  Within the agile paradigm, many software product companies create
cross-functional product development teams that own their product or a defined
set of product features. In contrast to development teams operating within a
heavily-disciplined software development process, these product teams often
require a deeper and, importantly, a collective understanding of the product
domain to serve as a rich context within which to understand the product
requirements. Little is known about the factors that support or impede these
teams in collectively achieving this deep understanding of the product domain.
Using Constructivist Grounded Theory method, we study individuals and teams
across seven software companies that create products for a diverse range of
markets. The study found that certain organisational and planning process
factors play a significant role in whether product development teams have the
potential to collectively develop deep domain understanding. These factors also
impact individual and development team dynamics. We identify two essential
metaphorical dynamics of broadening the lens and blurring boundaries that
cross-functional product teams employ in order to fully embrace product
ownership, visioning, and planning towards achieving a deep collective domain
understanding, creating a richer context in which to understand product
requirements. We also conclude that the highly specialised nature of many
organisational models and development processes is contraindicated for
cross-functional product development teams in achieving this deep collective
understanding and we call for a rethinking of conventional organisational and
product planning practices for software product development.
