Building effective communication channels
Lead on Purpose
NOVEMBER 28, 2016
The word ‘channel’ has various and differing meanings. I grew up on a ranch, and we had to get water to the grass and to the cattle.
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Moving from Solutions to Problems
Folding Burritos
FEBRUARY 22, 2016
People from all over the company come to you with feature requests and ideas. From minor things like UI tweaks to major ones like a new Search feature. Depending on how pushy and persistent stakeholders are in support of their feature, you might be forced to eventually let it through. Once this happens, expectations are set. “My feature got into the product,” they think.
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What is Good Product Strategy?
Melissa Perri
JULY 14, 2016
“What is your Product Strategy? YOU NEED A STRATEGY.” When I replay this scene in my head, I can hear the CTO very audibly yelling (slash pleading) with our product team. He was on edge. We had been experimenting towards a very concrete goal for two months, and had made a lot of progress. We had learned so much about what was preventing users from signing up on the site, and it was a lot clearer which direction in which we should be going.
Is Scrum Right for Your Product?
Roman Pichler
SEPTEMBER 19, 2016
When is Scrum Most Helpful? A process like Scrum is a great fit for your product when it is brand-new or young, and when you extend its life cycle, as shown in the picture below. This means that not every product will benefit from Scrum: Products that are maturing or declining won’t benefit from Scrum—at least not to the same degree. The picture above shows the traditional, bell-shaped product life cycle curve with three key events: launch—the product first becomes available; achieving product-m
Your Guide to Product Management Interviews: Top Questions with Answers
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Stand out in your product management interview with guidance from Priyanka Upadhyay, an experienced product leader and Stanford Online program coach. In this guide, Upadhay dives into five key competencies interviewers will likely want to assess. She provides sample questions with detailed answers spanning: Product strategy Product design Execution Market estimation Teamwork Confidently land the product management role you want by pre-empting what interviewers are looking for and demonstrating y
Story: Career Advice and Growing in Product Management
bpma ProductHub
SEPTEMBER 19, 2016
The founders of the Boston Women in Product share their story of how they started in product management, some of the challenges they faced and how mentors helped them navigate through these experiences. Cait Porte , Vice President of Product Management, Zmags. As my career in product management accelerated, so did my fear of being able to balance it all.
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Why This Opportunity Solution Tree is Changing the Way Product Teams Work
Product Talk
AUGUST 10, 2016
I’ve found a visual aid that is profoundly changing the way teams work. It’s working so well that I feel compelled to write a book about it. But that’s going to take time and I want you to have it today. So I’m going to scratch the surface in this blog post. I suspect you are going to have one of two reactions. You will either skim this post, conclude it’s obvious and that you already do it, and miss the point entirely.
7 Customer Feedback Nightmares Every Product Manager Should Avoid
UserVoice
AUGUST 30, 2016
Bill Gates once famously said “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” While it’s a poignant quote, it doesn’t mean unhappy customers are your goal (there’s only so much positive spin Silicon Valley can put on failure). Prevention, as always, is the best medicine. With that in mind, here are 7 of the most common customer feedback nightmares Product Managers face and a.
The biggest challenge for product managers?
Mind the Product
OCTOBER 25, 2016
A few weeks ago, I invited Mind the Product readers to take part in a brief survey with a simple goal: to identify the biggest challenges product managers face in their role. I’m sincerely grateful to the 47 of you who provided your thoughts, many of which were detailed and insightful in their own right. And while this wasn’t a scientific study, the results are directionally valuable and, for what it’s worth, consistent with my experiences and those of my colleagues.
Reference Pricing
The Product Bistro
JUNE 23, 2016
Completely unrelated to my usual posting, I had an interesting discussion on Facebook today about the changes that consumers are experiencing. This discussion was about how some items prices remain the same, but the quantity you receive is less. Case in point: Toilet paper. On the right we see how the roll used to be. Smaller cardboard core, and more paper wrapped around it.
Effective Risk Management: Balancing Safety, Compliance, and Opportunity
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Effective risk management in product development balances safety, compliance, and opportunity. Risks can't be eliminated, but they can be mitigated through structured assessments, clear documentation, and expert guidance. Engaging specialists ensures efficiency, regulatory adherence, and product security while reducing costly oversights. A well-executed risk management plan includes frequent evaluations, defined assessment criteria, and a structured decision-making process.
