Value Model

Prioritization of work is hard across all levels of the organization. When we focus on new feature value, often the first indicator of value is dollars versus effort expended. But what about value that is not realized through dollars? Our customers do not only think in dollars but more about their needs and desires. Moreover, value definitions can miss product maturity and the associated value features contribute at different stages of the product life cycle. All these facets form the value curve of a product.

By expanding the definition of what value can truly mean, we can normalize, rationalize, and quantify value in new and different ways that make sense to all of our customers and to the maturity of our product in the industry. We can assess value at scale across programs, products, and portfolios as well as engage team members and stakeholders through interactive activities to balance what each values and its effect on the product. In a way, it’s like relative sizing to drive values that appeal to many different consumers and stakeholders of your product.

Natalie first demonstrates traditional value estimation (dollars) and the resulting feature map/prioritization. Then, we look at other types of value realization through the Kano model (relating to customer preferences) to understand customer value in relation to the product maturity in the industry. The activity provides participants with hands-on experience balancing and mapping feature value looking through a wider lens. This gives Product Owners and teams a better baseline to align enterprise and program roadmaps with their own team or product priorities – and most importantly what the customer actually values and the product actually needs!