Why the Minimum Viable Product Is Dead
Okay, okay, maybe it’s not dead, but the way we treat MVPs today is NOT how they were originally intended, and that’s costing companies their ability to build truly customer-centric products that actually impact business metrics. The good news is that there’s a different, more impactful way of thinking about early releases.
How Product Managers Can Excel at Being Generalists With 3 Straightforward Steps
A cornerstone concept in product management is that product sits at the center of multiple disciplines. This intersection naturally lends itself to the idea that Product Managers need to be great generalists. If you’re struggling to strike a balance in this role, here are 3 things you can do right now to become a great generalist.
A New Scorecard That Will Make Product Managers and Key Stakeholders Happy (Mostly)
I’ve decided to make some improvements to the typical scorecard that teams use to report on progress. My hope is that it makes both product folks and their stakeholders feel more aligned and maybe, just maybe, a bit happier with the process. Keep reading to learn about my adjusted scorecard and download the template for free!
The 3 Things Product Leaders Should Think About Heading into a Recession
I know, it’s the dreaded “r” word, and it has taken up residence in the back of everyone’s minds as 2023 looms closer. We know the recession is coming, so what can we do to get ahead of it? Here are three reminders for product leaders to consider.
3 Ways Product-Led Orgs Can Support Their Talent’s Growth
With so many training, certification and continuing education courses available to product folks, I understand why I’m frequently asked which options offer the best value. It’s a lot to navigate. If you’re a leader who finds themself with some remaining year-end budget, or in a position to carve out dollars for next year that can be invested in your talent, there are a ton of options out there. Here’s how I simplified it for a recent client.
The Weaponization of OKRs: Is Your Org Guilty of It?
Ah, the beloved OKR. From Intel in the 70s and Google in the 90’s, to just about everywhere in late 2022. Are they worth the hype? And are they even being used well in your organization? This might be a bit of a hot take because I know people love OKRs, but I tend to roll my eyes when they come up in conversation with clients. Why? Well, most companies don’t actually understand how they’re supposed to be created.
3 Reasons Why Your Product Team is Faltering (and what you can do about it)
If your product team is getting off course time and time again, or has failed to make progress for many months, it may be time to run some diagnostics and address the root cause. There are a lot of reasons why derailment happens, but in my experience most can be traced back to one or more things missing in the context of their work.
Building Cross-Functional Product Teams is Harder Than You Think
Building cross-functional teams for product-led orgs is harder than you think it is, and if you miss the target it can hurt the whole team’s best effort at creating value for customers and the company alike.
A Product Manager’s Guide to Streamlining Meetings and Emails
Great Product Managers and Product Owners know that communicating with large teams and key constituents is a major part of the job (among other important things). The road to that realization can be rough, especially if you’re constantly fighting to “find time to do the work.” The reality is that constant communication is the work. PM roles are highly relational, so it’s critical to accept that a significant portion of your time will be spent talking with other people via meetings, Slack, email, 1:1s, standups, and beyond. The real secret to wrangling team communication isn’t to resist the chaos, but to figure out how to organize the chaos.
Don’t Let Your “Later” Roadmap Become Your “Never” Roadmap
When it comes to Product Roadmaps, the “Later” column is meant to be a place where the big audacious problems and opportunities live. What it becomes instead is Just Another Backlog: a holding ground for ideas and pet projects and problems of all different shapes and sizes, and the only thing they seem to have in common is that they aren’t being done “Now,” or even “Next.” So what can we do about it?
How to Hire Product Managers for Agile Organizations
Any Google search or LinkedIn query will tell you the core responsibilities required of a Product Manager, however, evaluating whether a candidate is actually ready for the role in an agile, product-led organization can be challenging.
4 Quick Game Changers for Your Product Roadmap
If you’re reading this article, you likely already know the purpose of a product roadmap and probably have a template (or twelve) that you’ve based yours on. You also probably have a love/hate relationship with yours: you know it’s necessary, but would rather not look at it most days.
With these four mindset elements, you can transform this one-dimensional document into a colorful and cogent vision that everyone is eager to explore and engage with.
Hiring a VP of Product? How to Plan Smart & Hire Right
You probably shouldn't hire anyone until you've sat down to examine what kind of product leader you're looking for.
Barre Moves
I work with teams at every stage of the agile product transformation curve, and it's messy, uncomfortable, and hard work for everyone involved. Sort of like learning to do Barre.
Instilling a Fail Fast Mentality
These days, everyone professes to be adopting a "fail fast" mentality. How can leaders lay the groundwork to help teams embrace risk and weather the inevitable failures that happen when teams pursue innovation?
This Isn't Working How I Thought it Would: Rethinking your Digital Transformation
The more I talk to execs about their digital transformation efforts, the more I clearly see that the most common source of friction is all about the people involved and the impact to the organization.