Article archives
Here you can find links to all the articles published on this website.
You can also view the PRODUCTHEAD newsletter archive.
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Should a product manager have responsibility for profitability?
“Should the product manager have some level or perhaps a great deal of responsibility for the…Read more →
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78: How to start a new product manager job
Starting a new product manager job can be daunting, particularly if you don’t change jobs very…Read more →
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What technical skills do I need to be a product manager?
“I was looking for inspiration and guidance as I am searching for a career change and…Read more →
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77: The only article you’ll ever need on prioritization
When faced with all the things you could and should be doing, it can be tremendously…Read more →
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What lessons from antiquity would you apply to product management?
“So this this might seem a bit odd, but are there any lessons from antiquity given…Read more →
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76: Manage the whole product
A whole product is often a complex combination of several products and services. Some you create…Read more →
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What’s the difference between a product manager and a business analyst?
“Hi Jock, What’s the difference between a product manager and a business analyst?”Read more →
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75: The dirty little secrets of decision making
I’ve been thinking about decision making. What makes one decision better than another?Read more →
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Misunderstood metaphors: Product manager as conductor
Product managers are sometimes referred to as the conductor of the orchestra. Some people think that…Read more →
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Voxgig Fireside for professional speakers
In Voxgig’s Fireside podcast for professional speakers, I reveal how I turned my flair for product…Read more →
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74: The black art of content design
This week I learnt the phrase ‘black art’ comes from the world of printing presses. So…Read more →
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73: You wouldn’t drive blindfolded – why you need user research
At best, organisations do a bit of user research up front and no more, then set…Read more →
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How do I make my product manager CV stand out?
“I am currently looking for a new PM role but there is so much competition because…Read more →
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How to measure product management – ProductBeats talk
My talk about how to measure product management on Tolpagorni’s ProductBeats weekly webinar series.Read more →
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72: All the world’s a stage – how to launch a product
The other day, I was asked how to launch a product successfully. Two competing responses sprang…Read more →
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What’s the best way to focus teams on outcomes not outputs?
What’s the best way to help agile teams move away from feature delivery to focus on…Read more →
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What’s the name for ‘continuing to find product-market fit’?
Do you have a name for continuing to find/refine product-market fit? Or is product-market fit something…Read more →
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Reading aloud
I’m trying to make my blog and other websites as accessible as possible. This has led…Read more →
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71: The PMO strikes back
Okay, okay, so maybe likening the Project Management Office (PMO) to the Empire hunting down the…Read more →
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70: You need a delivery manager on your team
In the UK government digital teams, you don’t see project managers or even Scrum masters. Why?…Read more →
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May you live in interesting times
Not an article about product management per se, but a justification (to myself, if anything) for…Read more →
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69: It matters what you say and what you do
I perhaps naïvely assume that a company’s stated product vision and corporate mission are what the…Read more →
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68: 4 common user persona mistakes
More often than not, user personas are just a laborious way to decorate the walls. Are…Read more →
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67: Why cake is important for product leaders
Building or changing a product culture in your organisation isn’t just about having the right ingredients,…Read more →
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66: Show the thing
‘Show the thing’ sessions encourage a culture of openness, of sharing information. They create opportunities for…Read more →
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Learning Product Leadership with Jock Busuttil on Ross Webb’s Product Team Success podcast
I’ve just been on Ross Webb’s new Product Team Success podcast talking about learning product leadership.…Read more →
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What exactly is a freelance head of product? (Interview for Working Products conference)
3 questions and answers: What exactly is a “Freelance Head of Product”? What is a great…Read more →
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What makes a good UX designer? (from a product manager’s point of view)
Hi Jock, what makes a good UX Designer from the perspective of a product manager?Read more →
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Can I pick your brain about product roadmaps?
“Hey Jock, I would love to pick your brain about product roadmaps.”Read more →
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65: The secrets of meaningful product roadmaps (redux)
Product managers often struggle to keep on top of their product roadmap. I recently gave this…Read more →
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Should I take a different role before applying to become a product manager?
Hi Jock, I’m an entrepreneur, product/program manager and hardcore gamer. I’m facing a dilemma in my…Read more →
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What skills do I need to be a freelance product manager?
People ask me from time to time about how they can get into freelance product management. Here’s a recent question: Hi Jock, I’ve been working as a product manager for 5 years now. I worked in different industries (financial, loyalty, media, fintech) and now I am starting to manage a team of product managers and…
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64: Good product management
What does it mean to be a good product manager in 2018? It’s not just about…Read more →
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How do I make myself more suitable for a senior product role in UK government?
Here’s a question I’ve been asked recently: Hi Jock, I’d appreciate your advice on working for the GDS and different ministries. I have recently applied for senior positions (Deputy Director and Head of Product) at GDS and another UK government department. On both occasions I was told that while I had the skills, my previous…
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I need a product manager with specific experience, can you help?
Good product managers are agnostic of technologies (and markets).Read more →
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63: The whole agile thing
“Agile” is a term that has been abused by organisations to such an extent that its…Read more →
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How on earth am I going to start managing a second product?
“How on earth am I going to start managing a second product?”Read more →
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62: How to measure product manager performance
A real-life case study for measuring the performance of a team of product managers, with examples…Read more →
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61: The 16 most important technical skills every product manager needs
In addition to the ‘soft’ skills I discussed in the last post, a good product manager also needs…Read more →
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60: The 12 most important soft skills every product manager needs
I’m often asked what skills a product manager needs. In my view at least, a good…Read more →
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59: Find the tipping point in your user research
The more closely we examined the problem, the more complicated it became. When this happens to…Read more →
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How did you get into product management?
This is an interview I did a little while ago with a user experience author living…Read more →
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What’s the one thing retailers are doing wrong in ecommerce?
When it comes to the ecommerce checkout process, what’s one thing that retailers are doing wrong?…Read more →
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58: What Eurovision taught me about product management
For a glitzy song contest, Eurovision has a lot to answer for. There is a product…Read more →
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57: Cut through red tape
If bureaucracy and organisational inertia frustrate you, read on.Read more →
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How do you keep user needs front and centre?
I was recently asked this question: How do you keep user needs at the centre of…Read more →
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The secret behind meaningful product roadmaps
I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my…Read more →
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56: The coffee shop problem
How much of a problem is it if something similar to your shiny new product idea…Read more →
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The benefits of open and transparent data
I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my…Read more →
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What sources of information should people use to build products?
Here’s a question I was asked recently: What sources of information do you suggest folks building…Read more →
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What user trends do you see?
“Are you seeing any key trends from the user perspective that companies need to be thinking…Read more →
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