Product Thinking vs Project Thinking

In the world of software development, it’s easy to get caught up in the “project mindset.” We have deadlines, scope, and deliverables. We measure success by whether we shipped on time and within budget.

But as a Product Owner, I believe we need to shift towards Product Thinking.

What is Product Thinking?

Product thinking focuses on the outcome, not just the output. It asks: “What problem are we solving?” rather than “What feature are we building?”

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.” — Theodore Levitt

The Core Difference

• Project Thinking: “We need to build a search feature by Q2.”
• Product Thinking: “Users are struggling to find relevant content. How might we improve discoverability?”

When we focus on the problem, the solution might be a search bar, or it might be better navigation, or personalized recommendations. By falling in love with the problem, not the solution, we open ourselves up to better, more innovative answers.