Article archives
Here you can find links to all the articles published on this website.
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 their product plans today rely on, so that they can get the evidence they need to build the product that will meet the needs of end users?
Here’s my answer:
Read more › What sources of information should people use to build products?
What user trends do you see?
I was recently asked this question:
Are you seeing any key trends from the user perspective that companies need to be thinking about at the aggregate level?
Here’s my answer:
What kinds of questions should I be asking in discovery?
I was recently asked this question:
During the problem exploration phase, what kinds of questions should I be asking and how do I go from 1000 problems to the core problems that will unlock the solution?
Read on for my answer:
Read more › What kinds of questions should I be asking in discovery?
How UK government digital services gather and use evidence
I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my decisions in product management. I’ve edited the transcript a little and split it into bite-size parts for your entertainment. This bit is about how UK government digital services gather and use evidence.
Read more › How UK government digital services gather and use evidence
How closely aligned should product organisations be with marketing and personas?
Here’s another question I was asked recently:
If you’re concerned about buyer needs and their objectives, how closely aligned do you suggest product organisations be with marketing and with the persona development to ensure they are creating a solution that does meet those needs in the market?
Here’s my answer:
Read more › How closely aligned should product organisations be with marketing and personas?
Why we can’t help jumping to conclusions
I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my decisions in product management. I’ve edited the transcript a little and split it into bite-size parts for your entertainment. This bit is about why we can’t help jumping to conclusions.
How much evidence is sufficient for decision-making?
I was recently asked this question:
Do you have a rule of thumb for deciding how much evidence is sufficient for decision making? I often see decisions made on the basis of a sample of one.
Here’s my answer:
Read more › How much evidence is sufficient for decision-making?
Expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them)
I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my decisions in product management. I’ve edited the transcript a little and split it into bite-size parts for your entertainment. This bit is about expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them).
Read more › Expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them)
How do I get my waterfall organisation to be more agile?
I was recently asked this question:
How would you recommend working with organisations who are used to a traditional / waterfall approach, transition towards agile / iterative development?
Here’s my response:
Read more › How do I get my waterfall organisation to be more agile?
How do I distil users’ wish lists of requirements to a core handful?
I was recently asked this question:
Can you make suggestions of how best to distil users’ wish lists of requirements/outcomes to a core handful that will encompass most people’s problems?
Here’s my answer:
Read more › How do I distil users’ wish lists of requirements to a core handful?
55: How to beat writer’s block
I share my tips for beating writer’s block. In an article I used to beat writer’s block. How meta.
Modernising your product in 2017 – webinar for Logi Analytics
A talk I gave in November 2016 for Logi Analytics about why building products should be data-driven, and how to do it.
Read more › Modernising your product in 2017 – webinar for Logi Analytics
Starting with a guess: how to use data creatively
The interview covers things like:
thinking about outcomes, not outputs; alignment with broader goals; finding and measuring leading indicators; and the 5 most important metrics for product managers.
Read more › Starting with a guess: how to use data creatively
Building a product community in government
We have many product-minded people in the Government Digital Service (GDS) and across government, but we’re only just beginning to operate as a product community. I’m currently helping GDS out and have written a post for their blog on how we’re beginning to improve things.
54: How to stop common B2B dysfunctions in the product team
There are several common dysfunctions plaguing product teams in B2B companies the world over. How can you stop them? Read on for suggestions.
Read more › 54: How to stop common B2B dysfunctions in the product team
How product managers can build a healthier relationship with the sales team
At some point, all product managers will find themselves wondering how they can build a healthier relationship with the sales team. I’ve written a guest post for the good folks at Mind The Product that offers some practical suggestions. Have … How product managers can build a healthier relationship with the sales team Read More…
Read more › How product managers can build a healthier relationship with the sales team
53: THIS is what product-market fit looks like
Product-market fit is one of those concepts that seems relatively straightforward in theory but ends up being elusive in practice. But what does product-market fit actually look like when you get there?
52: It only takes one bottleneck
On my arrival in Australia I was initially impressed by the slick service design of their automated SmartGate immigration process. Until I found myself back to having to fill in declaration cards with a pen, that is.
