Empowering Product Managers: A Guide to Elevating Their Role in Product Quality

Who is in charge of the product's quality? Years ago, in the "waterfall era", the answer was simple - the QA department, right? Well, not quite, not even then. Those of us who work in scrum teams might say that the scrum team is responsible for the product's quality. But that isn't entirely accurate either. The "product team", which includes the developers, the testers, the product owner and anyone else who is involved in delivering the product, is the definite answer. And that means that even if the product owner/manager does not realize they are accountable for the quality - in fact they are.

Let's explore why it is important that the product manager will realize that quality is on them as well, and look at ways to enable that.

What happens if the product manager disregards quality as something that has to do with them?

As the product manager (PM) is a very important part of the "product team", even if your company is not structured explicitly that way, ignoring, or putting less focus on the quality side of the product, can result with a non-usable, buggy and dysfunctional product. This can happen even if the developers and testers take quality very seriously, as it can introduce a lot of wrong prioritization from the PM's side, or quite a lot of conflict between the PM and their team.

For example, not having the PM involved in deciding whether a bug will be fixed or not, can be very harmful if the decision didn't take some business aspects that the PM is aware of.

Another example can be missing out critical information when coming to plan the tests and design of the product. If the PM isn't involved enough, the team can be missing some important use cases, which might be found later on as showstoppers, or worse, found and rejected by users.

In general, a PM that isn't contributing to the quality aspects of the product, might find themselves having to explain later on why there are delays or why the users are not satisfied.

How do we enable the PM's ownership on quality?

There are many different ways of enabling and supporting the PM's contribution to quality. Some of them are on the PM - realizing that quality matters, and that they have an impact on quality, is usually enough to get them involved. However, it is important they will be involved where they matter, and not create overhead or redundancy. Some other ways are on the team.

Let's explore some of the ways:

• Writing Acceptance Criteria and taking part in the Acceptance Test Driven Development meeting. Having a good Acceptance Criteria is very important to enable the team to make sure they are taking into account everything the PM is looking for. Without it, we might find something wasn't included too late. The Acceptance Test Driven Development meeting (ATDD) is where the PM can make sure that both the developers and testers are aligned with them on what aspects are most important in the functionality, and how best to test them. This ensures surprises are kept to a minimum.

Tip: require clear Acceptance criteria for every feature and set up the ATDD meeting, with the PM, before starting development.

• Visibility. The quality assurance side of the delivery process is a very important one, and the PM should have clear visibility into what's going on, and the chance to make an impact. This comes into play when working in Zero Bugs Policy, where the PM is part of the decision makers whether a bug is important enough to fix right now, or less important and can be closed as is. This can also be done by having the PM take part in the support process, both helping out in getting the customer satisfied by finding a resolution to their problems, as well as learn from it and build a better product. In addition, clear KPIs and data can help align everyone on where we are and minimize confusion.

Tip: practice Zero bugs policy, involve PM in the support process and define and monitor clear quality KPIs.

• Splitting stories. The PM, as the product owner, is usually accountable for the way we split the functionality required into stories. Having Small Testable stories is not only part of the INVEST principle, it is also critical to be able to deliver high quality working software. If the stories are not testable, or not small enough, the quality will be tested only at a late stage, which may be too late.

  Let me stress this point a bit more - part of the PM's job is to make sure we are ongoingly delivering working software increments that provide value. While every PM will take ownership on the value part, they must also understand they are crucial in enabling the working part. To do this, they must apply wise splitting techniques and make sure they are followed.

Tip: practice INVEST splitting of user stories, continuously improving the ability to split small testable and valuable stories, and making sure the team is following the stories as planned.

• DOD - Accepting stories. The team can announce a story as Done, but making sure that the story indeed fulfills what it was meant to do, i.e. Accepting the story, should be on the PM's shoulders. This is how the PM can make sure early on, that we are heading to the right direction, or make adjustments to the product backlog if needed.

Tip: introduce the acceptance stage at the end of the story life cycle, allowing PM to either accept or reject the story once done.

• Practice Product Teams. Having the PM take part in a Product Team, will definitely cause them to acknowledge their part in making sure the product is in good quality, and help their team do so. Being part of the team is the best way to ensure everyone has the same objectives - including building a high quality product.

Tip: structure your organization by creating autonomous product teams, each with their unique goals and mission.

Last thoughts

In the dynamic landscape of product development, acknowledging the crucial role of product managers in ensuring product quality is paramount. As we've explored, the responsibility for quality extends beyond traditional boundaries, transcending the confines of QA departments or scrum teams. It resides within the collaborative efforts of the entire product team, with product managers playing a pivotal role.

When product managers recognize their accountability for product quality, the outcomes can be transformative. A disengaged or overlooked product manager may inadvertently lead a team towards a non-usable, bug-ridden product. The repercussions of such neglect are felt through delayed timelines, dissatisfied users, and potential conflicts within the team.

In the end, the journey towards product excellence lies in creating a culture where product managers are integral members of cross-functional product teams. As product managers actively engage in the quality assurance process, they not only contribute to delivering high-quality software but also gain insights that refine the product roadmap. By cultivating a shared understanding of the importance of quality, companies can pave the way for seamless collaboration, faster delivery, and ultimately, a satisfied user base.

So, how is your company fostering the involvement of product managers in ensuring product quality? Share your experiences, discuss what works, and collectively strive for a future where product managers are not just stakeholders but champions of product excellence. After all, the journey to superior products is a collective effort, and the role of the product manager is pivotal in steering the ship towards success.