Experts warn one-hour workshops insufficient for product discovery skills
Product experts argue that short training sessions cannot effectively teach continuous product discovery, which requires long-term practice of distinct habits. They recommend longer, structured programs to address organizational barriers before implementing training.
Product experts Teresa Kortz and Petra Wille argue that one-hour training sessions or four-hour workshops cannot effectively teach continuous product discovery, which consists of 13 distinct habits requiring long-term practice. They contend that such short sessions can only provide high-level know-how or inspiration, not the skill development or mindset changes necessary for organizational transformation. The experts note a significant gap where leaders request training without understanding the specific discovery habits their teams lack, often treating the request as a 'check the box' exercise.
To address this, they recommend using short talks to surface organizational barriers, such as lack of customer access, which must be resolved before training can be effective. They cite Letter Medical’s six-month training program, which combines external speakers with follow-up training, as a more effective model. The consensus is that while a one-hour talk can plant a seed for change, it cannot create the future state of a continuous discovery team. Kortz and Wille argue that training providers must better communicate the full scope of skill acquisition, as short sessions are often misaligned with the complex benefits organizations actually need.