The £20 bottle of Blue Nun
To all wannabe e-commerce entrepreneurs: you no longer have any excuse. It’s possible to fire up an MVP for a wine delivery business in under an hour using just a mobile phone. Read how… Get articles when they’re published My … The £20 bottle of Blue Nun Read More »
3 ways to build a better sales team
More often than not the relationship between product management and the sales team frustrates both sides. Here are three ways to build a better sales team.
Should I start a bank?
After yet another day of outage from my business bank, I found myself thinking: “I could do this better. I should start a bank.”
How to show your team the benefits of experimentation
This is a little post about some ways to convince a reluctant development team that experimentation is A Good Thing.
Read more › How to show your team the benefits of experimentation
51: Assemble the right product team
Government digital teams have a way to ensure their digital services and products are created in the right way. In this post I’ll share with you how they do this and explain how you can make it work at your organisation.
Getting better at public speaking
I’m currently working to improve my public speaking, and I recently gave a talk on Digital Justice at Product Management Festival in Zurich. Afterwards, I asked a few people for some honest feedback, and jotted down how I felt I’d done. So this post is really a mini-retrospective.
6 simple rules of product management
I spent August in Sydney creating some new training. What was particularly interesting was that it wasn’t intended for the product people – it was to introduce everyone else in the organisation to the concepts of product management.
50: A novice’s introduction to service design for product managers
I’m no expert on service design, but it’s an area I’m curious to learn more about. This is a novice’s introduction to service design for product managers.
Read more › 50: A novice’s introduction to service design for product managers
49: How to prioritise your product portfolio
If you were to inherit a portfolio of ninety legacy products, some of which hadn’t been updated in years, what would you decide to do with them? And how would you prioritise which ones to work on? This article explains how.
48: Mac or PC? You don’t have to pick a side
If you find yourself attempting to win over the rest of your organisation to a more user-centric, evidence-led way of working, remember how jarring change can be and actively work to soften the impact for them.
Making myself redundant
MOJ Digital wants to attract and recruit experienced professionals into the civil service on a permanent basis. We’re hiring for fifteen different job roles, including my role as head of product. Come and have a chat with us at Silicon Milkroundabout on 9th and 10th May to see what we’re all about.
Interview with Wade Danielson of The Entrepreneurs Library
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Wade Danielson, founder and host of the Entrepreneurs Library. Take a listen or read the full transcript.
Read more › Interview with Wade Danielson of The Entrepreneurs Library
I’m about to launch a website. Any advice?
“I’m about to launch a website selling scotch whisky. Can you offer any advice?”
Becoming a product manager at MOJ Digital
This article was originally published on MOJ Digital’s blog in January 2015. Fancy a job as a product manager? Do you see yourself working in a hot start-up with a small, tight-knit team of specialists? I’ll bet you never considered … Becoming a product manager at MOJ Digital Read More »
Want a free copy of ‘The Practitioner’s Guide …’?
After my general giddiness the other week, I can reassure everyone that I have regained a modicum of the reserve for which Brits are better known :-) Get articles when they’re published My articles get published irregularly (erratically, some might … Want a free copy of ‘The Practitioner’s Guide …’? Read More »
Read more › Want a free copy of ‘The Practitioner’s Guide …’?
What’s it like working as a product manager at a startup?
“I have just been offered an awesome job as a product manager for a startup and although I studied UX design, I think it could be for me. Just wondering whether you could give me some insight into your day-to-day duties and what the role might entail when working on a product for a startup?”
Read more › What’s it like working as a product manager at a startup?
The Practitioner’s Guide… a best seller and selling out fast!
Wow. And furthermore, gosh. I wasn’t expecting that. Get articles when they’re published My articles get published irregularly (erratically, some might say). Never miss an article again by getting them delivered direct to your inbox as soon as they go … The Practitioner’s Guide… a best seller and selling out fast! Read More »
Read more › The Practitioner’s Guide… a best seller and selling out fast!
The Practitioner’s Guide To Product Management – out tomorrow
As you may be aware, I’ve written a book called The Practitioner’s Guide To Product Management. It’s really a collection of stories from my own experience and others’ about how NOT to manage products. So if you just follow my Golden Rule (to ignore or do the opposite of everything I suggest), then you’ll be fine. Probably.
