Is your product moving or a rocking chair?

A few weeks ago I had someone telling me a powerful analogy: “Most products are like rocking chairs. You see them moving, but they are going nowhere.”

The longer you spend in product, the more you obsess with the type of “movement” your product is making.

Many PMs forget Movement /= Progress. Create measurement that differentiates knowing whether your chair is rocking or actually moving.

Here’s some quick how-to:

[1] measure progress-of-north-star: you know your team’s key metric and target. Now measure progress, and make a % of progress another key metric for you.

[2] execute through leading indicators: unlike lagging indicators (which you don’t control), leading indicators allow you to tinker and test. Make leading indicators front and center for the team.

[3] cohorts > single metrics (if you’re shipping big, fast): cohorts matter when you make key changes. If you’re in “we gotta break things” then cohort will tell the whole story

Movement is easy. Progress is harder. Progress in the right direction is the hardest. Great PMs nail both.