In many large organisations, product teams are also service teams.

In many large organisations, product teams are also service teams. They just don’t see themselves that way.

👇 The Product + Service Paradigm 👇

There’s a significant paradigm shift that many enterprise product teams haven’t fully embraced yet—the dual role of being both product builders and service providers. These teams aren’t just building products; they’re also providing ongoing services to internal or external stakeholders by maintaining, enhancing, and supporting the products they create.

Key Points:

1️⃣ Product + Service Paradigm

Most product teams are responsible not only for delivering the product itself but also for providing services around that product (support, maintenance, compliance, etc.). To be truly fit-for-purpose, product teams need to excel in not just product design and implementation, but also service delivery.

2️⃣ Stewards/Custodians, Not Owners

In large enterprises, product teams are stewards of assets on behalf of the organisation, not the sole owners. They ensure these assets function well, not just for their product goals but for the broader organisational needs.

3️⃣ Service Delivery

Product teams need to adopt a service delivery mindset. They must maintain acceptable service levels when supporting the organisation’s mission, especially when it involves the assets they manage.

To illustrate the point, imagine I head the Web and App platforms at Acme Corporation. As a product leader, I have a vision to grow and expand our key product metrics. BUT I’m also serving the organisation when their initiatives touch my products.

It could be:

• A Marketing initiative that needs to add a new widget in the Mobile App.
• A Legal initiative needing to ask for new user consent.
• A Ventures initiative testing product-market fit for a new offering.

In these cases, on top of executing my own product roadmap, I’m also delivering new features, enhancements, defect fixes, and ensuring compliance for those assets—on behalf of the rest of the organisation.

Hey product leaders, do you see your teams as Product teams or as Product + Service teams?