Plan and prioritise · Add-on
Put in your first product processes, and keep them light
As a company grows, ad hoc decisions stop working. Add just enough process to keep teams aligned, and drop anything that slows them without helping.
About 2-5 daysEvergreenLast reviewed 5 November 2026
Who this applies to
- Skills it builds
- Delivery and executionLeadership and coaching
- PM types
- All
- Product types
- All
- Starting points
- All
- Ways of working
- All
- Experience
- All
- Size of organisation
- Scaling
Steps, by experience
Beginner (under 1 year)
- Ask the team where work gets stuck or repeated.
- Pick one problem to fix first, such as unclear priorities.
- Try a simple fix, such as a fixed planning cycle or a one-page pitch for new work.
- Review it after a few weeks and keep it, change it or drop it.
- Write down the process in a few lines.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years)
- Set a planning rhythm, such as fixed cycles with a short cool-down.
- Decide work by how much time it is worth, not only by estimates.
- Review processes every quarter and remove what no one uses.
Experienced (5+ years)
- Design the product operating rhythm for several teams.
- Balance consistency across teams with team autonomy.
- Coach leads to own and improve their own processes.
Who can do this
Owner: Product manager
Can be delegated to
- Delivery Manager or Scrum Master: Run the new rhythm and collect feedback
Reviewed by: Tech Lead
Tool examples
- Linear
- Use cycles to set a fixed planning rhythm.
- Notion
- Write each process on one short page.
Definition of done
- One process problem chosen
- Light fix tried
- Review date set
Common pitfalls
- Copying a big-company process whole
- Adding process for every problem
- Never removing anything
If you lead the team
What good looks like: Process is added only where it solves a real problem, and dropped when it stops helping.
Ask your PM
- Which process did we add recently, and what problem does it solve?
- What process could we drop?
Warning signs
- Process is copied from big companies wholesale.
- Teams spend more time reporting than building.