_posts/2019-02-14-product-manager-10x.md
---
title: "Product management at 18F, part 4 - 10x"
date: 2019-02-14
authors:
- eddie-tejeda
- elizabeth-ayer
tags:
- how we work
- product
excerpt: "10x projects let anyone in government pitch an idea that could
have a massive impact on the public. So how does 10x go about developing
these ideas? Each pitch requires a lead investigator who will need to
develop an understanding of the idea and make recommendations. Although
it’s not limited to product managers, the tools of product management
can come in handy when creating a process to determine if the idea is
worth pursuing."
---
*This is the fourth and last in a series of blog posts that will provide
a glimpse into what it’s like to be a product manager at 18F.*
[10x](https://10x.gsa.gov/) projects let anyone in government pitch an
idea that could have a massive impact on the public. To accomplish this,
10x has money set aside (via Congress) to explore concepts and a group
of innovative, passionate people to work on them.
Some concepts have taken hold and grown into full products, for example,
the [U.S Web Design System](https://designsystem.digital.gov) and
[Federalist](http://federalist.18f.gov) both went through an earlier
version of the 10x program.
So how does 10x go about developing these ideas? Each pitch requires a
lead investigator who will need to develop an understanding of the idea
and make recommendations. Although it’s not limited to product managers,
the tools of product management can come in handy when creating a
process to determine if the idea is worth pursuing. Booting up a
completely new concept is very different than managing an existing
product and requires an appreciation of uncertainty, but it is also what
makes 10x projects exciting.
In 10x projects, an idea goes through successive funding phases that
bring some structure to the innovation process.
- **Phase One: Investigation** is a very short investigation to determine, “Is this a bad idea?”
- **Phase Two: Discovery** is a little longer and looks at, “Is this a good idea?”
- **Phase Three: Development** gets into building and answering the question, 'Will anyone use this?”
- **Phase Four: Scale** looks to answer: “Can we scale this product?”
For all of these phases, any clear answer is a successful outcome,
whether that answer is “Yes” or “No.”
Out of the hundred and fifty or so of pitches that have been submitted
to 10x so far, approximately fifty have been selected for **Phase One:
Investigation**, where ideas are validated by a small team of one or two
people. This is where a product manager usually enters the picture. At
this stage, product managers need to use their experience to gauge the
viability of an idea and develop a process to validate the concept. To
see if an idea has potential, a product manager calls upon their
research skills and best judgment to:
- Define the problem space
- Assess real need through market and user research
- Identify risks, roadblocks, and opportunities
The funding generally lasts a few weeks, so time management is crucial
to making sure an idea is explored sufficiently to gauge its viability.
If it’s promising, you’ll move on to **Phase Two: Discovery**, where
there are additional resources and an extended runway. The primary
challenge will then be to validate if the problem is worth addressing.
At this stage you'll need to:
- Identify and reach out to new stakeholder groups
- Go deep into research
- Develop prototypes to test with users
Phase Two is a critical point in the process. There is an opportunity to
dig deep into a topic and have the resources to do a thorough
assessment. The outcome may result in continuing or ending the
investigation, but either way, the materials the team produces are
cataloged and shared with future investigators. This growing catalog of
successful and unsuccessful ideas will hopefully become a treasure trove
to future investigators.
Of the dozens of projects that make into Phase Two, only about five will
see **Phase Three: Development**. During this time, product managers
will have the resources to build a team and the funding to create a
working product to test with real-world users. Depending on the team
size, you’ll have about a year to:
- Articulate a clear vision for your service and partner organizations
- Lead a team to develop a minimum viable product (MVP)
- Develop a strategy to support the product and acquire users.
At the moment, there are a couple of Phase Three projects in progress.
One project, for example, is the [U.S. Data Federation](https://federation.data.gov), which is working on providing data interoperability across federal, state, and local government agencies.
10x currently doesn’t have any projects in **Phase Four: Scale**, but in
2019, the team expects at least one will move to the next stage and make
their bid for long-term sustainability.
As a product manager working on 10x projects, the experience can be
challenging and rewarding. While these projects often come with
uncertainty, they offer room for creativity and an amazing potential for
impact.