Discovery without borders

In projects, it is very common to see teams that are divided between those who do discovery – Designers and Product Owners who generate tasks; and those who deliver – Developers and Quality Assurances who perform such tasks.

This type of division is common, but it can cause some problems such as lack of alignment, rework, and a product that is not suitable for the user. Joint decisions ensure the discussion of technical, business, and usability factors from the beginning of the project.

Product Trio: Developer Integration

To change this paradigm, Teresa Torres in her book Continuous Discovery Habits, introduces the concept of the Product Trio. She proposes that there should always be a trio formed by one person as the Product Manager, one person as the Designer, and one person as the Developer, working together in all stages of software evolution: making user interviews, defining opportunities, thinking of solutions and doing collaborative testing.

When a product trio works together and has a shared vision of the user, there is a much better chance that we will be able to develop a digital product that our customers love. (Teresa Torres)

Thus, each professional has the chance to raise their needs as soon as possible and contribute with their point of view on how to solve the user’s need. In addition, as we mentioned earlier, there is less rework, as everyone was part of the process and, therefore, knows the limitations and objectives when suggesting solutions.

Today, the PO’s role is no longer to bring ready-made solutions or write requirements already thinking about a concrete solution, but to bring a goal and ensure that the team discusses this goal together. (Bruna Ricardo)

Missionary Teams: A Shared Vision

This way of working proposed by Torres is connected to the concept of Missionary Teams X Mercenary Teams, proposed by Marty Cagan in the book Inspired – How to create tech products customers love.

According to Cagan, missionary teams are those that have a shared vision of what they are developing, what their goal is, and who their user is. They know their strengths and weaknesses, communicate better, and thus are able to better map risks and opportunities.

On the other hand, mercenary teams are the ones that just deliver the requested tasks without questioning why or what context they fit in. These professionals are task workers who do not care about the product’s success or the user’s satisfaction.

Discovery without Borders in Practice

What we propose then is that we become more of missionary teams. This is how SoftDesign’s collaborative culture has been getting stronger day after day.

For example, when we needed to create a solution for an already developed software, where there were technical and time constraints, the whole team got together to discuss the limitations and objectives. Then, we performed a Crazy-8’s round so that we could get to the best possible solution for the context from everyone’s point of view.

Another example was when, together with the Designer person, the Developers, QAs, and Project Manager also participated in interviews with users and usability tests carried out during the project. This brought all team members closer to the user, increasing understanding of whom they were developing the product for.

Currently, in Product Conceptions of early-stage products, we have proposed Low-Code or No-Code experiments with teams based on the pillars of the Product Trio. This happened, for example, in Broscope’s Product Conception, an education platform that is in the process of attracting investments: the team was composed of a PO, a Designer, and a Dev who, together, thought and planned the product in its entirety.

To learn more about this project, watch the video below.