On Story in Product Development: A Series
This is an introduction to a series at the intersection Storytelling and Product Development. Some shorter-form content from this series may also be found in my LinkedIn posts.
We’re all wired for story; it’s how our brains subconsciously organize events and find meaning. But if you’re like me, you know how important this fact is for our work in bringing ideas to market and collaborating with others. You can’t succeed and be fulfilled as a product manager without a mastery of story.
Product managers and product owners are charged with translating data from customers and other stakeholders into product requirements. In Agile terms, they manage a backlog and groom user stories and epics, based on what they learn from customers, the process, and the business as they go. Stories are also a form of data as input, they’re a work breakdown, and they’re also a means of delivering our message, and our value. Whether Agile or more traditional product development environments, product managers are always capturing, conveying, creating, codifying, defining, or proving stories.
For as long as I remember, story has been a part of my life. The longer I work, the more I’ve realized it’s been a part of my work, too. When I’m not helping a client with a new business or advising product managers and developers in my ‘day job’ I’m often directly occupied with stories. Gathering stories to inform strategy via qualitative & mixed methods; conveying insights and painting the future via presentations; guiding people through change. After hours, I’ve always loved immersing myself in stories of the page and screen to restore my energy, but in recent years I’ve been more deliberate about learning storycraft to grow as a writer. I love stories. All day long.
Lately I’ve been organizing my thoughts about the intersection of product development and storytelling. I’m not the first nor the best to parse this space; there are many product experts who have tips on story. (I’ll share some resources I and others find insightful, if not useful, in future posts.) What moved me to add my voice was that I’ve seen far more focus on storytelling for external audiences as marketers, entrepreneurs, or as senior leaders than I have for the vast amount of work happening in a team before a product gets to market. For that reason, I’m leaving aside storytelling in the marketing and advertising context. There are often similar intentions, but my interest here is in the stories happening in the halls, meeting rooms, labs and offices of product development.
So over the next few weeks, I’ll open my notebook as I explore different contexts and types of stories I’ve encountered in my work in strategy and product management. My goal is to highlight the many ways that story shows up at work, as a way into improving our skills and our impact.
