The best product teams are on a road trip together Everyone has a shared destination in mind. Everyone gets a chance to drive. Let's dig into what a great trip looks like ↓

Roadtrips start with a final destination in mind (often set by the PM, but informed by the team), but rarely a pre-defined path to get there. There is someone in the drivers seat, but passengers will always have something to say — and it's up to the driver how much to listen.

Eventually, you switch drivers (PM ⇢ Design). But that doesn't mean the PM has nothing to say anymore. It just means the Designer is in the drivers seat and gets to decide what input is most valuable.

When roadtrips are particularly long, everyone will have multiple shifts driving. When projects are long, it also makes sense to break them down into milestones that go through the PM>Design>Eng loop multiple times.

Great teams have built enough trust that passengers feel safe falling asleep. If something important comes up, the driver will wake everyone up.

When something goes completely off the rail (flat tires), everyone rallies to figure out what to do. No one wastes time assigning blame (how could you not see that?).

And most importantly, everyone has fun along the way. So much so that everyone is excited for the next road trip!