Before You Build a PoR: The People Problems You Must Solve First
Introducing the Prerequisites for a Successful PoR
Most people think the hard part of implementing a PoR is the process itself. It’s not. The hard part is getting your people ready.
Building a PoR is not like buying a new development tool or enterprise software package. Yes, those things can be complex—with integrations, training, and change management—but they’re straightforward compared to what it takes to build and operate a Plan of Record. Why? Because PoR prioritization is fundamentally about people, not technology.
Most of the dysfunctions that drive the need for a PoR stem from human leadership challenges. Businesses simply won’t be ready until they’ve built a culture where it’s safe to engage in productive conflict. That requires psychological safety, which in turn depends on trust. And trust doesn’t just happen—it must be built, modeled, and reinforced every day by leaders.
Based on my experience, there are four pre-requisites that must be in place before your PoR can succeed:
Trust-Based Culture — where psychological safety enables real conflict, commitment, and accountability.
Clarity of Goals — so the team knows why they’re doing the work.
Customer-Centric Framework — so they know who they’re serving and what they’re solving.
Cross-Functional Team Structure — so they know how to work together and own outcomes.
Whether you’re a CEO, CTO, or Chief Product Officer trying to implement a PoR, your hardest and most important job will be to establish these pre-conditions. And while the level of difficulty will vary across businesses, the payoff is always worth it.
Up Next: In the next post, I’ll go deeper into the first and most essential pre-requisite: Trust-Based Culture.