When teams first get started with airfocus, there’s often an immediate sense of relief. Finally, a product management tool that brings clarity to backlogs, OKRs, and roadmaps all in one place. But according to Patrick Denison, Customer Success Manager at airfocus, many users are so keen to get started using the platform that they may be missing everything the platform can do.
“I often meet teams who’ve set things up well but aren’t getting the full benefit,” Patrick explains. “But just a few small changes can save hours each week and make your whole product function run smoother.”
Here, Patrick shares the most common mistakes he sees and his tried-and-tested advice for avoiding them.
1. Don’t treat your Feedback workspace like a backlog
Patrick’s first and most important point: the Feedback workspace is not your backlog. It might sound obvious, but it’s one of the biggest pitfalls he sees during onboarding.
“I often meet clients who are using the feedback workspace as a triage board with stakeholders,” he explains. “They end up reviewing every single piece of feedback one by one, which just burns people out.”
Instead, Patrick recommends using your Feedback workspace as a collection point, not a decision hub. Link incoming feedback directly to Opportunities, Epics, or Features. From there, airfocus’ Insights feature helps you identify patterns and highlight which requests are starting to gain momentum.
Patrick explains that when teams use Insights correctly, they bring structure and clarity to even the messiest backlogs.
“We can immediately see which opportunities are gaining traction and which ones customers aren’t really requesting,” he says. “That tells us what’s a real pain point and what probably isn’t.”
From there, teams can bring four or five of those trending opportunities to stakeholder discussions. Instead of drowning in hundreds of feedback items, they can focus their energy where it matters most.
“We can drill into those opportunities, review the linked feedback, and use the AI summary to quickly grasp the context,” Patrick explains. “It saves the team a huge amount of mental load. We’re not ignoring feedback, but we’re avoiding the exhaustion that comes from reviewing every single piece.”
He adds that by linking feedback to opportunities and waiting to see which ideas build momentum, teams can prioritize based on evidence rather than noise. “Once something starts to gain a pulse, that’s when you dive deeper, discuss it as a team, and decide if it’s worth pursuing,” he says. “That’s how our most successful customers use airfocus.”
It also helps build trust between departments. When Sales or Customer Success teams see their feedback progressing up the backlog, they feel heard. “That visibility is key to maintaining confidence in your product team,” Patrick says. “Even when something isn’t prioritized, stakeholders can understand why.”
The benefit of Insights, he says, is twofold. First, it saves the team “a lot of brain power” by filtering signal from noise. Second, it keeps the voice of the customer alive. “If you stop processing feedback properly, you lose that voice. Insights turn qualitative data into something quantifiable you can actually act on.”
2. Use filters and multiple views to keep your workspace clean
Patrick’s next piece of advice is all about organization.
“It breaks my heart when I see customers not using filters. It could be so much easier for them!” he says. “Without filters, roadmaps get cluttered with backlog items, and it becomes almost impossible to present to stakeholders.”
His fix is very simple: use filters to clearly separate backlog from roadmap views. Create different views based on your audience and goals:
A table view for your backlog items.
A granular roadmap for your product or dev team.
A Now-Next-Later roadmap for leadership or cross-functional updates.
A Quarterly roadmap to support long-term planning.
Patrick also suggests using status filters to move items fluidly between the backlog and the roadmap. That way, when something is ready to promote, it automatically appears in the right view, keeping your workspace tidy and your process effortless.
“The best workspaces I see are the ones where teams have a clean visual distinction between what’s in progress and what’s still just an idea,” he says. “Filters make that possible.”
3. Keep your hierarchies and workspaces simple
If there’s one theme that runs through Patrick’s advice, it’s simplicity.
“Don’t go overboard with hierarchies or workspaces,” he warns. “I see teams with five different Initiative workspaces, but each only has a handful of items. It just creates clutter.”
His rule of thumb is that there should be a clear spine that connects everything. At the top sits your Initiatives workspace, below that your Opportunities (or Epics), and below that your Stories. Feedback feeds directly into Opportunities.
“That structure is enough for most teams,” Patrick says. “It’s much easier for a Chief Product Officer to see how everyone’s work contributes to overall goals when everything rolls up neatly.”
For teams unsure how to design their setup, Patrick strongly recommends working with airfocus’ Customer Success team during onboarding. “We’ll sit down together, map your workflow, and decide how many initiatives or epics you actually need. It’s so important to get this right from the start.”
Getting the architecture wrong, he adds, can lead to inefficiencies that are painful to untangle later. “Keep it simple, and speak to us early. That’s what we’re here for.”
4. Match your setup to your team size
airfocus is built to flex with you, but scaling too quickly can introduce unnecessary complexity. Patrick points out that small and mid-sized product teams (typically five to 20 product managers) often see the best results because they can maintain a lean, collaborative setup without needing heavy automation.
“If you’ve got five to 20 product managers, airfocus is going to fit you really well,” he says. “You can run one initiative workspace and a handful of epic workspaces, and it just works.”
As teams grow, the same principles apply, but larger organizations may need to introduce additional structure, such as Member Groups or refined user permissions, to maintain control and visibility.
The takeaway: start simple, scale deliberately, and adapt your airfocus setup as your team expands.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
“They’re natural problem solvers,” Patrick reflects on product managers, “which is great, but it means they rarely ask for help.”
He encourages teams to lean on his Customer Success team more often. Whether it’s a question about integrations, prioritization, or workflow design, his team can almost always suggest a tweak that saves time.
“There’s always a small adjustment – a label, a filter, a better view – that makes a big difference. We love helping customers discover those.”
Small changes can transform how your team uses airfocus. From cleaning up your feedback process to creating smarter roadmaps, scaling thoughtfully, and simplifying your workspace, Patrick’s team is here to help you save time, avoid burnout, and keep your team aligned.
“The teams that succeed with airfocus aren’t just the ones using all the features,” Patrick says. “They’re the ones using them with purpose.”
If you’re already an airfocus customer, reach out to your Customer Success Manager for tailored advice on optimizing your workspace. And if you’re still exploring airfocus, these principles offer a glimpse of how the right setup can unlock the full power of product management clarity.
Emma-Lily Pendleton
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