You're launching a tech product. How can you ensure engineers and marketers work seamlessly together?

Pour garantir une collaboration fluide entre ingénieurs et marketeurs, le secret réside dans la création de points de convergence. Lorsque chaque équipe comprend que leurs succès sont intrinsèquement liés, le travail ne se fait plus en vase clos. Définir des objectifs communs - précis et mesurables - les transforme en une équipe unifiée. Imaginez un ingénieur travaillant main dans la main avec un marketeur pour lancer une fonctionnalité d’un produit, chacun ayant une perspective différente mais complémentaire. Ce genre de synergie est ce qui propulse un produit au sommet du marché.

From my experience of building a SAAS company from scratch to exit. This is where you need a product manager/lead. A Product Manager is a General Manager who holds P&L responsibility for the product. In the early days of startup, a founder acts as one. This person ensures that there is alignment between 1) Customer need & Product features [Bridge between customers & Engineers] 2) Product features & our Marketing Message [ Bridge between features, product position, differentiators & marketing messages] A shared goal is a document which captures this; however we need a PM to drive this.

A forma de trabalhar por squads ágeis em que os times de diferentes competências se juntam para entregar um projeto é uma das maneiras pelas quais as organizações estão mudando o jeito de trabalhar e buscando engajar os times em prol de objetivos comuns. Essa mudança passa por quebrar silos, legados e fazer uma ampla transformação de cultura.

Según mi experiencia en el desarrollo de diferentes productos tecnológicos, integrar equipos multidisciplinarios, es una buena práctica aunque no siempre es lo más fácil. Objetivos alineados y conocidos por todos, una comunicación continua y horizontal derriba los silos que de manera natural tienden a formarse. Por otro lado, se suelen tener soluciones mucho más eficientes cuando los equipos técnicos conocen y entienden los tipos de usuarios, las necesidades a cubrir y las características de comportamiento esperado. A su vez, si los equipos de MKT, UX y CX entienden aspectos técnicos del producto, pueden resaltar aquellas características diferenciadoras. Pero esto se multiplica si integramos en cada ciclo de iteración a usuarios finales.

Más que referirnos a "ambos equipos" deberíamos pensar que se trata de un único equipo, con un mismo objetivo. Pensar en áreas separadas sólo nos aleja de lograr un objetivo común.

My two cents 1. Postmortem sessions/frequent connects will enable continuous learning by analyzing both engineering and marketing outcomes in a blameless environment. 2. Performance metrics correlation helps identify the impact of engineering factors on marketing success, driving data-driven improvements and aligning future strategies.

Reuniões regulares e canais de comunicação são essenciais para manter todos atualizados sobre o progresso e desafios, além de facilitar a compreensão mútua entre as partes. Explicar termos técnicos e de marketing ajuda a alinhar expectativas e integrar o feedback do cliente no desenvolvimento do produto, promovendo uma abordagem mais coesa e informada.

Pour une collaboration réussie, mettez en place un échange continu et direct. Instaurer un dialogue fluide, où chaque membre se sent libre de partager ses idées, favorise la transparence. Des réunions régulières, agrémentées de discussions franches sur les contraintes techniques et les retours des clients, sont essentielles. La clé ? Démystifier le jargon de chaque discipline. Un ingénieur qui comprend les besoins du marché et un marketeur qui saisit les défis techniques forment un duo imparable, prêt à répondre aux attentes des clients.

Open communication is essential for effective cross-functional collaboration. Here’s how to establish it: Regular Meetings: Schedule consistent meetings for engineers and marketers to share updates, challenges, and insights. Clear Channels: Set up dedicated communication channels to enable real-time discussions and feedback. Clarify Jargon: Make sure technical and marketing terms are explained clearly, so both teams understand each other. Share Insights: Engineers can explain technical limitations, while marketers provide customer feedback that could influence product features. Promote Learning: Encourage continuous learning between teams to build mutual respect and understanding.

