What is a concept review

A Concept Review is a process designed to address the appropriateness of various product proposals to determine which one is the best to invest time and resources. The Concept Review process provides a forum for more specific development issues and potential concerns to be raised before implementing the concept.

The Ideal Concept Review

Every product is different, and so is every concept review process. Before you commit to one path, you need to know everything about the idea, so a concept review should come before you reach the ‘point of no return,’ the final launch. Here are a few essential tools to bring to a concept review:

Actionable Data

Product managers need to make decisions. Actionable data can be acted upon and provides insight into where a suitable concept should occur. For instance, product managers can take time to identify users’ pain points and convert that into information that will help them determine which product would best suit the consumers. Actionable data makes it easier to make clear and informed choices.

Visual Aids

Data visualizations come in handy for concept review. Product management teams understand visual representations better, and they can use them to identify missteps in the design before it hits the production line. If there are multiple designers in the team, make it an audition of product ideas. Each member should present their idea to the rest of the team for approval and constructive criticism.

The Delphi Method

The Delphi Method is a technique that gets a product management team to work together in a concept review process. It is based on the idea that a consensus from experts is better than the opinions of designers with basic knowledge of the concept.

A product manager selects a group of experts and collects their views on the concept according to personal experiences, opinions, and research. The response to the questions enables product managers to see the advantages and disadvantages of each concept. Then the manager reads them to the team, and a suitable concept is chosen. Making informed and accurate decisions is not easy in product management, and this technique helps product managers get different views and opinions to avoid implementing the wrong ideas.

Possible Outcomes

Concept review can be exacting. It may take a series of meetings to identify which concept is best for the business. Below are some possible outcomes of concept review and how you can handle them.

Failure to Align

Settling on a concept is difficult for any product management team. Sometimes the group may fail to agree on one concept due to contrasting ideas. In this case, a product manager must look back to the drawing board and identify the source of disagreement. This will help the team get back on track and align on crucial decisions.

Inadequate Research

In the first series of concept review meetings, it is customary to fall short of data. Adequate data is crucial in making effective product decisions. If a meeting leaves the team with more questions than answers, the product manager must keep researching through every stage of the review process.