Forensic Science Principals for Product Managers

Forensic science is a field that leverages scientific methodologies and tools, in order to obtain criminal convictions. it is highly intertwined with the justice system and its standards, and it has got massively known in the last few decades with the rise of DNA evidence. We, as product managers, can apply much from it.

As product managers, we are constantly learning and improving, we are always seeking new methodologies, and processes to help us become better leaders for our products, companies and customers. sometimes, to a fault.

In criminal justice, forensic science plays a critical role, as it is a form of science that has both a scientific and functional component, with the goal of providing objective facts that can assist in the investigation of a crime and prosecution of perpetrators or remove suspition from innocents.

There are many types of examinations, that are driven from various scientific fields (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc.) for many types of analysis (DNA, Fibers, fingerprints, ballistics, etc.) in order to conduct all of those practices and methodologies, the experts of the field came up with 7 guiding principles that lead all of the forensic scientist in their work.

We, as product managers, can learn from it, and use these to identify our own 7 major guidelines and principals to work by.

1. The Individuality Principle

“Every object whether natural or man-made has a unique quality or characteristic in it which is not duplicated in any other object.”

The principle of individuality is considered to be a cornerstone for forensic science.
Paul L Kirk (1963). who coined the term, claimed that in the core of forensic science is the focus on the source of two items (questioned and known), which are thought to have come from a single source.

When a forensic scientist compares fingerprints, fibers, imprints, or even types of materials, there is always an assumption of individuality. The basic assumption is that no two objects whether natural or artificial can be exactly the same. and that the object under examination will have unique characteristics and unique qualities. This uniqueness is what allows a forensic scientist to identify with a high level of certainty if a fingerprint matches a suspect.

Law of Individuality = Our Unique Imprint is Our Value

As Product managers, we aim to be obssessed with our own unique value. Many product leaders and books have told us this before, finding our product’s specific individuality is the very base of our excistinace.
For product managers, this is always the first stage, if you do not know your unique value and characteristics, stop everything else you are doing, and invest the time to figure it out. since this is the base for any product’s success.

2. Law of Progressive change

“Everything changes with the passage of time.“

When it comes to crime scenes, there are massive implications to time passing on evidence status. Bullets shells will develop rust, bodies will get decomposed, and fabrics might get wear and tear.
Meaning, time is a changing factor, that can impact the evidence we examine, and the way we examine it.

Law of Progressive change = Timing is everything

In poduct, timing is a critical factor, no product market fit can be achieved in the wrong timing.
As Product managers, that can be affect our work in various circumstances.
First, as we try out new experiences all the time, we aim to test them out, and decide on their fates. later putting those ideas in boxes tagges as “failed experiment” for forever after. Sometimes, the time was just not right for them. and we need to be open to try out things again, when the market changes and the time might be right.
Second, our experiences, features, and values could become stale, when the market changes and moves forward, or our competitors. we- as product people, need to adapt.

There could be many other implications, but as long as we remember that timing is a factor in our quest for PMF, we are on the right path.

3. Principle of Comparison

“Only the likes can be compared.“

This principle is pretty straightforward. a questioned hair, can be only compared with another hair. same with tire marks, bite marks, or any other type of evidence.

Principle of Comparison = Apples to Apples

As Product managers, we aim to test out our products, and learn from the results. but sometimes we forget that in order to do that and get and actual learning, our test should always have something alike to compare to. this is why AB testing is so popular, but even there- we need to be the ones to make sure, that we really do compare apples to apples.

4. Principle of Analysis

“There can be no better analysis than the sample analysed.”

In any analysis of a sample obtained from a crime scene, the sample quality, chain of custody, and expertise of the individual analyzing it all impacts the analysis quality.
For example, if we only have a partial fingerprint, we would only be able to match partially as our best-case cenerio, but in case that the chain of custody had been jepredised, that match will be considered useless, since we can not validated the source, or if the expert conducting the analysis have never done a partial imprint, his level of certainty will be definitely affected.

Principle of Analysis = Garbage in, Garbage out

In the data-science field it is already well-known that the quality of the data used, will determine the result of a model trained on that data.
It’s time for us, as Product managers, to learn that as well, and hold our teams accountable for the sample quality, and make sure we have the proper expertise for the needed analysis.

5. Locard’s Exchange Principle

“Whenever two entities come in contact with each other, they exchange the traces between them.”

This is the most famous principal in the forensics field. The principle states that whenever two objects interact, some sort of trace will be left behind on both sides.
For example, when seeing a shoe-print in the mud, we should understand that the perpetrator will also have traces of mud on the shoe. this principle is in the core of connecting evidence to suspects.

Locard’s principle of Exchange = How did the experience change the customers’ life?

As Product managers, we tend to forget that interaction can affect both sides, and that when a user is interacting with our product, we impact them. we change them. When a person conducts interaction with an interface that raises their suspicion, they will take that fear with them for their next interaction and products.
It is important for us to identify behaviors, know what types of these behaviors are a result of their past experiences, their interaction with our competitors, and what behaviors do they take from our product? this can tell us so much about our strengths and weaknesses. and can open the door for better understanding of our product and our customer base.

6. Law of Probability

“All identifications definite or indefinite, made consciously or unconsciously are on the basis of probability.”

When a forensic expert matches a DNA sample. they always talk in probability of a chance of X to Y. a DNA profile will be considered unique when the probability is so rare that a second person with the same profile would simply be unthinkable. (for example, if the denominator is x times the population of the earth, than it in high certainty that it will be unique)

Law of Probability = Stat sig vs. Ockham’s razor

As Product managers, we aim to make decisions based on banked results, we aim to get to stat sig indications in our AB tests, and this is definigly an important practice which is in the focus of the PM’s work.
But, we all know that this is not always easy. not all companies have the resources, or the user- base. and when getting stat sig results is not possible from any reason, we should still aim to get our decision making as probablistic as possible. in that case, in order for us to make our product desicitions and move forward we should always select the simplest, easiest, most direct explanation. that has the least parameters and makes the most sense.

7. Law of Circumstantial facts

“Facts do not lie, men can and do.”

Memory is a funny thing. research shows that eye witnesses, or even victims of crimes- have a very hard time recalling facts as an absolute manner. human recallaction tends to be twisted by our emotions, and subjective experiences, and does not reflect facts.
In the rape case of Jennifer Thompson in 1984, she had identified twice her rapist in a lineup as Ronald Cotton, he has claimed innocence. Another convict, that had bragged about the rape to fellow inmates was presented to her in a lineup, she said she had never seen him before . it was only 10 years later that DNA evidence have exonorated Cotton, and identified Bobby Poole, the bragging inmate, as her attacker.

Law of Circumstantial facts = Data, Data, Data

In the product world, we aim to be customer centric, focused on the voice of the customer, even customer- obsessed.
We want to be talking to customers everyday, and learning as much as we can from them. But, we need to always keep in mind the biases that human perception holds, be warey from incepting ideas and thoughts to our customers and be as data focused as possible, since data is not as circumstantial as humen perception.

From Forensics to Product Management

As product managers, that strive to be on constant learning and Improvement, while juggling many topics at once, it is sometimes challenging to maintain focus on what practices serves us best.
By following these 7 principles as our guidelines, we can be certain we focus our efforts in the right direction.

if it’s good enough for determining with a high level of certainty that a person conducted a murder, it’s definitely good enough for us, to make sure we provide a good service to our product, company, and customers.