A CEO of a SaaS company told me that despite having a sizable engineering team, they weren’t delivering enough revenue-boosting features. A portfolio review revealed the problem’s root: They were juggling two versions of every product – the original and a next-gen upgrade. The remedy? A strategic roadmap to phase out older products without alienating customers.

Taking outdated products end of life can dramatically transform engineering productivity, efficiency, and output. Unfortunately, many companies don’t do that. I ran into the duplicate version phenomenon in multiple companies. In many cases, customers refuse to give up the old product because the new one is not compatible and many features get “lost in translation.” 

The most cost-effective remedy for every illness is prevention. In this case: when creating your next-generation product make it backward compatible and make the upgrade seamless for the customers. 

But what if this did not happen and now you must face the reality of two versions? 

Retiring legacy products isn’t a simple “off with you” kind of deal. In the case I described, the new generation offerings, while promising, lacked certain features beloved by users in the old versions. So, here’s what we did:

• Feature Focus Groups: We listened directly to customers, understanding their concerns and pinpointing the missing features.
• We added the desired functionalities to the new generation, making it a more complete package.
• In some cases we made the conscious decision to give up some features that were used by very few customers, knowing we would lose them.
• Communication is Key: We kept customers informed about the progress, building trust and excitement for the enhanced version.

The outcome? Reduced workload, renewed focus, and a clear path to growth. By ditching the deadweight, Engineering was able to divert resources to innovation. 

If you are facing a similar situation, create a roadmap for the transition and follow the following best practices:

• Migrate major features to the new products
• Benefits for users to transition must be clear and compelling.
• Regular communication is vital for managing stakeholder expectations.
• Garner support from all relevant internal groups and executives.
• Plan for ongoing support and warranty servicing.
• Treat the retirement of the old generation as critically as the launch of the new generation, maintaining a clear and well-followed plan.

Are you facing similar problems? Do you need help in boosting productivity and streamlining processes? Contact us for a consultation session.