Build the Capability, Not Just the Product

Let’s be honest: real product ownership can’t be outsourced. Not if it really matters. Not if you want it to last. Not if you ever want to sleep at night.

After years of building digital products from the outside, I’m now on the inside. And honestly – some things make a lot more sense from here.

If a product is core to your business, build it in-house. Not just the code, but the thinking. The strategy. The ownership. Because only when you're close to the business, the people, and the actual mess of reality can you make the right calls – and be held accountable for them (yes, even on Mondays).

And let’s not forget: product development always brings change. New roles, new workflows, new "who-owns-this-again?" moments. That kind of change needs trust, consistency, and people who are actually around next quarter. In short: it needs to be managed from the inside.

A lot of companies are getting that. REWE digital, Mercedes-Benz.io, ROSE Digital – and OBI next, now fully integrated into the OBI Group Holding – just to name a few. Digital product development isn’t a one-off project. It’s a muscle you build. And own.

Meanwhile, agencies are feeling the pressure. Layoffs. Mergers. Some disappearing completely. The old model – build fast, hand over, move on – doesn’t work anymore. (Let’s be real, did it ever?)

I still believe in external partners. I still am one. But our job isn’t to steer from the sidelines. It’s to support, enable, co-create – and then make ourselves obsolete. Because Co-Creation isn’t just a method. It’s a shared opportunity. For clients to build real capability. And for partners to create real impact – not just output.

That’s exactly what I’m doing right now at Die Haftpflichtkasse VVaG – helping to build the in-house capability to keep digital products moving forward long after I’m gone.

Looking forward to chatting more about this at UXcamp Europe this weekend. Let’s talk – over coffee, Currywurst, Falafel or whatever’s sizzling at the stand. You’ll probably find me out in the courtyard, hopefully in the sun.

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Originally posted on LinkedIn.