Read more › The Practitioner’s Guide To Product Management – out tomorrow
47: How I learned to stop hating job interviews
I’ve never enjoyed job interviews. The inane questions annoy me most.
Link of the Day: Data-driven products now! (by @mcfunley)
Have you ever found yourself asking why you spent AGES building a feature that nobody uses?
Dan McKinley (@mcfunley) uses war stories from his time at Etsy to show why adopting a data-driven approach helped them move from pointless science projects to building product features that really mattered.
Read more › Link of the Day: Data-driven products now! (by @mcfunley)
46: How to qualify yourself for a product management job
What do you need to learn if you want to qualify for a job as a product manager?
Read more › 46: How to qualify yourself for a product management job
45: Three ways you’re DEFINITELY doing MVPs wrong
If one were to heft a half-brick down Old Street in London, there would be high probability of hitting someone currently engaged in building a minimum viable product (MVP) of some sort or another. There’s also almost as high a probability that they’re doing it wrong. Allow me to explain.
Read more › 45: Three ways you’re DEFINITELY doing MVPs wrong
Analytics and decision-making on Mind the Product
If you’d have told me that August’s ProductTank London on analytics and decision-making would be one of the most risqué to-date, I’d have struggled to believe you. Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
Read more › Analytics and decision-making on Mind the Product
Should the product manager and product owner be the same person?
I recently read the question on the difference between the product manager and product owner on Quora and ended up sharing my opinion – at length. So I’ve decided to publish it here for posterity. Needless to say, there are other answers and other opinions, all equally valid.
Read more › Should the product manager and product owner be the same person?
Guard against the SSLv3 Vulnerability (“POODLE”) in Zeus Web Server
A public service announcement regarding the recent SSLv3 flaw dubbed “POODLE” for the few remaining people still using Zeus Web Server out there.
Read more › Guard against the SSLv3 Vulnerability (“POODLE”) in Zeus Web Server
44: A good picture can save 1,000 words
For those of us who are artistically challenged (read: crap at drawing), it can be daunting to contemplate the use of pictures over text to make a point. I’m a perfect case in point.
‘I Manage Products’ now 14% more efficient!
You can now reach I Manage Products at the slightly shorter location of imanageproducts.uk, saving you from having to type THREE WHOLE CHARACTERS versus the old address.
39-43: Four more things I’ve learned about product management
A post in which Jock starts to think he’s Gwyneth Paltrow.
Read more › 39-43: Four more things I’ve learned about product management
Change management and product management on Mind the Product
July’s ProductTank London brought us three experts in making change happen. Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
Read more › Change management and product management on Mind the Product
10 top tips for reading your users’ minds – talk at Product Management Festival 2014
Which is better for making product decisions: guesswork or user feedback? Albert Einstein once said that anyone can make something complex, but only a genius can make something simple. Imagine if you could read your user’s minds and understand what they really think about your product.
Read more › 10 top tips for reading your users’ minds – talk at Product Management Festival 2014
38: Product managers learn by doing
You can learn all the theory you like, but at some point you just have to stop thinking about what the answer might be and dive in to find out. Product managers learn by doing.
Product roadmapping, prioritisation and portfolio management on Mind the Product
On the 4th birthday of ProductTank London in May, three speakers shared with us their experiences of building and working in B2B (business to business) companies. Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
Read more › Product roadmapping, prioritisation and portfolio management on Mind the Product
B2B Product Management on Mind the Product
On the 4th birthday of ProductTank London in May, three speakers shared with us their experiences of building and working in B2B (business to business) companies. Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
A day in the life of a product manager – guest post for Silicon Milkroundabout
Looking for a job as a product manager? Let me give you a flavour of whata day in the life of a product manager is like.
Read more › A day in the life of a product manager – guest post for Silicon Milkroundabout
Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product
April’s ProductTank London considered the question of how to manage devices in an increasingly interconnected world – the Internet of Things (IoT). Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
Read more › Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product
14th May: The $100 million assumption – MVP down under
On 14th May, I’ll be at Product Anonymous in Melbourne, Australia to talk about the trials and tribulations of MVP (minimum viable product). Come and join us!
Read more › 14th May: The $100 million assumption – MVP down under
37: Unexpected delights – a geek’s guide to the Kano model
This is the story of why I’m going to be disappointed with 99% of all airlines for the foreseeable future. A guide to the Kano model.
