Are you Leading a Project or a Product?

I've delivered both projects and products (from idea to market), and there are significant differences in how you need to approach them.

Many "projects" are actually products in disguise, and that's why they fail to deliver long term value. 

Organisations invest millions into digital initiatives, celebrate the launch, disband the team, and then wonder why adoption falters, technical debt accumulates, and the solution becomes obsolete in months.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐬:

▶️ Fixed scope with defined end date

▶️ Success measured by on-time, on-budget delivery

▶️ Temporary teams assembled for the duration

▶️ Handoff to "someone else" for maintenance

▶️ Value delivered at launch

𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬:

▶️ Continuous evolution driven by user needs

▶️ Success measured by sustained value and outcomes

▶️ Stable, dedicated teams with long-term ownership

▶️ Ongoing refinement, learning and adaptation

Value delivered incrementally over time

Most digital transformations are treated as projects when they should be managed as products. You can't "finish" a customer experience platform. You can't "complete" an employee portal. These are living systems that require continuous nurturing, not one-time deployments.

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 you need to ask to understand whether you're running a project or delivering a product:

🎯 Will users' needs and expectations evolve after launch?

🎯 Does success depend on adoption, engagement or behavioural change?

🎯 Will the solution need regular updates to remain valuable or competitive?

🎯 Is there a feedback loop that should inform ongoing improvements?

🎯 Would "done" mean obsolete within 12-18 months?

Scroll through the carousel to see more detail on these questions and what the answers mean.

Are you leading a project or a product?