Empowered Team
An empowered team has the authority and autonomy to decide how to solve customer problems and drive outcomes, rather than being told what to build.
What does team empowerment require?
Teams are empowered when they have product outcomes—not business outcomes—that are unclouded by other teams' responsibilities. This gives teams full accountability and the authority to assess and prioritize opportunities based on their discovery work.
The product outcome focuses on customer behavior changes teams can influence by how they choose to change the product experience. As the product changes, those customer behavior changes should positively contribute to the company's desired business outcome.
What are the characteristics of empowered teams?
Empowered teams are engaged, passionate, and aligned. They've earned a seat at the table through their discovery work and customer knowledge. The entire team—not just the product manager—is excited, included, and passionate about what they're delivering.
This requires inviting everyone to participate in discovery. When engineers participate in discovery, for example, they can answer their own questions rather than depending on the product manager for every detail. This gives them autonomy and allows them to move faster.
Learn more:
- Empower Product Teams with Product Outcomes, Not Business Outcomes
- Building a Culture of Accountability for Empowered Product Teams
Related terms:
- Product Trio
- Autonomy
- Product Outcome
- Continuous Discovery
Last Updated: October 25, 2025