Unlike many private sector roles, a state CPO serves two distinct customer bases. They build B2C digital services directly for constituents while also developing a B2B platform-as-a-service to be adopted by other state agencies, requiring separate strategies for product marketing and adoption.
Related Insights
The need for emotional connection isn't limited to consumer products. All software is used by humans whose expectations are set by the best B2C experiences. Even enterprise products must honor user emotions to succeed, a concept termed 'Business to Human'.
A platform's immediate user is the developer. However, to demonstrate true value, you must also understand and solve for the developer's end customer. This "two-hop" thinking is essential for connecting platform work to tangible business outcomes, not just internal technical improvements.
Avoid pursuing prosumer and enterprise motions simultaneously. The optimal sequence is to first build massive bottoms-up love and brand trust with individual users. This creates internal champions within target companies, providing crucial momentum and turning a cold B2B sale into a pull-based motion.
Unlike private sector products that target specific demographics, government digital services must cater to an extremely diverse user base, including people with low income, no permanent address, and vast age differences. This necessitates a rigorous, non-assumptive approach to user research and accessibility from the outset.
The traditional product management skillset is no longer sufficient for executive leadership. Aspiring CPOs must develop deep expertise in either the commercial aspects of the business (GTM, revenue) or the technical underpinnings of the product to provide differentiated value at the C-suite level.
The line between B2B and B2C user experience has vanished. Users expect the same seamless, elegant digital interactions in their professional tools as they get from consumer apps. A modern design system enables B2B companies to deliver this consumer-grade experience, even with complex product catalogs.
In the public sector, the goal is not to outcompete rivals but to improve service delivery. A government CPO's version of competitive research involves talking to counterparts in other states, partnering with civic tech organizations, and learning from innovative vendors to understand best practices.
In siloed government environments, pushing for change fails. The effective strategy is to involve agency leaders directly in the process. By presenting data, establishing a common goal (serving the citizen), and giving them a voice in what gets built, they transition from roadblocks to champions.
In government, digital services are often viewed as IT projects delivered by contractors. A CPO's primary challenge is instilling a culture of product thinking: focusing on customer value, business outcomes, user research, and KPIs, often starting from a point of zero.
Move beyond selling features by offering a "Business Process as a Service" (BPaaS) solution. This involves contracting directly on the business outcomes clients care about, such as cost savings or revenue optimization. This model delivers an end-to-end capability and aligns your success directly with your customer's, creating a powerful value proposition.