Read more › 37: Unexpected delights – a geek’s guide to the Kano model
Product Management in Commerce on Mind the Product
As the UK shops itself out of recession, it was more than fitting that February’s ProductTank London was all about product management in commerce: online, offline and mobile. Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
Read more › Product Management in Commerce on Mind the Product
2nd March: Calling all entrepreneurs – Cofounders Bootcamp
I’ll be joining a great line-up of speakers at Founders Nation’s Bootcamp on Sunday 2nd March. If you’re embarking on a new startup adventure, this is the event for you! Tickets are available now at www.cofoundersbootcamp.com. Special offer for readers … 2nd March: Calling all entrepreneurs – Cofounders Bootcamp Read More »
Read more › 2nd March: Calling all entrepreneurs – Cofounders Bootcamp
Back(log) to the Future – story arcs, roadmaps and product themes
Last time I published an article explaining why I thought roadmaps were a little like DVD box sets. DonorDrive product manager Kasey Marcum (@kaseymarcum) asked in the comments:
“Always enjoy your posts, Jock! I really love the high level idea of this. What does this actually look like in the wild?”
Imagine your roadmap and sprints being as engaging as a hit movie – just think how much easier they’d be to “sell” to your stakeholders and customers! Let’s see how you can do this.
Read more › Back(log) to the Future – story arcs, roadmaps and product themes
24th February: How to build a minimum viable product (MVP) at General Assembly London
Got a business idea? Test it first before you make an expensive mistake. MVP class with me at General Assembly London on 24th February.
Read more › 24th February: How to build a minimum viable product (MVP) at General Assembly London
24th January: How to build a minimum viable product (MVP) at General Assembly London
Got a business idea? Test it first before you make an expensive mistake. MVP class with me at General Assembly London on 24th January.
Read more › 24th January: How to build a minimum viable product (MVP) at General Assembly London
36: Product roadmaps are like DVD box sets
Curating the product roadmap is one of the most typical responsibilities of a product manager. But have you ever thought about why you bother with them in the first place and how you could make them more effective?
Product Management in Online Payments on Mind the Product
New year – new ProductTank London. 2014 kicked off in style with Andy Young and Yuval Samet talking to us about product management in online payments. Take a look at the recap I wrote over on Mind the Product’s blog.
Read more › Product Management in Online Payments on Mind the Product
35: Product management skills to pay the bills
So you want to become a product manager? Good for you! But how do you know you’re ready to move into a product management job? Here are some suggestions to start you on the right track.
Happy Christmas + where I’ve been hiding
To all the readers of this humble product management blog: may I wish you all a happy Christmas and all the very best for 2014! Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing the various articles I’ve written in 2013; I’m … Happy Christmas + where I’ve been hiding Read More »
Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product
Once again, I’ve been attempting to single-handedly deny service to Twitter at ProductTank London. Last week we had Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, Claire Rowland and Alex Jones all talking to us about the Internet of Things and how it affects product management. … Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product Read More »
Read more › Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product
34: Pick your battles
Recently Unilever challenged Procter & Gamble to prove their advertising claim that P&G’s Fairy brand of washing-up liquid lasted twice as long as Unilever’s Persil brand. The result that followed provides a great lesson for deciding how to pick your battles.
4th November: How to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @GA_London
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)I can’t promise fireworks, but I can tell you all about how to sanity-check your product ideas before you make an expensive mistake.
Come and join me at General Assembly London on Monday, 4th November 2013 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm for a workshop on How to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Read more › 4th November: How to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @GA_London
Link of the day: The Agile Business Gap by @brainmates
Companies often want to go Agile because it promises a more collaborative, market-centric and frequent delivery of product to market. In practice, however, gaps start to emerge because the rest of the business hasn’t adapted its adjacent processes to cope … Link of the day: The Agile Business Gap by @brainmates Read More »
Read more › Link of the day: The Agile Business Gap by @brainmates
Ich bin Produktmanager: round-up from inaugural Product Management Festival 2013 in Zürich
The first Product Management Festival took place in Zürich this week, bringing together product people from across Europe, as well as some from farther afield: the US, China, Russia and Australia. There were laughs, drama and conflict (mainly between panellists, I hasten to add), but thankfully no actual fist-fights.
