Definition
Manage the cross-functional team of product planning processes.
In detail
The Product Planning Group (PPG) is a cross-functional governance group of 9 functional executives that approves gate reviews by project size and manages the product portfolio using a kanban and project tracking sheet. It addresses portfolio decisions and resource allocation, ensuring projects align with market and strategic goals. Unlike project management, PPG does not run the execution of individual projects — its meetings do only two things: gate approval and project updates. Its output is the gate decision and an updated project tracking kanban, providing guidance for subsequent development.
Example in practice
A new product project is ready to cross a gate, and the project manager submits the gate review package. PPG (the 9 functional executives) holds a gate review meeting: it checks the package against the requirements for that project's size, decides whether to release it into the next gate, and reviews the portfolio status on the project tracking kanban. The meeting does only these two things — gate approval and project updates — and does not get involved in the actual product definition work.