SaaSJet, a SaaS company operating in the Atlassian Marketplace, recently transformed its product management approach to better balance maintaining existing products with driving growth through innovation. This shift aims to sharpen focus on top-performing products and streamline how new ideas progress to market.
- Separated product lines by performance to increase focus
- Closed low-customer-interest products to conserve resources
- Established a dedicated R&D team to foster innovation
What happened
SaaSJet recognized inefficiencies in managing a large portfolio of over twenty live products across different marketplaces, including some in long-term maintenance with minimal user engagement. The product management team was stretched thin, handling diverse tasks such as marketing, customer feedback, and feature releases within the same teams, which diluted focus and limited growth potential.
To address these issues, SaaSJet restructured its product teams by splitting successful product lines into more focused teams, shutting down underperforming products, and creating a separate research and development department. This new R&D function now prototypes innovative ideas with the best ones transitioned back to product teams for full release, while high-performing products benefit from dedicated UX designers.
Why it matters
This reorganization addresses common challenges many growing SaaS companies face when balancing the demands of maintaining legacy products and pursuing new market opportunities. By focusing resources on successful products and fostering innovation separately, SaaSJet increases its ability to scale efficiently and react swiftly to customer and market needs within the competitive Atlassian Marketplace.
The move highlights the importance of product management agility in mature organizations. Effective segmentation between maintenance, growth, and innovation functions allows companies to optimize team capabilities, reduce wasted effort, and ultimately improve product success rates and customer satisfaction.
What to watch next
Monitor how SaaSJet’s dedicated R&D team contributes to the pipeline of new product initiatives and how quickly these ideas transition into market-ready offerings. Their success will indicate the viability of separating innovation from ongoing product management in high-growth SaaS companies.
Additionally, keep an eye on SaaSJet’s adjustment to closing legacy products and how this impacts team productivity, resource allocation, and overall market performance. Other SaaS firms operating in marketplace ecosystems may find valuable lessons in managing complex product portfolios with this strategic focus.