How do you operate when you don’t have any support?

All operations students will encounter this problem:

It is difficult to come up with an operational method that requires the support of product functions to be implemented, but due to various reasons, it fails to receive a timely response, so that the idea that you think is very good cannot be implemented or a good opportunity is missed.

In this case, don’t blame the PM and RD. There are reasons why the requirements were cut:

1. The rhythm of product and operation is out of sync

Products generally have their own rhythm and plan. For example, the functional requirements of an APP are generally scheduled for the next two months, among which there will be core functions that must be launched, which have the highest priority. During this process, operations will definitely be synchronized with product functions to prepare content or users for new core functions.

However, the harmonious cooperation between products and operations generally only exists on one main line. In addition, operations will have their own rhythm, starting from several other branches to gradually promote project progress. Therefore, there will definitely be demand for product functions.

For these branch requirements, their priority in the eyes of the product is definitely lower than that of core functions. Therefore, branch requirements will only be considered after the development of high-priority functions is completed or there is excess RD manpower. I think this is normal and reasonable.

2. Demand benefits are small or uncertain

Demand is always in relative excess, but development manpower is always in relative shortage, so what needs to be met depends on product strategy and final benefits.

Not only will demands with low returns be relegated to the back, but demands with uncertain returns will also carry great risks. From the perspective of controlling demand, it is very normal to do reliable and well-thought-out things first.

The thinking of operations colleagues is usually: I plan to do this, and I hope that the product has such functional support to achieve such an effect. Although the project is initiated by operations, the prerequisite is product functionality, without which it cannot be accomplished.

This is equivalent to handing your own destiny over to others, with very little control. The ability that operations should have is to provide multiple paths from the current situation to the ultimate goal. If there is only one option, the risk will be much greater. If there is only one factor that causes it to fail, the project will be aborted.

Therefore, can you avoid the product functions first, do not make demands blindly, and do not rely too much on the product. Let operations try it first, and once the benefits are predictable and large enough, then push for product development.

Flexible and reasonable use of operational means to achieve the most basic usable form to replace product functions, try it out among core user groups to obtain feasibility verification, and prepare for subsequent product function development. This is the concept of "operation first". In the absence of any support, you must be prepared for operations first.

1. Advantages of Operation First

1. Risks are controllable

When starting product development, PM and RD manpower are costs and are water poured out. If the effect is not good after going online, then the cost will become a loss. Therefore, the degree to which the effect can be controlled is the risk.

Operations first means that there is no need to invest in development manpower, but instead to try it out through operational means. Although the implementation is not perfect, the effect is already apparent and is a reliable basis for decision-making. Therefore, it can be inferred that if there is support from product functions, the effect should be better.

2. Seize the opportunity

For operations, it is very important to take advantage of the situation. If you do it well, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort. But if you miss the best time, you won’t be able to take advantage of this momentum. If you want to take advantage of the situation to implement an operational measure, but it is delayed for two days because of the need to develop a function, you may not be able to do it because you have missed the best opportunity. To seize the opportunity, you must respond quickly, operate first, and find a way to get it online as soon as possible.

3. Increase confidence

During the product function design and development stage, each role in the team is uncertain about the effect after going online, and it is impossible for the ideas to be completely consistent, so different opinions are inevitable. Then you can only brainstorm and PK, and if the decision is not smooth, you will take some detours.

If operations come first, some simple attempts are made and the results are presented to the team, everyone will have a clear understanding of the matter, and it will be easier to reach a consensus and reduce unnecessary communication and trial and error costs.

2. Disadvantages of Operations First

1. Increased operating labor costs

Doing a project without developing features actually transfers the manpower costs of PM and RD to operations. Operations colleagues need to build a makeshift team to build a platform, communicate with users in more detail, use Excel to calculate more data offline, and create static special pages or posts to replace product functions.

2. Poor user experience

Putting operations first can save development costs and enable quick launch so as not to miss hot spots, but this sacrifices the presentation format and harms the user's reading or operating experience. There is gain and loss, which is in line with the laws of nature. This is the result of weighing the pros and cons.

3. High level of execution required

Operation comes first, and it is operations that assume the role of product functions, so this process requires high execution capabilities from operations personnel. These may seem like small details, but when added together they can determine the success or failure of a project, such as copywriting , communication methods, promotion channels, etc.

