Pandora, the music streaming giant, has achieved a significant user base with a limited engineering team by employing a unique product prioritisation system. The Opportunity, Importance, and Confidence (OIC) model, devised by Pandora’s Senior Product Manager, Jason Hreha, is the cornerstone of this success. This system enables the team to rank potential product features based on three metrics: the opportunity they offer, their importance to the business, and the confidence in their successful implementation.
The OIC model encourages a data-driven approach, with each project assigned a score between 1 and 10 for each of the three categories. The final score is the product of these three numbers, which is then used to prioritise projects. This method allows for a more objective evaluation, reducing bias and promoting the most beneficial features.
Furthermore, the OIC model is flexible, allowing the team to adjust scores as new information becomes available. This adaptability ensures that the prioritisation remains relevant and effective over time. The system’s transparency also promotes accountability and understanding amongst team members.
The OIC model’s success is evident in Pandora’s impressive user statistics: with only 40 engineers, the company has over 70 million active monthly users. This demonstrates the power of a well-implemented product prioritisation system.
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