In the ever -growing world of product management, we often find ourselves balancing. This is a dance between big and small. And there is a space that is often overlooked in this complex dance. This is 'messy mean'. A place where big strategic thoughts correspond to the tiny execution. But what is this “messy average”? And more importantly, how do we navigate in it?
The messy center
We define 'messy mean'. It is located between our spectacular, long -term business strategies that include years, and our short -term, flexible tests that take weeks. This is a ambiguous space of a few quarters. A place where we wrestle with issues of alignment and real world. This is where teams often lose a greater strategic vision. But that doesn't have to be the case.
Do you remember old product management models? They were like factories. They were full of features, acted for time -based purposes and disconnected. In these models, the teams sent products, but important results were often elusive. The “messy average” was confused, in controversial purposes and reduced efforts. We needed change. We had to become crooked.
Agility brought us a better way. But as we started working with a little work, we thought with two -week sprints, we bounced into a new problem. Our quarters began to feel like a big sprint. The 'messy mean' became even more confusing.
How to harvest the mess
So how do we clean up? How to overcome the gap between strategy and execution?
Well -known product coach John Cutler offers a new perspective.
He draws an interesting analogy:
Imagine growing a plant. What do you need?
Light, temperature, water. These elements do not change.
They are your constants. Your Northern Star. Your big strategic picture.
Like a plant every day watering, there are small, vibrant tasks of your daily execution. You are still focused on your bottom star: plant growth. Hacks, tools and techniques may change, but they are all servicing on your bottom star. And in this analogy, our approach lies in the dirty middle navigation.
To overcome the gap, Cutler recommends four main things:
- Compassioning strategy – sunlight that directs your growth.
- Permanent model – your bottom star.
- Contributions focused on opportunities – daily watering and maintenance.
- And the freedom to work small – the ability to adapt and optimize growth.
Permanent vs. work models
If we tend to the heart of a permanent model, we expose the dynamic ecosystem of ideas, concepts and beliefs.
John writes that, unlike work or aimed model, a permanent model is not related to a specific schedule. It stays the same with each quarter. It does not rotate in every attempt. It lasts as long as the strategy is valid, often covering years. It reflects our assumptions, hypotheses and beliefs about how the value of our product is created and preserved. This is a growth plate.
Take, for example, an amplitude North Star meter.
Weekly learners who consume and share more than three charts
This metric does not change with the seasons. It stays even over time. There is no indirect “work”. This is a testimony to the permanent nature of a permanent model.
In contrast, work -related models such as the OKRS focus on the specific goals of the specified period, usually a quarter. The team is trying to achieve these goals during this time. This brings a dynamic active element to our strategy. It is an engine that drives us forward, pushing us to the test, learning, adjusting and growing.
These two types of models may seem contradictory, but they are complementary. They operate on different scales, but they both guide our efforts to create value and control growth.
Without permanent models, teams can easily get into the tail -sharing cycle. In each new quarter, they must start from scratch, coming out with new OKRs, goals and instructions. This can turn the OKR process into a “big thing”, high bets and a high pressure situation. This causes burnout, confusion and loss of strategic coherence.
But with a solid, well -deafly permanent model, setting goals is more straightforward and intuitive. The teams have a clear direction and a clear context. They know where they are going and why. They understand the bigger picture.
The top thinking about permanent models is fundamental transformation. This is a single synergistic approach separated from the here. It is associated with isolated function factories into a single and sustainable model of growth.
This transformation is not easy, but it is necessary. It is a big but small job. It is about aligning every task, every attempt and strategy. This is to ensure that each piece of puzzle is perfect for a large image.
Balancing both permanent and work -related models is a crucial skill of product management. It is the key to a messy medium navigation, combining the salmon between strategy and filling. This is a place where we find a decent harmony of great and small work.
This is a process that takes time. It requires patience, perseverance and much learning. But the results are worth it. If we shed light on 'dirty medium', we begin to see alignment. We are starting to see how our daily tasks contribute to our strategic vision. We see how our product develops and grows, like a plant in our analogy.
Several tools have jumped to facilitate this process:
- The amplitude provides the tool for collecting and reflecting data.
- At the amplitude, John has developed a North Star metric framework that anyone can develop.
- Doublelop is a tool that helps connect all different data sets to a coherent model.
- And Vistaly helps your models and bets in the connected decision tree.
Product management is art. And like any art, it requires us to embrace the big picture and the minutes of the minutes.
The “messy average” is the place where the two are approaching. So let's not be afraid of it, but navigate it with a clear strategy, a permanent model and a focus on growth. Let's embrace the “messy average”.
In this room, we find the real nature of product management: the harmony of a large and small job.
