This is the first article in a three-part series from Matt Moss, Sibi's Head of Product, where he breaks down how we approach product at Sibi. From identifying the systematic issues many SaaS companies face to how we innovate and build solutions, and what we seek in a great product manager, Matt will share his insights into what sets us apart and how we stay ahead in an ever-evolving industry.

At Sibi, we understand that the core of our strength lies not just in our innovative approach to transitioning the world to a smarter supply chain, but more fundamentally, in our people. Each day, a diverse team of dedicated individuals converges with a common purpose: to rebuild and redefine an entire industry from the ground up.

This convergence of unique perspectives, all stemming from varied backgrounds, is Sibi’s greatest asset. However, the diversity that enriches us also presents a challenge—establishing a unified way of working that resonates across such a wide array of experiences and disciplines. Building empowered and robust product experience teams is not a passive process; it requires intentionality and a commitment to developing a common language. This language must be clear and inclusive, enabling every member of our team to thrive and contribute effectively, regardless of their background.

The following document is a culmination of over a decade of observations and experiences across the SaaS industry, incorporating insights from industry stalwarts like Apple and Amazon, thought leaders such as Marty Cagan, James Clear, Teresa Torres, Shreyas Doshi, and Nate Walkingshaw, as well as some of the best practitioners currently building products, including LaunchDarkly’s Claire Vo and Figma’s Monika Kapoor.

Hopefully, it gives you a sense of how we think and nurture dynamic, high-performing teams.

Systemic problems within SaaS products today

In developing Sibi's product culture, we've taken a proactive stance against the systemic issues that often hinder SaaS companies' growth and ability to execute. By understanding these common problems, we've shaped our approach to work in ways that actively avoid these traps.

Before getting into how we work, let's explore the key issues we've identified as behaviors we do not want to perpetuate.

Product Manager as the Mini-CEO

One of the pitfalls a company falls into when trying to "mature" is hiring a bunch of Product Managers and having everyone develop their own strategy. This results in multiple people rowing in different directions, with no clear understanding of how the company is moving forward. Meanwhile, the company inches forward because resources are spread too thin, or we try to go too wide, too fast. Customers don’t understand the new value you're delivering because the messaging feels disjointed and hard to follow.

Profits drive value when it should be the other way around

Too many SaaS companies have pursued a growth-at-all-costs product strategy, deprioritizing the delivery of actual value to the customer. In the end, we can—and should—grow profits without deteriorating the user experience. Doing the opposite is lazy product management. It’s easy to ship low-hanging profit levers instead of facilitating inventions that provide user value and drive long-term, healthy revenue growth. We can feel good about the work we’re doing and make money while doing it.

Product tends to be oriented too heavily toward process

Successful companies want to replicate their initial success. They believe there was magic in the process they established while developing the initial inventions that led to their success. As a result, they begin to institutionalize the process. The company starts to believe that the process is the value.

The misconception that a great idea is 90% of the work

There is a tremendous amount of craftsmanship involved in transforming a great idea into a great product. Often, the pressure on companies to deliver quickly undermines this process, sacrificing the thorough discovery needed to de-risk investments and understand where the core value of what we want to deliver lies. Rather than interpreting "move faster" purely as a call to increase delivery speed, teams need to focus on accelerating the pace of learning.

We tend to outsource too much of the thinking to the PM

Our job isn’t to outsource all the thinking to the Product Manager. We don’t want our experience teams (Engineering, Design, Program, Client) executing based solely on what the Product Manager is thinking. We want our teams to both think and execute. Why? A lot of good ideas and opportunities emerge while you’re building. The deeper our teams understand the problem, the more passion they have for solving it. The value of going through the process, in most cases, is the process itself.

Gatekeepers of the backlog

Product Managers have become gatekeepers to a list of tasks teams feel they need in order to know what to do. If a team is empowered with healthy doses of curiosity, humility, a bias for action, and over-communication, they should never feel like they need permission to ship valuable work.

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Understanding and addressing these systemic challenges is crucial for any SaaS company aiming for sustainable growth. In the next part of this series, Matt will dive deeper into our innovative approaches to product development and share what we look for in a great product manager. Stay up to date with Matt over on LinkedIn! 👋