum, to manage the development process and ensure that the product is delivered on time and on budget. Our development team works closely with our product management team to ensure the product is being built in line with the client's requirements and that it meets their desired outcomes.
Throughout the development process, we also conduct user testing and gather feedback from beta users to ensure that the product is meeting the needs of the target market. This feedback is used to make any necessary adjustments and improvements to the product before it is launched.
Finally, once the product is launched, we work closely with our clients to monitor performance and gather feedback from users. We use this feedback to continuously improve the product, and to ensure it remains relevant and valuable to the target market.
In summary, our approach to product management is focused on understanding our clients' goals and objectives, defining the product's features and functionality, managing the development process, and continuously improving the product based on user feedback. By following this approach, we are able to deliver products that are a success and help our clients achieve their desired outcomes.
What we are working on
We are currently working on a variety of projects that involve good product design and management and are making an impact. Some examples include:
1. We have more than 100 DDaT product, delivery and data specialists placed at DWP on 12 GOV.UK services, consistently meeting outcomes, receiving director accolades and two industry awards.
COVID-19 resulted in a huge increase in demand. Our Apply for Pension Credit team reacted by accelerating a 12-month plan, releasing an MVP GOV.UK service within 1 month.
This application journey met outcomes, user and business needs. In just a few weeks we delivered contractual obligations automating 65% of applications, reducing telephony/post demand by 35%, reduced telephony queues from hours to minutes and clearing backlogs in days rather than weeks.
Our client testimonial
2. At the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), we are currently delivering the new Common Platform, a multi-programme digital, data and technology-driven environment. We have multiple teams with roles covering the delivery, product and analysis job family and more. The work is highly regulated because we are responsible for delivering a service that adheres to Courts and Tribunals Service legislation and processes, which are critical to the efficient running of the UK's judiciary.
3. At HM Passport Office (HMPO) our team performed product management and delivered numerous outcomes. The Bulk Data Processing Tool (BDPT) is a priority piece of work for HMPO that enabled HMPO to upload (from government organisations) and extract data types from and to its AWS data platform.
Listen to our expert product managers