Building for the next phase: leveraging data for iterative improvement

A great program manager doesn’t just launch, but continuously improves.

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Keeping a pulse on your program, and enhancing as you go, is a key component of maintaining program health and keeping your users, stakeholders, and teammates happy. Yet, we often find ourselves preoccupied with short-term considerations — focusing on immediate launch requirements — rather than thoughtful brainstorming to envision and build long-term potential. 

So how do we get from v.1 to v.2? Look at the data. 

Data is a critical tool because it provides insights into what needs to be adjusted or scrapped. In this article, I will share how to effectively leverage your program data to create the next best version of your build.

🛑 Before we begin: If you aren’t tracking metrics in your program, close this tab and go start. Right now. Like, right, right now. Data is key for program management and without it, you, and your program, will be operating on vibes™! 

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Start with the obvious: 

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If there are glaring trends in your data, tackle those first. Maybe your Resources page has 3x the amount of page views than your About Us page. Maybe your CSAT is the lowest it’s ever been. Whatever stands out, take note.

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Perform an external needs assessment:

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You already completed this step during the first planning phase, now it’s time for another round.

No program is flawless, and there will always be gaps. Determining which gaps are key, low lifts, and standard enhancements will help prioritize your rollout.

• Key: Must dos, priority zero. Examples include sunsetting software because it’s costing too much and your program is well over budget. Or, hiring a new team member to assist with operations because you’ve acquired double the amount of customers. Without implementing key gaps, the program is, or will be, at risk.
• Low lifts: Easy tasks that solve a problem and don’t take much time or many resources. It could be something simple as changing the copy on a button because it’s too confusing, or sending a monthly Slack message to your working group with program updates.
• Standard enhancements: Medium/large-scale quality of life improvements. Does the landing page need a revamp? Do you need to ship swag to most engaged customers? Think of these as obvious next steps that weren’t critical for v.1 launch, but signify the natural growth of your program. 

Personally, I love me a good assessment. Depending on the size and impact of my program, I typically build monthly data recaps, quarterly reviews, and an end-to-end audit at the year mark. Monthly is for quickly sharing numbers, quarterly is to track milestones, and annually is for a 360 look at how the program is performing.

Perform an internal needs assessment:

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Make sure team adjustments and recommendations are addressed. This can be through a survey, or by hosting a XFN retro meeting. Here are some questions to get you thinking about improvements:

• Documentation: Is your program properly documented? Could someone else run your program without you being present? Where would a new teammate go to learn more?
• Automations: Identify manual tasks and explore opportunities for time-saving automation. What software needs to be acquired to execute these automations? 
• Communication: Evaluate the efficiency of team updates; are there too many meetings? Not enough?

Company and/or team goals: Reflect on what’s changed at the team, department, or company.  How have the objectives shifted, and what can you tweak to meet new goals? Don’t pivot the entire program, rather, ensure that you’re keeping it aligned with company growth and momentum. 

• Audience: Has the company’s target demographic been redefined? Are you shifting upstream to enterprise clients rather than small businesses?
• Revenue: Is there a new revenue target for your department? Will your program budget be impacted?
• Marketing: are there new marketing campaigns that your program can fold into?

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📁 Tip: Use FigJam to group your thoughts into themes.

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Put it all together: 

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You now have a cauldron of enhancements rooted in data. Next steps: 1) prioritize and 2) create a workback plan.

Typically, major program enhancements happen at the top of new quarters, so you'll want to perform your audits at least two months out so you have a concrete roadmap to present to stakeholders before implementation. 

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And that’s it! You’ve leveraged data to make sure the next iteration of your program makes sense for everyone involved. Now, repeat this process as many times as you need. Maybe the duration between launching new versions gets longer, or maybe the updates you have to make are all minor, but never stop iterating, never stop listening.