Chief Technology Officer Allen Hurst Founder, President Chief Technology Officer

What do Product Managers do?

Product-y Things Pricing Market Analysis Market Strategy Marketing Plan Marketing Content Competitive Analysis Win/Loss Analysis User Research Product Strategy Partner Strategy Partner Management Product Roadmap Revenue Analysis/Projection Product Evangelism Customer Satisfaction/Retention Product Market Fit Personas User Experience Design Usage Analysis Support Analysis Software Requirements Customer Communication Executive Communication Go to Market Strategy Customer Stories Sales Tools Channel Strategy Business Analysis

How do ambitious product managers see themselves? CEO of the product All product decisions go through me I am in charge of everything

How does this work out? Frustration Unhappiness Conflict

Agile Product Management In the Real World

Agenda Product Management lacks a universal definition Context Dissonance between orthodoxy and reality Lessons in context Defining and conforming to context -- establishing a mindset that functions in a context Values / Practices / Tools Values Practices Expectations Pitfalls to Avoid Tools

also you want to talk about

? A Product Manager is ?: sometimes, sometimes not so much The CEO of the Product ? The Product Owner for the development team ? Responsible for product strategy ? Responsible for product marketing strategy ? Accountable to customers for the product roadmap ? In control of the product roadmap ? The manager of everyone involved in achieving their responsibilities ?... sometimes, sometimes not so much

The Obligatory What’s the difference between a Product Owner and a Product Manager? Vocabulary

Product Manager in Context Startup, pre-revenue Big product for governments Growth stage, empowered product team Multiple products, loose definition

Mindset is Key Similar to agile coaching - no power, only influence, have to work within the context

Values / Practices / Tools Establish the Universal Best Practices A Toolbox You Can Pull From

Values Achieving the goal over following a plan Adhering to strategy over the pressure of the week Impacting results over pleasing everyone Following leadership over exclusion from influence Adhering to context over adopting orthodoxy

Winning Practices Jobs to be Done GIST Planning Presenting the Right Roadmap

Jobs To Be Done Customers don’t buy products, they hire them to do a job created by a struggle they’re encountering Two forces promote a new choice The push of the situation (the struggle) Magnetism of the new solution (imagining a new way) Two forces block change Habit of the present Anxiety of the new solution Takeaways Speak to the struggling moment Paint a colorful vision of the new way Mitigate the anxiety of change

GIST Planning

Roadmaps A document built for a particular audience Tell a story Think outside the box Dates on the roadmap? What are you accountable for? What are the expectations? Are they relevant? Managing expectations

GO Product Roadmap

Aha Roadmap

Time Automate all imports Send daily reports Add container work items Increase engagement Goal: Send daily reports Add container work items Composed work items | Query work items Improve position against Aha Goal: Implement GIST roadmap report Generate | Filter Sync all work items Improve integration with Jira Goal: Sync custom fields Time

Alignment: Functional Expectations

Functional Expectations: Product Manager Understand your stakeholders and determine your authority and non-negotiables Explicitly define the expectations you are beholden to and set expectations with stakeholders of the impact you are capable of in light of those constraints Do not claim more authority than you have Do not be a victim Embrace your role given your constraints and take pride in the influence you can achieve Embrace a growth mindset Be an influence in the areas you do not have authority over by earning a seat at the table Be a consistent strategic voice at the table, earning buy-in to a sound product strategy while loyally adjusting to the direction set by leaders

What to Avoid

Revenue Irrelevance

Urgent > Strategic

Customer > Market

Pricing Last

Loss of Relevance

Toolbox

Tools worth considering Product Vision Board Balanced Product Scorecard Customer Journey Map One-Page Project Proposals

Books