Why Your Product and Customer Success Teams Need a 3x3 Matrix (Not Just a Top 10 List)
Marty Cagan has been a guiding light in the product world for years; and for good reason. His thinking on empowered teams, product discovery, and customer-centric innovation has helped shape some of the most successful product organisations around the globe.
One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Marty’s approach is his emphasis on collaboration across functions - especially the relationship between Product and Customer Success. In particular, I’ve seen him suggest that Customer Success Managers (CSMs) might keep a running list of the ‘Top 10 things customers want’ as a helpful way of feeding insight into the product development process. That kind of clarity can be powerful. A simple 10 items, prioritised. Easy to understand. Highly actionable. A starting point for deeper conversations.
I want to build on that idea - and respectfully challenge a small part of it too.
Because in my experience, a ‘Top 10 List’ - as clean and tidy as it sounds - can subtly limit the full potential of what a Product / CS partnership can achieve.
Instead, I advocate something more dynamic: a ‘3x3 Matrix’ that helps prioritise what's needed, acknowledge what's next, and - crucially - celebrate what’s already working.
Let me explain…
The Problem with a ‘Top 10 List’
On the surface, a list of 10 prioritised customer wants makes a lot of sense. It keeps things focused. It prevents endless wishlisting. It brings discipline to conversations between Product and CS.
But in reality, these lists often skew in one direction. They become dominated by gaps, feature requests, and things that are (or feel) missing. In other words: problems to fix. (And, often, pre-formed ideas as to what the solutions must be).
Now, of course, identifying critical gaps is vital. However, when a list only focuses on what’s wrong or what’s missing, we risk reinforcing a deficit mindset across teams. We’re constantly looking at what hasn’t been done yet, what might cause churn, and what’s stopping growth - without giving proper credit to the product decisions that are working.
That’s where the 3x3 Matrix comes in.
Introducing the 3x3 Matrix
Instead of a straight list of 10 customer wants, I encourage teams to maintain a live 3x3 Matrix - a structured but flexible way for Customer Success and Product to stay aligned, informed, and energised.
It looks like this:
3x Red Items
Critical, high-impact features or fixes that customers are either actively requesting or expecting.
These items carry real urgency; perhaps because customers are at risk of churn if they’re not delivered, or because prospects may question whether you’ve reached Product Market Fit (PMF) without them.
These are must-haves, not nice-to-haves.
3x Amber Items
Important, valuable requests or ideas that should come next.
They’re more than just ‘wishlist’ items - they matter - but they don’t carry the same urgency or risk as the Red items.
These items might represent scalability features, futureproofing improvements, or opportunities for differentiation that CS is hearing consistently, but without the pressure of imminent churn.
3x Green Items
This is the twist. These are product changes, feature releases, or enhancements that have already landed and are actively making a difference.
Green items are about learning, celebration, and momentum.
They acknowledge what’s working - whether it’s improving customer satisfaction, enabling CS to solve problems more efficiently, or increasing NPS.
They remind both teams: we are delivering value, this is what that value looks like, and this is what we should invest in to ensure we’re getting better all the time.
Why This Works
This matrix serves several powerful purposes:
It helps prioritise under pressure - The Red vs Amber distinction matters. Product teams are constantly juggling limited resources. It’s easy for everything to feel urgent when looking at a sea of feature requests. The 3x3 Matrix forces clarity. It asks: “what are the three things that genuinely matter right now for customer retention or growth?”
It creates space for strategic thinking - By naming the Amber items, we acknowledge that CS has longer-term insight - not just into today's fires, but into future needs too. This gives Product space to plan thoughtfully, rather than being trapped in reactive cycles.
It energises the team with wins - The Green items might be the most overlooked aspect of all. When Product and CS take time to recognise what’s working, it boosts morale, builds trust, and reinforces a sense of momentum. Celebrating wins isn't fluffy - it's fuel.
How to Use the 3x3 Matrix in Practice
The matrix works best as a shared, living document - something reviewed in regular Product / CS syncs, or brought into quarterly planning. It can be a shared spreadsheet, it can live in your product development software like airfocus, or it can find a home inside Confluence etc.
Here’s how to keep it effective:
Keep the bar high - Make sure each slot is genuinely worth its colour. Red means ‘deal-breaker’, Amber means ‘next in line’, and Green means ‘meaningful impact.’ Avoid filler.
Validate regularly - Ask CSMs to back up Red and Amber items with specific customer conversations, trends, or data. This isn’t a dumping ground for pet features - it’s a curated view of what’s being heard at scale.
Refresh frequently - A stagnant matrix doesn’t help anyone. Aim to update it every sprint, month, or quarter depending on your cadence. Celebrate items that move from Red or Amber to Green. That’s the whole point.
Use it as a storytelling tool - Bring the matrix into product demos. Refer to it in stakeholder meetings. Let it serve as a shorthand for what's on the radar, what’s in progress, and what’s been achieved.
The Bigger Picture: Bilateral Energy
Marty Cagan has rightly championed the idea that Product needs to lead - not just execute requests. He’s also emphasised that listening to customers is only one piece of great product discovery.
I couldn’t agree more.
But I believe this matrix goes a step further in promoting what I call ‘bilateral energy’ - where Product and CS aren’t just passing requests back and forth, but actively co-owning momentum. The Red and Amber items ensure we’re listening. The Green items ensure we’re learning.
This kind of energy is infectious. It transforms Product / CS relationships from transactional to strategic. It moves teams from pointing out problems to solving them together and then celebrating the results.
CONCLUSION
If you’re working in Product or Customer Success, and you’re trying to deepen the partnership between your teams, try moving beyond the ‘Top 10 List’ of requests model. Instead, try the 3x3 Matrix:
3 Red items → What’s urgent? What’s at risk?
3 Amber items → What’s important but not immediate?
3 Green items → What’s already landed and adding value?
Simple. Actionable. Energising.
Because when we structure our insights, prioritise with care, and hero what’s working, we create a more balanced, productive, and positive rhythm across the product development lifecycle. It allows us to build on the great thinking that’s come before and keep evolving how we work together.