Which approach to take...
Rule #1: Whenever I'm unsure of which approach to take, I decide on the one that is best for the customer.— Steve Johnson, Under 10.
There are many times when employees need to use their own judgment. There's no rule that seems to cover everything and no historical reference to guide their thinking. Unless you get everyone to agree to Rule #1: do what's best for the customer.
I've been in meetings (and I'm sure you have been too) where we're discussing which approach to take. This would be better for the sales team and that would be better for the developers. The fastest way to reach a conclusion is "customers are telling me this." Of course, that requires someone (and I think that 'someone' is product management) to know the market of customers.
Which way is best? The way that creates a satisfied customer.
About Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson is a product management process coach, author, speaker, and advisor. His approach is based on the belief that minimal process and simple templates result in a nimble product marketing and management team. Before founding Under10, Steve was a Pragmatic Marketing instructor for over 15 years and personally trained thousands of product managers and hundreds of company senior executive teams. Learn more at www.under10playbook.com
In his spare time, Steve enjoys making music, and has an album available on iTunes. Check out Steve’s music at notExactlySteve.com