Implementing collaborative tools and platforms that facilitate transparent communication and knowledge sharing between engineers and marketers. Tools like project management software, shared dashboards, and real-time messaging apps can help keep everyone on the same page, even outside of formal meetings. Encouraging informal interactions, such as brainstorming sessions or even social events, can also break down barriers and build rapport between the teams. This fosters a culture of openness and trust, where team members feel comfortable voicing concerns, asking questions, and proposing innovative solutions, ultimately leading to more effective collaboration and better outcomes.

Implementing cross-training opportunities where engineers and marketers can learn the basics of each other's fields. For example, offering short workshops or job-shadowing experiences can help marketers grasp the complexities of product development, while engineers can gain insights into customer personas and market strategies. This not only broadens each team's perspective but also enhances empathy and respect for the challenges faced by their counterparts. Moreover, when team members appreciate the intricacies of each other's work, it encourages more thoughtful collaboration, where suggestions and feedback are grounded in a well-rounded understanding of both the technical and market-driven aspects of the product.

Role clarity is key to effective collaboration. Here’s how to ensure both teams understand and respect each other’s roles: Understand Roles: Engineers should be familiar with market trends and customer insights that marketers analyze. Marketers should grasp the basics of the product’s technical aspects. Mutual Respect: Foster respect for each team’s expertise, encouraging constructive feedback and collaborative problem-solving. Collaborative Suggestions: Marketers can propose features based on customer demand, which engineers can evaluate for technical feasibility, blending insights with practicality. Ongoing Learning: Encourage continuous education on each other's fields to strengthen collaboration and innovation.

In my experience one way to foster seamless collaboration between engineers and marketers, is that we must cultivate a shared understanding of our respective roles and goals. Engineers need to grasp the market dynamics and customer needs that marketers diligently analyze, while marketers should familiarize themselves with the technical intricacies of the product. By bridging this knowledge gap, we can create a collaborative environment where ideas flow freely, and we can transform customer insights into innovative solutions.

Marketers want it done fast, engineers want it done right, customers don't care for as long as it solves their problems. Role clarity ensures that each member of the working team is focussed on what they are best at to create a product people want.

To ensure engineers and marketers work seamlessly when launching a tech product, develop joint strategies that leverage both teams' strengths. Engineers can create prototypes for market testing, while marketers gather customer feedback to refine the product. In the short term, focus on automated solutions that don't overly depend on the existing architecture. For example, automate slow database queries to improve performance quickly. Long-term, aim to optimize the architecture for cost-effectiveness and sustainability. By aligning on product development timelines and launch campaigns, both teams can ensure the product meets technical standards and market expectations.

Effective innovation demands seamless alignment between technical capabilities and market demands. Co-creating strategies that integrate the strengths of both engineering and marketing teams isn't just beneficial—it's essential. For instance, fostering iterative prototyping combined with real-time market feedback can rapidly refine a product's fit. More importantly, involving marketers early in technical discussions ensures the narrative aligns with the product's evolution. This synergy transforms product launch strategies from siloed operations into dynamic, adaptive processes that drive true market impact.

Joint strategies are essential for maximizing the strengths of both engineers and marketers. Here’s how to create them: Leverage Strengths: Collaborate by having engineers develop prototypes for market testing, while marketers gather customer feedback to refine the product. Unified Planning: Work together on product development timelines and launch campaigns, ensuring both teams contribute to the strategy. Align Goals: Ensure that both technical standards and market expectations are met by aligning the objectives of both teams from the start. Continuous Collaboration: Keep communication open throughout the project, refining strategies based on ongoing feedback and insights from both teams.

One thing I found leading a tech team. To achieve seamless collaboration between engineers and marketers, is to adapt the modern organizational structure and we must establish a shared vision and work towards common goals. By aligning product development with market demands, we can create a synergy that drives innovation and customer satisfaction. Regular cross-functional collaboration, such as joint planning sessions and knowledge sharing workshops, will foster a culture of open communication and mutual respect. By working hand-in-hand, we can optimize our product launch and ensure its success.

