Week 18 · learning day 1
Product versus market development
Growth Strategies and Market Metrics · 45–60 minutes
Today’s outcomes
- Explain product versus market development in the context of growth strategies and market metrics.
- Frame a product decision using the source outcome rather than intuition alone.
- Produce a reusable section of a growth-options portfolio.
Source trace
W18-O01Explain product and market development for growth.W18-O06Apply the concept of options thinking.
Core lesson
Make the choice inspectable
Product versus market development matters when it changes a real allocation of attention, money, time, or delivery capacity. Growth choices must protect the economic engine that funds future options.
Start by naming the decision and the uncertainty around it. Separate evidence from assumptions, compare at least one alternative, and state what would make you revise the choice.
The source outcome for today is: Explain product and market development for growth. Apply the concept of options thinking.
What decision will product versus market development improve, what evidence is sufficient for that decision, and what is the cost of being wrong?
Worked example
Product versus market development in practice
For a local experiences marketplace, the product manager must frame a choice about product versus market development. The team records the target user and outcome, the evidence currently available, the strongest alternative, and the next reversible test. The recommendation is written as a choice with a reason—not as a list of features.
Do the work · 20 minutes
Turn the idea into a decision
- Choose a product you know and write the specific decision that product versus market development should support.
- List two pieces of evidence, two assumptions, and one credible alternative.
- Make a recommendation in three sentences and add one condition that would change it.
Save to your portfolio
A growth-options portfolio — section: Product versus market development
Knowledge check
Answer before opening
What is the decision at the centre of product versus market development?
A good answer names an accountable choice, not merely an activity or output.
How should evidence and assumptions be separated?
Label observed facts, interpretations, and untested beliefs explicitly so the next learning step is visible.
What makes the recommendation revisable?
It includes a trigger, threshold, or new evidence that would justify changing course.
What should the portfolio artefact communicate?
The context, considered alternatives, chosen direction, rationale, evidence, and remaining risk.
Spaced review
Reconnect the learning
Reflection