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- 💎 Features are dead
💎 Features are dead
Have you ever wondered how honey is made? If you’ve ever stared at a bee hive, you’ll notice bees coming and going. Yet, the exact mechanics of honey-making remain a mystery to many. So a few nights ago, fuelled by curiosity and an edible, I went down a YouTube hole to f*ck around and find out. Turns out bees are quite busy…
Within the hive, there's a clear division of labor. Some bees safeguard the queen, while others search for sugary sustenance. Their mission? To collect nectar, a sweet water found in flowers. That nectar mixes with enzymes in the bee’s stomach which produces honey. Bees store this liquid gold in little wax compartments known as honeycombs. But why all this effort? Is it solely for our morning toast? Not entirely—they do it to feed their babies. And they make a lot of it. And voila, we humans have honey.
There’s an interesting parallel with ‘product-led’ R&D departments, they don’t know how they’re making honey. Busy bees exchanging sugar water by the cooler and somehow pumping out features. But something’s not right with this model. Those not making honey are instead protecting the queen. People like Sales, Customer Support, Marketing, or worse, Finance, have no clue what they can do to get more honey.
They’re busy protecting the queen. But you need both for the hive to succeed. If you’re now wondering what’s the secret to making more honey? Business cases.
Let me explain.
Unintended Effects
Companies working in ‘features’ are silently killing their growth. Symptoms include random ideas, lost time, ‘latest thing’ projects, and bad juju. It’s the lack of hive thinking across the business. And it shows up most in your R&D team.
Engineers never speaking with Marketing. Designers never interacting with Sales. Making up at least 25% of your company, this is likely draining resources, and ultimately cash, on things that feel more like Hail Marys instead of slam dunks.
Most feature-based teams don’t know how their work solves a goal or impacts their business. They’re instead talking about button placement or when the feature is ready. That’s scary—especially if you’re a startup with less than 12 months of runway.
Connect The Dots
We’re not talking about a step function change. All I’m saying is moving away from building features to building a business case. Yes, even as a product person. It will force you to think more holistically. Weaving ideas across functions, outside of R&D.
It becomes less about just shipping products and features. It is about addressing sales objections. Updating company messaging and website. Reviewing pricing and FP&A. Opening new distribution channels. Setting up success dashboards.
Building a business case tears down the invisible wall built between functions and demands everyone to work as a hive. Dots are connected more easily. Everyone is able to contribute. Someone outside of R&D can now share not just an idea, but how that feature impacts Sales, Marketing, Finance, and most importantly, your bottom line. That’s when success compounds. You make good honey.
Upside
Another unnamed thing happens to everyone on a personal level. They nurture superpowers. Imagine sharing not just a good idea but one that answers a significant market dynamic and the ability to quantify its impact in the same breath. That’s gangster sh*t.
And I’m sure that person is much more valuable than Jimmy at the desk who’s wondering simultaneously if Easter falls on a Friday or Monday this year while thinking about where he should prioritize the latest feature. People become more knowledgeable. They make more impact. They get more wins. In return, these wins increase their market value. Promotions arrive. Motivation skyrockets.
Suddenly business cases are more than just an answer, but a ticket to upward momentum both for a company and the people within.
Stop hucking around feature ideas. Introduce business cases to your company and celebrate the people who champion them. They’re the unlock to transforming your company and the people within. Make that sweet nectar become honey.
And if you want to discuss how to do the same within your company and get unstuck, give me a shout and let’s chat.
Onwards,