The Difficulty of “Feature Parity”
At first it starts off innocuously. You create an iOS or web app that does really well in the market, and after a while you want to expand to another platform. A list of features in the current app is made, and you get to work replicating them. 6 months later, you’re still not done and your competitor has launched an app on that platform with less features, but more users because they have the first mover advantage. You’re still struggling to complete the first half of your list of features. I’ll tell you the punch line now…
“Feature parity” should not be treated as a hard requirement when building for a new platform or redesigning a product. It’s a risky blanket statement that causes bloat by including all the mistakes you made while building the original product.
Where Does the Requirement for Feature Parity Come From?
The pressure of having to achieve feature parity can come about due to a number of factors. The three below are the most common ones I’ve heard in conversations with other Product Managers.
- Competitive pressure against other companies: When trying to compete (especially in a crowded market), it…
