Advancements in healthcare technology aim to enhance patient care and to support medical professionals. Nonetheless, the path to innovation in this field is often paved with obstacles, including limited budgets, strict compliance requirements, and intense market competition. In this high-stakes field the integration of clinical and product teams is essential for overcoming the challenge of delivering high-quality consumer-centric solutions under tight constraints with prioritized user impact, and a focused, long-term product strategy. Whether creating a health application or platform-based solutions, the effectiveness of innovation in healthtech relies not only on scientifically backed up technology, but more on consumer-driven design, highlighting the need for precision and efficiency. This article explores strategies to integrate clinical teams into agile product workflows, address key challenges, and create a collaborative environment that leverages the strengths of both disciplines.
Agile flexibility vs. scientific rigor
Clinical teams and product teams frequently use different frameworks and procedures. Clinicians, who work in structured, step-by-step methodology, prioritize meticulous planning and thorough documentation to ensure patient safety and optimal clinical outcomes. This approach, rooted in scientific rigor and strict regulatory standards, requires that any innovation show clear benefits without posing new risks.
Product teams usually operate based on an agile model and focus on iterative development, continuous feedback loops, and rapid adaptation. Although this flexibility is fundamental for driving innovation, it can conflict with the conservative approach of clinical practice, which is cautious about adopting new technologies without clear evidence of their effectiveness.
Strategies for integration
1. Involve clinicians early in the process. Engaging clinicians early in the product design process plays a crucial role. But it is important to recognize that clinicians are expensive resources with limited availability. Therefore, a strategic role of product teams in this step lies not only in balancing expectations within a cross-functional team, understanding, prioritizing, and aligning the diverse needs of stakeholders. From the onset on, product managers oversee strategic planning and management of clinical engagement in the process. To give an example, if a clinical beta group fails to deliver, it is the product team’s responsibility to manage communication, and if needed, promptly secure a new group, ensuring that product delivery timelines remain on track.
2. Set clear expectations. This step is critical for effective teamwork. The process of establishing clear objectives and milestones allows clinical and product teams to align on project goals, in order to ensure that both teams understand and accept project timelines and success criteria. This prevents confusion and promotes transparency further in the process. Furthermore, effective communication and clearly defined deliverables at every project stage reduce the risk of expensive delays and maximize the possibility of a successful product launch.
Use data and analytics tools to provide insights on user behavior, system performance, and impact on clinical outcomes that support decision-making and encourage discussions between the teams. This approach helps to balance clinical priorities and user needs with business objectives to maintain safety and drive innovation.
3. Keep communication simple and clear. Stay away from technical jargon. Use easy to understand visual tools and place an emphasis on quantifiable, outcome-based Key Results (OKRs) to demonstrate how user experience design choices affect clinical results. Provide specific examples and comparisons to illustrate how a product or a feature improves task performance and/or reduces task time in contrast to existing solutions. Using real-world examples can help clinicians understand the benefit of design choices, agile processes and feel more comfortable with iterative testing. As an example, rather than presenting a new feature as “a beta test of an algorithm,” frame it as “a tool to help reduce the time healthcare professionals spend on paperwork.”
4. Switch from output to outcome-driven planning. Moving away from output-based Key Results (OKRs) to SMART customer or business outcomes can significantly improve collaboration between clinical and product teams. With this shift, product focus changes from merely advancing technological research to solving real-life problems with the emphasis on delivering practical value, such as customer satisfaction and efficient product use. This strategy is especially beneficial for the product-market fit stage, when it is critical to identify and address clinical and patient pain points.
Two other tools to ensure that clinical and product teams are aligned with business objectives are regular sprint reviews and a formalized quarterly planning process. Frequent sprint reviews foster transparency by providing progress updates. At the same time, the purpose behind a structured quarterly planning process is to increase productivity by enabling both teams to foresee challenges, cut down unplanned work, and optimize their workflows.
5. Balance safety and autonomy. It is impossible to overestimate the role of clinicians in reviewing and guiding decisions that directly affect patient safety. But, in order for innovation to thrive, product teams also need the freedom to operate with a certain level of autonomy. This operational independence is vital for driving creativity and progress in areas that do not pose immediate safety risks. Therefore, it is critical to define clear roles and responsibilities, in order to manage this balance effectively. Clinicians focus on evaluating safety-related issues, while product teams concentrate on user experience and business objectives. This strategy allows each group to capitalize on its strengths without interfering in each others’ areas of expertise.
In reality it will mean that although product teams might spend around 80% of their time on business-related decisions, any changes that might have an impact on patient safety need to undergo a thorough clinical review. This structured approach ensures that innovation is not stifled, but also that it never comes at the expense of patient well-being.
6. Manage risks and compliance with agile product design. Although the FDA and other regulators do not require a specific development methodology, in order to guarantee product efficiency and safety, they mandate manufacturers to develop and document processes in compliance with specific standards, such as ISO 62304. In order to successfully balance regulatory requirements with adaptive product design strategies, clinical and product teams have not only to comply with these guidelines but also to retain some flexibility in their development processes.This flexibility can be achieved by embedding regulatory checkpoints within an iterative framework, which allows teams to stay compliant and adaptable to real-time input even at early-stage planning. Using this approach, they reduce the risks linked to delayed feedback seen in a strictly waterfall model, ensuring that product designs continue to meet both regulatory standards and evolving user requirements.
The application of agile methodology also facilitates enhanced design efficiency, because it focuses on adaptability and continuous feedback. Imagine discovering that 80% of usage comes from just 20% of features. This data highlights the inefficiency of investing in all planned features upfront. Here, the application of iterative agile workflows allows teams to use clinical insights and market feedback in order to prioritize and fine-tune the set of core features first. The flexibility of the agile framework not only helps to optimize resource management by steering clear of unnecessary features but also ensures that the product closely aligns with user needs and regulatory requirements. And continuous feedback loops in agile workflows ensure that clinical insights are integrated throughout the process, resulting in a product design that is both user-oriented and compliant.
By fostering cross-team collaboration, and balancing science with business goals and agile flexibility, healthtech companies can break down silos and unlock the full potential of both clinical and product expertise. The result is a more seamless, efficient teamwork process that not only meets regulatory requirements but also delivers real, impactful solutions for both patients and healthcare professionals.
Photo: 9amstock, Getty Images
Yegor Tsynkevich is an award-winning product design expert, co-founding partner of 415Agency. He specializes in user-centric solutions for digital healthcare and medical technology companies. With a proven track record, Yegor has contributed as UX consultant to over 30 companies, enhancing product design for medical devices, electronic medical records (EMR) solutions, and clinical software.
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