Recently I was asked about product team performance over time. The actual question was “what does your data show about how the great recession impacted product teams?”
Our data goes back to 2012 the first year we began conducting market research on this topic. That year the least number of product teams indicated that they were able to consistently deliver value on scope, schedule and cost. Interestingly, 2012 appears to have been the bottom of the trough as each year since then the positive response rate to this question has increased.
A Closer Look at the Actual Product Team Performance Data
Here are the actual numbers:
• 2012 – 13% of responses were positive
• 2013 – 21%
• 2014 – 33%
• 2015 – Not yet released (but trending upward)
So it is pretty clear that the number of survey respondents answering that their teams are delivering value consistently on scope, schedule and cost is on the rise.
What Accounts for This?
While we don’t have conclusive evidence to support our theory we believe that the key driver of this improvement has been staffing levels on product teams. During the depth of the great recession there were significant layoffs occurring both frequently and widely. Additionally, hiring was often frozen and was slow to thaw. As a result, a significant number of product teams were undermanned and to a large extent overworked. As the recessionary environment has lifted, product team members favorable responses to this question has also risen year-after-year.
What is your opinion? Has staffing improved in your organization and has it favorably impacted your product team’s performance? Or is your product team still struggling due to resource constraints and a reduced focus on talent acquisition? We want to hear from you. Let us know how your product team is performing.