This March 2016 post exposed the disconnect between product language and project behavior. While many teams rebranded their work as “products,” they retained fixed-scope, deadline-driven delivery models. It explored how the superficial shift failed to bring durable teams, outcome-based funding, or long-term accountability — and how only true structural change enabled real product value.
By late 2017, leading organizations began to institutionalize product funding, long-lived cross-functional teams, and outcome-oriented metrics. Project management remained, but served product goals instead of controlling scope.
Today, the product model has matured in many enterprises, with permanent teams tied to value streams and customer outcomes. While the language shift began in 2016, the cultural and structural transformation took years — and remains incomplete in lagging organizations.
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