Most product teams struggle not because they lack talent, but because they are structured in ways that slow them down. Many organizations default to functional team structures—feature teams, platform teams, or tech-driven teams—without considering how customers experience value.
This leads to misalignment, execution bottlenecks, and teams optimizing for output rather than outcomes.
The Mistake: Internal Functions Over Customer Outcomes
A typical product organization is structured around internal functions:
- Feature teams focus on shipping features but lack accountability for business outcomes.
- Tech teams solve internal problems but are often disconnected from customer value.
- Platform teams provide critical infrastructure but do not directly impact GTM execution.
The result? Fragmented execution, misaligned priorities, and a disconnect between product, engineering, and go-to-market teams.
The Alternative: Organizing Around Customer Value
Instead of structuring teams around internal processes, high-performing product organizations design their teams around how customers experience the product.
- Customer Journey-Aligned Teams: Teams own end-to-end customer outcomes, reducing dependencies and increasing accountability.
- Mission-Based Teams: Cross-functional squads focused on strategic initiatives that require coordination across different parts of the business.
- Scalable Decision-Making: Frameworks that enable autonomy while maintaining strategic alignment.
Key Takeaway The best product organizations structure their teams around customer value, not internal silos. This shift leads to faster execution, better cross-functional alignment, and a more scalable organization.
What’s next? In the next edition, I’ll break down how to balance speed and alignment in a scaling organization. Follow this newsletter for insights on scaling product teams, modular GTM, and product-led growth.