Join me to learn Product Management with General Assembly
I’m doing another Product Management course with General Assembly, which was announced earlier today. Take a look at the mailshot below!
Read more › Join me to learn Product Management with General Assembly
Cycles within cycles
This week, we’ve been looking at two different lifecycles: the product lifecycle and the development lifecycle – cycles within cycles!
Crack out the Ferrero Rocher*
September is shaping up to be a good month for product people in Europe, with not one, but two great events lined up: Product Management Festival 2013 and Mind The Product Conference 2013.
Needs, features and benefits
One of the challenges of being a product manager is that it’s sometimes difficult to read between the lines of what your (potential) customers want in order to determine what they actually need. This article explains how to identify and differentiate between needs, features and benefits.
Blast from the past
Three years ago today I published my first article on I Manage Products. While a fair amount’s changed since then, I’d like to think that some things remain the same. My writing style, for one, hasn’t really improved in three … Blast from the past Read More »
Fun, fun, fun at ProductTank London!
A recap of ProductTank London last week on product management in gaming. It also contains one of the best visual puns I’ve seen for a while in a presentation.
33: The “Field Of Dreams” is fiction
This is not “Field Of Dreams” and you’re not Kevin Costner. If you build it, the users will not come – unless they have a strong motivation to do so.
Win-win-win with Wigwamm – an interview with Rayhan Rafiq Omar
A London startup is attempting to disrupt the local property rentals market in a way that benefits tenants, landlords and property agents equally – a win-win-win scenario, you might say. Jock Busuttil finds out more from the man in the Wigwamm, Rayhan Rafiq Omar.
Read more › Win-win-win with Wigwamm – an interview with Rayhan Rafiq Omar
32: Be flexible
I’ve just kicked off another project through my firm, Product People Limited. With the inevitable flurry of project start-up activity, a couple of basic tasks have reminded me how important it is for product managers to be flexible, whenever possible.
31: Learn to enjoy networking
Business networking used to hold about as much appeal for me as speed-dating with alligators. It was only later that I came to tolerate it, even enjoy it, but only after I learned to think about it differently. If the prospect of a room of people at an event fills you with dread, read on, this may help.
What you should expect when recruiting a product manager
After my slightly frivolous post last time, I wanted to follow up with a more practical article intended for people wanting to hire a product manager and, by the same token, those of you wanting to step into that role.
Read more › What you should expect when recruiting a product manager
Product managers make GREAT dinner guests
Now that I’ve started up a product management consultancy, I’ve found myself having to explain a bit more often than before what a product manager actually is. There are, of course, eminently more articulate and relevant descriptions available of what being a product manager means. But as it’s a Monday, and we’re all need more frivolity in our lives, I’ve come to the conclusion that product managers would make excellent dinner guests. Here’s why:
21st February: Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @GA_London
Join me at General Assembly London on Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm for a workshop on Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). You can sign up at .
Read more › 21st February: Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @GA_London
Don’t look back in anger – 2012 round-up
2012 was a real roller-coaster ride for me, both personally and professionally. Surprisingly (to me), it was only my first full year of blogging – I only started I Manage Products back in February 2011. But 2012 was the year I decided to step things up a little: yes, I procured a domain name. That made it official.
Oh yes, I also started a company and wrote some articles on product management…
My new favourite things
Over the last few weeks I’ve mostly been investigating the variety of tools available to help product managers at different stages of their product’s lifecycle. For me, the emphasis has been on speed and ease of use because my project is short-lived and I want to show some results.
30: Reserve time for housekeeping
Like doing the washing-up, vacuuming under the sofa or cleaning your windows, housekeeping tasks with your product can get neglected because they’re tedious, not as interesting as new features and so on. However, if you’ve ever found yourself eating breakfast cereal out of an oven tray with a serving spoon because every single item of cutlery and crockery is festering in a pile in your sink, it should be apparent there is inherent value in tackling housekeeping tasks bit by bit over time.
UPDATED – 10th December: How to run effective usability testing @GA_London
UPDATED – I’m giving a talk with General Assembly London on December 10th, 6.00pm to 7.30pm! Learn how to run effective usability testing with me, sign up at .
