8 Ways to Connect Teams to Customers and Avoid the Mistake of Backlog Fixation

Overcoming 8 limiting beliefs that separate product teams and customers.

Shattering Your Limiting Beliefs Separating Product Teams and Customers | Images by DALL-E

You’ve got a problem if you know your backlog better than you know your customer

“97% of product teams know their backlog and ticketing system better than their customer.”

I posted this statement across Reddit, LinkedIn, and Twitter last week.

It sparked a fire of regret from many.

• Regretting the widespread truth of the statement.
• Regretting a tool has become their focus, not their customer.
• Regretting the backlog is as close as they can get to customers.
• Regretting their team is not seen as capable of customer interaction.

But a few said they know their customer and the joy it brings:

• Empathy for the exact struggles the customer faces.
• Less pressure to deliver more features than are necessary.
• Better insight into surgical ways to solve the root cause of pain.
• The rush of knowing they have made their customers’ lives better.