3 Types of Product Managers: Builders, Tuners, Innovators
Sachin Rekhi
JUNE 20, 2016
As the product management role has become far more popular here in Silicon Valley and at technology firms in general, we’ve started to see specialization in the role begin to emerge. While these specific product roles rarely have differentiated titles or formal separate requirements, savvy hiring managers are certainly looking for product managers with specific skill-sets and passion areas depending on the specific product stage and challenges they are solving for.
What are you really competing against?
Lead on Purpose
OCTOBER 3, 2016
In our world of work and business, competition is a real thing. Too often, however, we miss the real competitor. We overlook the root of what our products are really competing against.
How to Deal with “Sinatra” Stakeholders
Folding Burritos
JANUARY 21, 2016
No matter how much we’d like for our Product Management role to be solely focused around building great products and making customers happy, the reality is that we need to work inside organizations. We’re part of a larger team and that means interacting with a broader group of people with direct or indirect interest in the product: our stakeholders.
What is Good Product Strategy?
Melissa Perri
JULY 14, 2016
“What is your Product Strategy? YOU NEED A STRATEGY.” When I replay this scene in my head, I can hear the CTO very audibly yelling (slash pleading) with our product team. He was on edge. We had been experimenting towards a very concrete goal for two months, and had made a lot of progress. We […].
Enterprise ABM Marketing Tools: A Marketers Guide
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Savvy B2B marketers know that a great account-based marketing (ABM) strategy leads to higher ROI and sustainable growth. In this guide, we’ll cover: What makes for a successful ABM strategy? What are the key elements and capabilities of ABM that can make a real difference? How is AI changing workflows and driving functionality? This Martech Intelligence Report on Enterprise Account-Based Marketing examines the state of ABM in 2024 and what to consider when implementing ABM software.
10 Tips for Creating an Agile Product Roadmap
Roman Pichler
JULY 20, 2016
1 Focus on Goals and Benefits. Whenever you are faced with an agile, dynamic environment—be it that your product is young and is experiencing significant change or that the market is dynamic with new competitors or technologies introducing change, you should work with a goal-oriented product roadmap, sometimes also referred to as theme-based. Goal-oriented roadmaps focus on goals or objectives like acquiring customers, increasing engagement, and removing technical debt.
Mentorship and expectations
bpma ProductHub
NOVEMBER 4, 2016
The mentorship program at the Boston Product Management Association and how to make the best out of it. Why you might need a mentor in your life. Directing your own life can be equally exciting and daunting thing to do. Oftentimes we may feel stuck and need a little push on the way. It seems like all the books we’ve read, all the knowledge we’ve acquired, all the people we’ve met are still not enough to guide us take a direction, adjust our perspective or make a decision.
What Will Product Management Be Like In 5 Years?
The Secret PM Handbook
OCTOBER 7, 2016
The future is hard to tease out, but here’s what will happen in product management’s future. (CC 2.0 by PunkToad). Earlier this year Janna Bastow of ProdPad put out a call for opinions on the future of product management. I quickly responded then. And realized later it would also make a good blog post. To understand the future of product management I started from the “present” of product management.
Why You Are Asking the Wrong Customer Interview Questions
Product Talk
MARCH 30, 2016
I recently asked a woman what factors she considered when buying a new pair of jeans. She didn’t hesitate in her answer. She said, “Fit is my number one factor.” That seems reasonable. It’s hard to find a pair of jeans that fit well. I then asked her to tell me about the last time she bought a pair of jeans. She said, “I bought them on Amazon.”.
Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025
Speaker: Duke Heninger, Partner and Fractional CFO at Ampleo & Creator of CFO System
Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Duke Heninger, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.
How to Onboard Junior Product Managers for Success
UserVoice
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
As your product management team grows, you will inevitably bring on some more junior product managers. Some may have a couple of years under their belt, while others may be fresh out of school or recent converts from engineering, design, analysis, or project management. It would be easy to view these new product managers as a distraction from your own daily grind, or even as competition, but this.
How aligning product and marketing teams improves customer experience
Mind the Product
OCTOBER 27, 2016
It wasn’t too long ago that designers and developers were disciples of strictly separate crafts – but today, someone who can do both well is quickly labelled a “unicorn”, and sought after by many a unicorn-thirsty start-up. I believe the same synthesis of skill sets is occurring between marketers and product managers, but all too often, they’re treated organisationally as separate disciplines, broken up into siloed teams.
