Shipping alone isn’t enough: Here’s how to make your work visible

A former product manager at Zalando reflects on the challenges of gaining visibility and recognition for a content management system project that significantly improved content production efficiency but failed to communicate its business impact to leadership. Despite the operational success of doubling content output and implementing advanced features, the lack of strategic framing meant these achievements were not recognized at higher management levels. The author emphasizes the importance of linking product outcomes to business goals, using a "visibility pyramid" framework to differentiate between tasks, outcomes, and strategic framing. They advocate for proactive communication of impacts, involving stakeholders early, and aligning projects with company objectives. Additionally, the need to market new features internally and engage users effectively is highlighted, using in-product nudges, storytelling, and power user testimonials to ensure adoption and visibility. The author stresses that product managers should focus on demonstrating business impact and user benefits rather than just technical achievements to gain recognition and support within an organization.