Use the agile methods to manage these development phase in the project creating plannings, dailys, reviews and retrospective meetings to garantee the success of the strategy.

Implementar ciclos de feedback contínuos é crucial para a melhoria constante do produto. Profissionais de marketing podem fornecer aos engenheiros feedback valioso dos clientes, que pode levar a aprimoramentos significativos. Da mesma forma, engenheiros podem informar os profissionais de marketing sobre novos recursos ou avanços técnicos. Essa troca contínua garante que o produto se mantenha relevante e competitivo no mercado. Por exemplo, envolver clientes parceiros em testes beta e usar seus insights para ajustes finais pode ser uma estratégia eficaz antes do lançamento.

While marketing will focus on market study and amplifying the marketing message to maximise marketing reach, engineering will primarily be focused on a robust feature rich, resilient and sustainable product. Features mapping, market study and value proposition are critical part of developing a product and getting it right needs a very seamless feedback loop between both teams. The concept of oversell and maximise market capture and under sell and over deliver are so contradictory to the DNA of both marketing and engineering. However, both are critical for a product to succeed, hence friction free and seamless feedback and collaborative mindset between the two is critical from early stage to post launch phases too.

Feedback loops are vital for continuous improvement. Here’s how to implement them effectively: Ongoing Exchange: Establish regular feedback loops where marketers share customer insights with engineers, leading to product enhancements. Inform and Innovate: Engineers should keep marketers updated on new features and technical advancements that could impact marketing strategies. Beta Testing: Involve select customers in beta testing, using their feedback to make final adjustments before the product launch. Stay Competitive: Ensure this continuous exchange keeps the product relevant and competitive in the market, adapting quickly to customer needs and technological changes.

La implementación de bucles de retroalimentación, donde ingenieros y especialistas en marketing intercambian información y perspectivas, es vital para la mejora continua del producto y su adaptación a las necesidades del mercado.

Using the agile methods, you bring th team to participate the reviews and retrospectives meetings that cover this scenario. Use the bug or enhancements cards to treat the funcional problems and improvements cards to implment the continuos improvement using the Kaizen, e.g.

Workshops y Team Building, Organizar talleres conjuntos y actividades de integración para fomentar la comprensión mutua y fortalecer las relaciones entre los equipos.

Establishing a mentorship or buddy system that pairs engineers and marketers together for ongoing learning and support. This approach creates a continuous feedback loop, where team members can ask questions, share knowledge, and collaborate on problem-solving in real-time. These partnerships can also lead to more innovative ideas, as engineers and marketers brainstorm together with a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives. Additionally, recognizing and rewarding those who actively engage in this mutual education fosters a culture of learning and collaboration, further integrating the strengths of both teams to drive the product's success.

Para asegurar que los ingenieros y especialistas en marketing trabajen juntos de manera efectiva al lanzar un producto tecnológico, es clave invertir en "Educación Mutua". Al aprender sobre los campos del otro—como desarrollo ágil para los especialistas en marketing y psicología del consumidor para los ingenieros—ambos equipos pueden comunicarse mejor, alinearse con una visión común y fomentar una colaboración más innovadora y productiva. Esto no solo mejora la dinámica del equipo, sino que también impulsa el éxito del producto en el mercado.

Engineers will see the product from the Technical aspect, usability, customer experience. On the other side, Marketing will see the product from the ability to pitch the product in the market. Sometimes, both sides may miss some important points (positive or otherwise). So it will be better each others (Engineers and Marketing) share their perspective and mutually agree. This will for sure help the product go a long way.

When you speak about something, the most important thing is to be sure that you are aware of all the pros and cons and know your product inside out. I am deeply surprised when I still see marketers or salespeople promoting or pushing a product without even knowing how it works. Corporate education is the most effective way to make your company function efficiently. Even interns should become product ambassadors when they speak about the company. You never know where your next client may come from.