#010 w/ Tamer El-Hawari: How products fail when the rest of the business isn't ready for them

Tamer is CPO at Project A Ventures.In our latest conversation for the Hotfix Podcast, Stefan and I had a conversation with Tamer El-Hawari. For 12 years, Tamer was CPO at Project A ventures. One of Germany’s most renowned VCs. In this role Tamer has worked for more than 50 companies as a product exec and therefore has a lot of wisdom to share.Tamers failure storyIn his failure story Tamer talked about a time where he worked for an e-commerce company, that had outgrown its legacy platform. The company was profitable and ambitious and planned to expand to more markets.The leadership of the company pushed for a state-of-the-art platform with a wide variety of features: mobile-first design, omnichannel capabilities, personalized experiences, marketplace integrations, etc.Tamer led the product development team to build a custom platform from scratch. Ultimately the project failed to translate into true value for the business. The launch faced a couple of delays, feature roll-outs were incomplete and the company struggled as the rest of the organization simply wasn’t ready for this product.The team underestimated the complexity of integrating with existing systems, especially the ERP system and, at the same time, overestimated the company’s maturity to handle such a transformation.What Tamer described with this failure story is a complex failure. In the Marty Cagan universe we would talk about a Viability risk not being de-risked enough.How to handle viability risks as a PMViability risks are usually the hardest one to de-risk, but also the most fatal ones if shipped. These risks revolve around whether a product will work for the business, not just the customer. To tackle them, PMs need a deep understanding of multiple aspects of the business, including sales, marketing, operations, and finance. Tamer emphasized that it’s not enough to focus on customer needs or building the right features. PMs also need to understand how the product fits into the company's overall strategy, revenue goals, and organizational capabilities.He pointed out that many PMs overlook internal factors like the company's readiness to adopt new technology, existing operational workflows, and financial constraints. To effectively de-risk viability, PMs should proactively seek out information about the business model, P&L statements, and the company's strategic goals.What Else We Talked AboutDo PMs Need Domain Knowledge?Tamer weighed in on the common debate around whether product managers need deep domain expertise to succeed. While some argue that too much domain knowledge can create bias and limit fresh thinking, Tamer believes that having at least a foundational understanding of the industry is essential. He emphasized that PMs can't make effective decisions without understanding the nuances of the market, the users, and the technology. However, he also noted that coming from outside an industry can be an advantage. Newcomers often challenge assumptions and bring innovative ideas that insiders might overlook. The key is balancing curiosity with a systematic approach to quickly ramp up on domain knowledge.How to Empower Yourself as a PMAnother key theme was the idea that empowerment isn’t something PMs should wait for—it’s something they should actively claim. Tamer argued that PMs need to take ownership of their roles by proactively gathering knowledge, building cross-functional relationships, and deeply understanding their business environment. He shared practical ways to do this, like learning the company’s financials, understanding the sales process, and staying ahead on customer insights. By doing so, PMs can position themselves as trusted leaders within their organizations, capable of influencing strategy and driving meaningful impact. Tamer’s advice? Don’t wait for permission—ask questions, challenge assumptions, and demonstrate your value through action.LinksLink to Podcast Episode* 📹 YouTube* 🔊 Spotify* 🔊 Apple MusicIn case you want to reach out, please do so on LinkedIn:* ❤️‍🩹 Follow Hotfix: https://pal.bio/the-hotfix-podcast* 🎙️ Follow Christoph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophbodenstein/* 🎙️ Follow Stefan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-pernek-629901107/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thehotfixpodcast.substack.com