Why features alone don’t define success

Releasing features can create the illusion of progress, but output does not automatically equal value. A new feature might ship on time and work as intended, yet if it fails to change user behavior or move a key business metric, its impact remains limited.

Teams that define success only by shipping features risk becoming a “feature factory,” where activity is mistaken for achievement. This often leads to misaligned priorities, as teams focus on what is easy to build or highly visible instead of what truly drives results.

By shifting attention to outcomes, product managers create accountability. Work is considered successful only when it leads to measurable improvements such as higher retention, stronger engagement, or increased revenue. When outcomes guide decisions, teams can try different solutions instead of being locked into fixed feature requests. Success is then measured by solving the right problems, not by producing the most features.^[1]