In addition to the above three points, there is another possible problem. The basis for operations first is that the boss and the team have enough trust in operations and are willing to analyze the results based on operations attempts. Otherwise everything said above is meaningless.

In the absence of support, operations first is a concept and a consciousness. However, the following points should be noted during implementation:

1. Quick Trial

There are many steps in the process from the birth of an idea to its fruition, but the most important one is taking the first step. If you refuse to take action simply because you haven't put a product into production and can't present your idea relatively perfectly, then there is no possibility of winning.

2. Flexible thinking

The concept of operations first is actually an unconventional approach. It changes the original mindset and work flow and achieves the ultimate goal through a roundabout way. Therefore, the thinking of operators is also required to be flexible and non-rigid.

In addition, you can take the main road or the country road from the starting point to the end point. The specific choice depends on the final destination and current conditions. Although Yangguan Avenue is the normal choice and is more comfortable to walk on, if the road is closed and cannot be used, then the advantage is worthless. On the contrary, although the country roads are muddy, they are not restricted by road closures and can reach the destination quickly, which is perfect.

There are always many ways to solve a problem. The ideal way is to list them all and then choose the most feasible one, rather than sticking to one.

3. Pay attention to details during execution

Because operational means are used to replace product functions, every step of the operation should be like the product, paying attention to details and user experience to improve conversion rate .

For a product, it is the design of each page and the experience of each operation process. For operations, it is the copywriting of the execution phase, the skills of communicating with users, and the instructions in the activity rules. These very detailed factors will affect the final effect, so they require close attention.

4. Select core users to try

The target users that operations prioritize should be the active core user group in the product. reason:

① After all, if no product functions are implemented, the poor experience will more or less harm users. This group of people is small in size, which also controls the impact of harming users.

②Core users are more proficient in using Internet products, and even if the experience is not good, it will not affect their completion rate.

③Core users are the best samples. As long as they can verify it, it will be very convincing and can be copied to more users.

After the theory, let's use a few cases to illustrate:

▍Case 1:

Suppose you are the operator of Zhihu. When you find out that Kai-Fu Lee , Ma Huateng and Lei Jun have all come, would you have a strong desire to make a cool page and put these big guys on it? Similar to the picture below.

Doing so can highlight Zhihu's highlights, rationalize the scattered celebrity effects, and have a good effect on word-of-mouth communication and brand building.

Although this is just a static page, no functional development is required, only a UI designer is needed. However, according to the concept of operation first, we should not rush to create a special page, but first consider what ways can meet the needs of recommending celebrities and which is the most reasonable solution.

The conclusion of this question is as shown in the figure below. Zhihu seems to have never done a summary topic. As a question-and-answer website, Zhihu has always used the original question-and-answer format to meet its operational needs, such as Zhihu Roundtable, Discovery, Topics, etc. The need to recommend celebrities is also met through questions and answers.

Zhihu has many such summary posts, covering different topics from all walks of life. In fact, this is the special topic, but it is presented in the form of questions and answers. It doesn’t take a lot of time to operate such posts, nor does it take up PM, RD and UI resources. It is also highly scalable and can be added or reduced multiple times.

More importantly, we strengthen the core functions of the product for users and create different ways of playing, but we always keep users in the same big pool, do not transfer them out, and meet their needs. From this perspective, this approach is the most reasonable.

▍Case 2:

Suppose you are in charge of the core user group or community operations, and you have designed a complete user life cycle system, hoping that user obligations and privileges will be different at different levels.

The most important thing is to allow users to understand the system simply and clearly, and also feel the sense of achievement of advancement. Currently, the best way to achieve this effect is through games , because they can provide rich visual and interactive effects, which have a great impact on users when upgrading. For example, the effects of the following two pictures:

However, due to the limitations of product form, development costs and service focus, it is difficult for general non-game Internet products to achieve such powerful results.

According to the concept of operation first, you can choose a lower-cost solution: use static pages to display level privileges, try to optimize page design and copywriting, make it easy to understand and attractive, and ensure the most basic effect. As shown in the following two pictures:

In conclusion

"Operation first" is a concept and a way of thinking. It can be implemented in many big and small things in daily work. Operations students may wish to change their mindset and give it a try, so as to respond to ever-changing situations.

Mobile application product promotion service: APP promotion service Qinggua Media advertising