Key points:
- Today’s fast-moving market demands that companies quickly adapt their product strategies to stay competitive. Businesses need real-time insights into product dependencies and impacts.
- Maziar Adl identified a gap in existing systems like CRM, ERP, PLM, and CPQ, which fall short in early-stage planning, product roadmap development, and strategic alignment.
- He, alongside Jake Shafran, founded Gocious to address the need for a unified platform that enables high-level, strategic planning and collaboration through innovative product roadmap software.
Today’s market is moving faster than ever. Companies must quickly adapt to changing customer needs and market trends. To make informed decisions on what products and features to invest in and bring to market, especially in large organizations with complex product portfolios, you need many levels of organization to come together and align.
In the past, it was feasible to handle this coordination with more people involved through periodic updates, perhaps once a year or quarter. But now, companies can’t afford to be in the dark about their new product initiatives or the dependencies between products and teams for weeks or months.
For instance, an executive needs visibility into how the entire product portfolio collectively impacts the business. A team must be aware of the dependencies their product has on other teams and the ripple effects of their actions. Product managers need to assess how introducing a new product aligns with the company’s overall objectives.
Maziar Adl, the founder and CTO at Gocious LLC, recognized a gap in how product strategies were developed and communicated. He noted that existing systems such as CRM, ERP, PLM, and CPQ are effective after a product concept is developed but fall short in early-stage planning and creating a comprehensive product roadmap. This gap often leaves teams working in isolation without clear insights into how their actions impact the overall product strategy.
All this means that you need one place for all this information to be available so everyone at different levels of product development can make better and timely decisions. These will result in better products and faster or more predictable time to market.
In a conversation with Mirror Review, Maziar explained, “We saw an urgent need to facilitate high-level, strategic planning in a collaborative, streamlined manner, and thus, Gocious was created.”
MR: Briefly share the origin story of Gocious LLC, specializing in product portfolio roadmap management.
Maziar: The idea for Gocious originated from the vision of our main founder and chairman, Jake Shafran. He envisioned creating a platform to support new product initiatives, particularly in product planning and deciding which products to bring to market.
At the time, I had just completed a major transformation project at Experian and was looking for my next challenge. When Jake and I met, his idea appealed to me for three key reasons. First, he wasn’t just focusing on software and high-tech industries, but also on manufacturing. This resonated with me as I have an Industrial Engineering degree, and my first job was in a plant. I saw an opportunity to bring some of the practices from software development into the manufacturing space.
Second, I recognized the growing need for tools that support product management, not just in roadmapping but also in making the case for new product initiatives and securing organizational buy-in. During my time at Experian, I saw how critical the role of a product manager was and how it was gaining importance. While new frameworks like SAFe provide guidelines for product management, most tools still focus on project management and day-to-day execution rather than the strategic stages of product development.
Third, we realized after starting Gocious that many hardware products have more and more software defining them. It began with desktops and laptops, then phones, and now even cars are becoming platforms where software defines their features and functions. These cyber-physical products are on the rise, but tools that support hybrid planning at a strategic level are scarce or non-existent.
Since then, Gocious has pivoted twice, and we believe we have found a strategy that works for us.
MR: Can you quantify the challenges product managers face with traditional, siloed roadmap tools? Are there any market research statistics that highlight the need for a unified platform like Gocious?
Maziar: Instead of relying on market research stats, let’s look at a real-world example. AGCO, a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, experienced firsthand the limitations of traditional, siloed roadmap tools.
Before adopting Gocious, AGCO’s software and hardware teams struggled with a lack of transparency and alignment. This led to delays, miscommunications, and increased risks. Furthermore, preparing and providing the right information to the right stakeholders required large lead times and a lot of exercise, involving multiple tools like spreadsheets and presentation software.
Imagine the consequences of a product manager discovering late that a critical component, like an engine, would be delayed or lack essential features. The risks to the overall product would be significant.
Gocious addressed these challenges by providing a unified platform that broke down silos and improved collaboration. AGCO was able to achieve greater transparency, alignment, and efficiency, ultimately delivering better products to market.
MR: Could you elaborate on the Gocious platform? What are its key features and applications?
Maziar: Gocious offers a single platform to map out your entire product portfolio. Our platform provides essential and unique roadmaps that allow you to visualize your product strategy and drill down into various dimensions, such as business units, market segments, and features. We also offer innovative ways to track dependencies and manage product lifecycles—all in one place for your entire portfolio.
MR: Who are your typical clients, and what common misconceptions do they have about product portfolio management?
Maziar: We primarily serve mid-sized to large-scale enterprises in the manufacturing sector. A common misconception is that our platform is simply a project management system, leading some to compare us with project or work-tracking tools.
However, our focus is on strategy and managing the entire product portfolio. We integrate with project management systems to track the status and to initiate a project or an Epic—if you’re following an Agile approach—once it has passed initial approvals and prioritization in our system.
MR: Can you tell us more about your team? What specific expertise do they bring to the table?
Maziar: Our team is truly exceptional, with a wide range of expertise, from cloud development and web-based client applications to security, design, marketing, and customer success.
However, what sets us apart is our eagerness to deeply understand our customers’ businesses, particularly in product management, and to identify the challenges they face. We are driven by a passion for solving those problems. Hearing how our customers apply our solutions and the value they gain from them keeps us highly motivated.
MR: As the CTO of Gocious, how do you balance the strategic, operational, and leadership aspects of your role?
Maziar: Being part of a small company means wearing many hats. I initially worked alongside our first developers, writing the initial lines of code, and eventually expanded my knowledge in marketing and sales.
Today, my main focus is ensuring our customers quickly see the value in our platform while simultaneously expanding our product to attract a broader audience and support more functions.
MR: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Perhaps a message of encouragement, a call to action, or any wisdom?
Maziar: There are many things I could say, but one key lesson is that without the help of others, it is easy to lose your way. Building a strong network of supportive people is essential for overcoming challenges.
I have faith in humanity and believe that being fair, supportive, and willing to help others will earn you trust and support in return. When the time comes, those same people will want to help you succeed. I suppose I believe in karma!
Quote
“You can’t be blind to your new product initiatives or dependencies between products and teams for months or weeks. You need information in one place.”
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