Structured Visits – The Ambush
The Product Bistro
AUGUST 23, 2016
The concepts behind structured customer visits are powerful tools that allows the product manager or marketing team to quickly validate their assumptions, and ensure that the market matches the internal view. However, since you often must rely on groups that have an underlying agenda to select customers to visit, and also to coordinate the visits, there is a very real risk in this process.
Behind Every Great Product
svpg
SEPTEMBER 30, 2016
Article: Behind Every Great Product. When I first decided to start The Silicon Valley Product Group, I had just left eBay and had some very strong opinions about what makes great product teams, and great product cultures, and while there were more than a few important thinkers and leaders on these topics, one area that I felt was under-represented was the role of product management.
B2B eCommerce, Self-Service Portals, and PIM Trends for 2024
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In 2024, B2B customers expect better quality and service with streamlined experiences that match consumer-grade simplicity—no long calls or meetings required. Our B2B eCommerce Trends Report, surveying 400+ B2B professionals in the US and Europe, reveals how eCommerce has become vital to top companies’ strategies. The report shows how leaders are leveraging eCommerce to break data silos, unify channels, and deliver the personalized experiences that customers demand.
What are you really competing against?
Lead on Purpose
OCTOBER 3, 2016
In our world of work and business, competition is a real thing. Too often, however, we miss the real competitor. We overlook the root of what our products are really competing against.
My Daily Learning Ritual
Sachin Rekhi
AUGUST 28, 2016
Ever since I committed to being an infinite learner , I've been executing on a daily one hour learning ritual. While it's easy to say that continuous learning is important to me, I knew that if I didn't proactively dedicate time in my day to it, it wouldn't become a habit. So I set aside an hour first thing in the morning with my morning cup of coffee (or two) to this ritual.
Stop Blaming the User
Melissa Perri
OCTOBER 23, 2016
I’m finally going home from a long business trip and I’m very excited. But my experience with United Airline’s customer service this morning completely killed my good mood. They keep blaming me for their mistake. It’s a story I know well because I see it so commonly in Product Management too.
What is a Digital Product?
Roman Pichler
JUNE 14, 2016
Product. What is a product ? It might be tempting to say, something we can market or sell. But when it comes to digital products, this definition has only limited applicability. Take the search function on your company’s website. Is that a product? Or is the entire website the product? And how would others, including people from development, marketing, and sales, answer this question?
Usage-Based Monetization Musts: A Roadmap for Sustainable Revenue Growth
Speaker: David Warren and Kevin O'Neill Stoll
Transitioning to a usage-based business model offers powerful growth opportunities but comes with unique challenges. How do you validate strategies, reduce risks, and ensure alignment with customer value? Join us for a deep dive into designing effective pilots that test the waters and drive success in usage-based revenue. Discover how to develop a pilot that captures real customer feedback, aligns internal teams with usage metrics, and rethinks sales incentives to prioritize lasting customer eng
The Simple Guide to Product Management
bpma ProductHub
AUGUST 1, 2016
Contributed by Cynthia Andre. In 2016, Glassdoor identified Product Management as the #8 best job to have in America, with a job score of 4.5 out of 5. Other jobs on the list included Data Scientist, Tax Manager and HR Manager. Unlike many of those jobs, product management is known for its nebulous career pathing and ambiguity. For one, roles can change drastically from company to company.
Mental Models for Product Managers – Part 1
The Secret PM Handbook
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
The importance of mental models. Model of the brain – in yarn (CC 2.0 by Linden Tea ). There’s been an explosion – at least in my feed – of folks talking about the importance of having a lot of good mental models to help you make better decisions. A lot of this goes back to a talk by Charlie Munger at USC Business School in 1994. He’s the other old white guy who works with Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway making lots of high-payoff investments.
How to Take Notes During Customer Research Interviews
Product Talk
FEBRUARY 24, 2016
For those of you following along, I’ve been conducting interviews to understand the life of a product manager. If you need to catch up, you can see my initial call for participants here and my breakdown of how I am selecting participants here. I’ll be blogging about both how I conduct the research and the trends and patterns that come out of it. One of the biggest challenges with qualitative research is capturing the overwhelming volume of data you collect throughout the process.
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