Navigating as a product owner through a large-scale ecosystem: The corporate and career site relaunch for XING

I established a central project plan that was accessible to everyone at any time. If everyone sees the same timeline, you eliminate “information silos” before they start.

In development, there is no such thing as a “bug-free” launch. Development is often the bottleneck; therefore, I always plan for generous buffers. My rule of thumb: Allocate significant time for extensive testing to ensure the platform is rock-solid before it hits the public.

Large companies like XING have rigorous security standards. If you treat the Security Team as an afterthought, they can (and will) pull the plug on your project right before launch. My learning: Get them on board as early as possible. Share every detail of the architecture from day one to turn them into partners rather than gatekeepers.

Data protection isn’t just a legal checkbox—it’s a trust factor. I made sure the Data Protection Officers (DPO) were part of the journey from the beginning. In a GDPR-regulated world, early alignment prevents costly late-stage changes to tracking or data storage.

It is crucial to listen to every department’s ideas. However, as the lead, I had to keep a laser focus on the project goal. Sometimes that means saying “no” to features that look “nice to have” but don’t serve the core objective.

Don’t let small issues snowball. I learned that addressing friction points immediately—rather than postponing them—is the only way to keep a large project on track.

Clear responsibilities are the backbone of execution. I focused on empowering team members by giving them clear ownership of their tasks while also holding them accountable for the results.