(2023-04-07) Cutler Tbm211 Productreality Fit Prf

John Cutler: TBM 211: Product-Reality Fit (PRF). Product-market fit (PMF) is important, and yes, it comes "first." But assume you have "it." Your biggest challenge is PRF: Product Reality Fit.

After a difficult period of trying to get product market fit, a company will be cranking along doing its thing. (3X)

People start having ideas.

None of those things are inherently wrong ideas. But they are also the potential seeds of poor PRF. Why?

Overconfidence

Divergence from core competency

Lack of research and validation

Insufficient resources

Each successive failure gets chalked up to poor execution, poor-fit leaders, or similar, and every success gets chalked up to genius. And this can go on for years—with an ever-increasing divergence between product and reality.

One interesting phenomenon with PRF is that part of the issue is figuring out WHY you had product market fit in the first place. This is harder than it seems from the outside. (Most Successful Companies Get Just One Thing Right)

So how do you maintain product reality fit?

Self-awareness: Stay grounded in what made you successful in the first place

A customer-centric approach

Research and validation

Allocate resources wisely:

Open communication and cross-team collaboration

Regularly review and reassess strategy:

A good mix of hiring from within and outside: