---
title: Product Thinking for Cloud Native Engineers
weight: 1
tags:
 - platform
 - org
 - management
---

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This is a slightly updated version of the KubeCon EU 2025 Talk of the same name.
Please check out [my notes of the KubeCon talk](https://kubecon25.nicolai-ort.com/day0/08_product-thinking) for additional details and the original recording + slides. 

## But Why?

- Focus on user value and outcome
- Create visibility for things that are usually not that visible (operatrions, planning, ...)

## And What

### Principles

- Problem > Solution
- Outcome > Output
- Product > Project

### For whom?

- Builders (Platform Dev, Product Dev)
- Enablers (Platform Dev, Service Providers)
- Regulators
- Viewers (Controlling, Finance)

## Problems > Solutions

### First steps

1. Find the problem that is the most important (has the most value) to solve
2. Understand the problem to figure out how to solve it

![Product compass illustration](../_img/product-compass.png)

### Defining the problem space

Goals:
- Identify opportunities
- Prioritise
- Gather insignts and data

Techniques:
- Value stream mapping
- RICE, Value vs Effort or ather cost benefit analysis
- Analyse your exploration proces

## Metrics

- If you don't provide your own metrics, someone else will guesstimate some for you - this might result in metrics that don't represent the value you provide
- Product metrics should measure outcome not output (or performance metrics)
- Baseline: You need to know the desired outcome

## And how?

### With Frameworks

- DevEx: Balance Flow State, Feedback Loops and Cognitive Load
- Internal Platform Scorecard (by Syntasso): Speed (Time to deploy), Safety (Policy compliance), Efficiency (mean time to upgrade), Scalabulity (Mean time to new service)
- DORA
- Space
- DX Core 4

### At the engineer level

- Look at: Which outcomes do you want to reach
- Side-Benefit: Easy to explain to management
- You can do it yourself without a PO or PM