Using the PMF Survey to gauge Company Fit For Purpose

How would you feel if you could no longer work the way we work here?

• Glad
• Not disappointed
• Somewhat disappointed
• Very disappointed

Sean Ellis, the OG growth hacker, created the PMF survey question, which became one of the established ways to gauge product-market fit. If more than 40% of existing customers answer “Very disappointed,” you are well on your way.

Your way of working is also a product. It has customers: team members, associates, employees, or whatever word your organization uses. Structure, process, culture, and tools are all part of this product.

Would you dare run the PMF survey about the company as the product?

One interesting dynamic is that the answer may shift significantly over time. In a scale-up, there is often a feeling of losing traction or stalling. There was once energy, joy, and purpose. Everyone knew what was going on, and the team was small, aligned, and powerful.

Post-PMF, the team grows fast. More people join, leaders take over functions, silos form, and grown-up processes are added. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they do not. At that point, you almost do not need the survey. It is often obvious that most people would not be very disappointed if the company could no longer work this way.

So what do you do? Start developing and iterating the company as a product, working to regain fit for purpose. This is also what I do: help leaders see, develop, and iterate their organizations using product thinking and techniques.