Successful integration into a team depends on the individual's ability to be assimilated into a pre-existing whole, to unite to form a coherent whole.

This integration is a two-way process:

• The individual observes, learns and adapts.
• The organization welcomes and trains.

Once integration has been achieved, individuals will of course have an impact on the organization, but it's this first stage that interests me because :

• It is absolutely essential if we are to develop on a solid footing.
• It concerns all levels of seniority
• It is critical and complex in Product Management

In this article, I've chosen to focus on the point of view of the individual joining a new organization, and the question of the onboarding process will be dealt with in a dedicated post.

The approach I chose was one of exploration. Like a discussion with a user, I thought it would be interesting to be able to explore, dive deep, or step back, without being locked into a restrictive and reductive framework.

To this end, I've devised a series of 40 questions that cover the full range of topics to be explored, without prejudging the shape, size or operating methods of the host organization. For the record, I've concentrated on the questions related to the Product function, and you'll need to supplement them with the usual general questions.

Good questioning to all 😉

🎯 Objectives

⭐ What is the company's mission?

🗺️ What is the company's strategy for achieving this mission?

📈 What are the next objectives in this strategy?

• What are the overall objectives?
• What are the objectives for each function: finance, sales, customer relations, technical and product?
• What are the objectives for each product or product segment, if there are several?

🕵 Discovery

🧠 Product knowledge

• Can I get a full demo and test accounts?
• What are the main needs addressed and what is the product's impact?
• What are the main performance indicators?
• How can I obtain detailed usage data?

🗣️ Users

• Is there a collection of feedback or usage reports?
• Who exchanges with users and in what form?
• Can I get in touch with users, including one who uses a lot, one who uses a little and one who doesn't use any more?

📋 Roadmap and backlogs

• Can you give me a detailed presentation of the roadmap and backlogs?
• How is content added and ordered?
  • How is the impact of a new feature estimated?
  • How is development time estimated?
• How are bugs handled?
• How are requests from different teams managed?

🏛️ Industry and market

• How big and mature is the market?
• What are the product's distribution channels?
• Who are the main competitors and how are they positioned?
• How can I learn more about the customer's business, and what are the best sources to follow?
• Are there any compliance or regulatory constraints?

📦 Delivery

👩🏻‍💻 Who develops features and how?

• What methodology and rituals are used?
• What technologies are used?
• What is the technical architecture?

🎨 Who designs it and how?

• What are the structuring design references?
• Is there a design system to follow?
• Can I access the list of graphic elements?

🫠 Who controls quality and how?

• Are unit tests performed, and on what scope?
• Is there a test plan I can follow?

📣 Who announces new features and how?

• Can I have an example of how to communicate with users?
• How are features presented internally?

✉️ How do the various players communicate?

• How is the whole Delivery process managed, from planning to production?
• Can I have 2-3 examples of user story specifications of different kinds?

🤝 Product team

What is the budget and, more broadly, the long-term financial model?

How are objectives defined and monitored on a weekly, quarterly and annual basis?

How is the team organized and what are its rituals?

How is the product team progressing? On what skills? With what career path?

What production and communication tools are used?

Is there a specific culture within the Product team?

In conclusion

I tried to stay as far as possible "at the top of the pyramid", and some questions conceal more than one. My idea was to have a general vision and not forget anything structuring. If you see a question that's missing, I'd love to hear from you!

I may have to unroll these questions soon, and I'll update this article as the need arises 😉.

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