Product Management 101

Presentation Flow

• · Product Management
• -what, why, who
• · Product Manager skillsets
• · Difference between Consumer & Enterprise products
• · Product Management is the function that manages the product life cycle through activities like planning, forecasting, production, marketing.
• · The Product Management role can have different flavours
• -engineering, design, sales, user acquisition, marketing, data etc
The Product Management Dilemma

• · Product Managers have responsibility but no authority
• · They own the product, but don't manage the people building the product
'A great product manager has the brain of an engineer, the heart of a designer, and the speech of a diplomat…'

'The best Product Managers become CEOs of their products (minus P&L responsibilities)…'

· Vision

• -align org goals with market conditions & user needs
• - 'get' the pulse of the product (think movie directors)

· Design

• -give shape to the product: feature mix, user experience

· Execution

• -work with engineering, quality, marketing to deliver
Identifying a Good Product Manager

• · Strong product sense/instinct
• · Carries multiple points of views
• · Communicates clearly
• · Simplifies & prioritizes
• · Measures & iterates
• · Understands good design
• · Writes effective copy
'Product Managers are God's gift to mankind…. against feature bloat'

"Every failed product had an awesome spreadsheet…"

Product Managers: 'The Art of Saying No'

· So many reasons to say yes

• -'But the data looks good…'
• -'But it'll only take a few minutes….'
• -'But this customer is about to quit…'
• -'But we can just make it optional…'
• -'But my cousin's neighbour said…'
• -'But we're allowed to work on whatever we want…'
• -'But 713,000 people said they want it…'
• -'But we'll achieve our monthly target…'
How to tackle casual product feedback

• · One person's opinion (OPO)
• -what if the one-person is Steve Jobs
• · Strong suggestion
• · Vocal minority phenomenon
• · Mandate

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140602024642-22330283-avoiding-the-unintendedconsequences-of-casual-feedback

3 point thumb rule for product prioritization

• · Product features (prioritizing for a product)
• -Metrics movers
• -Satisfiers
• -Delighters
• · Product Roadmap (prioritizing overall product plan)
• -Core
• -Strategic
• -Venture
Both consumer & enterprise products deliver user values & functionality but…

• - Consumer: you build for end-users Enterprise: you build for end-users & buyers
• -Consumer: satisfies the user's emotional need Enterprise: workflow efficiency is focus
• - Consumer: build what users love (partners: Eng/Design/Pdt.) Enterprise: revenue driven (partners: Sales/Marketing)
• - Consumer: often requires an artistic mindset Enterprise: requires a business mindset
References

• · http://crankypm.com/2006/11/08/that-all-the-responsibility-and-no-authority-saying/
• · http://steveblank.com/2010/01/25/whats-a-startup-first-principles/
• · http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html
• · http://blog.intercom.io/product-strategy-means-saying-no/
• · https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140602024642-22330283-avoiding-the-unintendedconsequences-of-casual-feedback
• · https://www.pinterest.com/pin/47850814762416434/
• · http://www.sachinrekhi.com/blog/2013/01/28/what-is-product-management
• · http://www.quora.com/What-distinguishes-the-Top-1-of-Product-Managers-from-the-Top10/answer/Ian-McAllister
• · https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-enterprise-products-differ-from-consumer-angelayoonjeong-yang
• · www.dilbert.com
• · http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-ways-to-prioritize-a-list-of-product-features
• · http://www.instigatorblog.com/the-role-of-product-managers/2012/06/08/
• · https://medium.com/design-of-a-technology-business/ultimate-guide-to-product-prioritizationb08c18d5c00f