In product we’re often listening for our customers’ feedback in the form of deliberate words. We ask questions to elicit what they like, don’t like, and what they would change. We want to speak with them, sit with them, and observe them encountering and solving their challenges. We do this so that we can gain a deeper understanding of their problems and begin to think deeply about how we might apply technology and design to solve them in a way that the customer will love and that works for our business.*

An important and strategic part of this listening process, however, is not just keying in on the words customers use. As product people (product managers, designers, engineers, etc) we also are trained to listen to “yummy sounds.” Yummy sounds are audible cues that the user is pleased with an idea or solution. They are often the most reactionary and purest form of feedback - just like when you take a bite of that delicious dish when you’re really hungry and let out an “mmmmm.” These are the same sounds that users make when presented with a solution to their problem that really feels good and, for me, are the earliest indicator of potential product success.  

Over time I have found that yummy sounds apply not just to the product but to the product team as well. As a product manager or leader, your team is your most important product. Products do not get built and problems do not get solved without the team. Ensuring that the product team is viable, feasible, usable, and valuable (meaning the team chooses to be there, knows how to work together, has what they need to be successful, and contributes in a way that each member finds meaningful) is the most important job of a PM. We should treat our product teams as our first product.

I am a huge believer in the approach that product teams should experiment with how they work together, blend roles and responsibilities, engage users and the business, and iterate on how they want to mature. Through regular norming conversations, retrospectives, and team meetings product team members should give and get feedback on the team’s operations and how they work together. Did we try something that worked particularly well? Did that new facilitation technique produce a higher-energy conversation, more inputs to brainstorming, or really get the team engaged? Did a process change we aligned on mean that we crushed our goals? As a PM I’m listening for the words my team uses to tell me if we’re working well together and if a change was successful, but I’m also listening for yummy sounds - the sounds of a team having fun, laughing, enjoying the way we work together and seeing our results.

Product team discovery and delivery meetings are not the only place to listen for yummy sounds. Outside of norming, retrospectives, and other team ceremonies I also suggest the PM meet with each member of the team one on one at least once a sprint. These meetings provide a wonderful opportunity to hear about each contributor's hopes and dreams for the team, their own growth, how they see us operating, and what they would change. I use these as an opportunity to understand if their individual viability, feasibility, usability and value needs are met and, if not, address that risk early on.

In addition to one on ones, another place to listen to yummy sounds is just to sit where the team sits (albeit this was easier in-person than a virtual world). Is there a decent amount of chatter from people engaging each other for opinions, laughter, and high-fives? Virtually, is the product team’s MS Teams thread or Slack channel filled with a decent amount of thank yous, emojis, or professional (ish) gifs? Teams will have their own norms around these behaviors - my suggestion is to go to the place where team culture is made and look/listen for “yummy” indicators.

Product leaders, people leaders, and those in product-adjacent roles pick up on team yummy sounds too. When someone asks about how it’s going on a certain team the yummy or non-yummy reaction can be pretty visceral even if the words are nice. Paying attention to cues that people like (or don’t like) what they’re working on, feel (or don’t feel) their purpose, or align  (or don’t align) with the product strategy can be incredibly useful for those who support the product team. Yummy sounds, or lack thereof, are leading indicators for the success and impact of the product team.

So, go forth and listen for those yummy sounds amongst your teams. Train your ear to hone in on the earliest cues you’re hitting the mark as a team and drive your iterations off those as well.

For more thoughts on powerful product teams visit Jessica’s blog: https://powerfulproductteams.com/.

* For more info on Inspired products I suggest you go straight to the source - https://svpg.com/inspired-how-to-create-products-customers-love/