Read more › UPDATED – 10th December: How to run effective usability testing @GA_London
29: Never commit to written word something you’ll be ashamed of later
You know how sometimes you read an email that incenses you so much that you have to craft a long, occasionally sarcastic, cutting BUT ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED reply explaining precisely why you think that person is a complete and utter d**k. Hmmm? Here’s why it may not be a great idea to send it.
Read more › 29: Never commit to written word something you’ll be ashamed of later
Top tip: fixing broken dynamic content in WordPress admin dashboard
If you change your self-hosted WordPress install so that it starts using SSL to secure the Admin interface, you may have noticed that some dynamic elements are no longer working, such as the Jetpack site stats graph or the fold out sub-menus on the main menu. Here’s how to fix it.
Read more › Top tip: fixing broken dynamic content in WordPress admin dashboard
Link of the day: Agile Product Ownership in a nutshell
If you’ve got 15 minutes handy, here’s an engaging and useful overview of Agile Product Ownership by Henrik Kniberg over on Crisp’s Blog.
Read more › Link of the day: Agile Product Ownership in a nutshell
28: What’s the big idea?
I always used to think that I needed to have that one BIG IDEA to change the world before starting my own company. Turns out I couldn’t be further from the truth.
- PRODUCTHEAD: How to transcribe and analyse your user research recordings
- PRODUCTHEAD: How to record your user research interviews
- PRODUCTHEAD: How to plan a user research interview
- PRODUCTHEAD: Trade-offs and negotiation
- 88: Control your narrative
- PRODUCTHEAD: The perils of pitch presentation culture
- PRODUCTHEAD: What can product managers learn about discovery from a superhero costume maker?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Everyone is losing their mind over ChatGPT
- Why can’t I rely on user research from other departments?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Place your bets, please
- PRODUCTHEAD: More than making the right moves with frameworks
- PRODUCTHEAD: This article was NOT written by AI
- PRODUCTHEAD: Choose your own adventure
- PRODUCTHEAD: How to protect your startup’s product idea
- PRODUCTHEAD: 2022 in review
- Will platforms conquer the world?
- PRODUCTHEAD: The demented game show
- PRODUCTHEAD: Writing a product manager job description
- PRODUCTHEAD: Trust and transparency
- As head of product, should I be a player-manager, or hire and delegate?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Empathy with the engineering team
- PRODUCTHEAD: Products with a fatal flaw ☠️
- PRODUCTHEAD: Understanding the user’s perspective
- PRODUCTHEAD: Do the hard work to make it simple
- Thank you for 10 years of support
- PRODUCTHEAD: Setting up a product support team
- PRODUCTHEAD: Playing Whack-a-mole with symptoms
- Billion-dollar platforms — how they did it
- PRODUCTHEAD: Communication toolkit recap
- PRODUCTHEAD: It’s okay to be proud of your achievements
- PRODUCTHEAD: Bad communication — how to annoy and alienate your users
- PRODUCTHEAD: Will platforms conquer the world?
- 87: An exercise in stakeholder alignment
- PRODUCTHEAD: Back to school
- PRODUCTHEAD: Should I retire … (my product)?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Strongly-held beliefs
- PRODUCTHEAD: How to influence stakeholders
- PRODUCTHEAD: Conversion funnel analysis — down the rabbit hole
- PRODUCTHEAD: Presenting to inform, educate and entertain (communication toolkit #5)
- PRODUCTHEAD: Efficient note-taking (communication toolkit #4)
- PRODUCTHEAD: Writing for the needs of your audience (communication toolkit #3)
- 86: The 4 unintended side-effects of risk aversion and what to do about them
- PRODUCTHEAD: How to read more effectively (communication toolkit #2)
- PRODUCTHEAD: Active listening (communication toolkit #1)
- What’s the difference between ‘measures of success’ and ‘definition of done’?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Dropping the masks at work
- PRODUCTHEAD: The difference between good and bad strategy
- PRODUCTHEAD: A primer on analytics for beginners
- PRODUCTHEAD: Defining services
- 85: The agency trap
- PRODUCTHEAD: Component teams, feature teams and centralised skill teams
- PRODUCTHEAD: The hidden patterns within design systems
- PRODUCTHEAD: Performance appraisals are underperforming
- PRODUCTHEAD: Service mapping for product managers
- Whatever this is, this web3 product manager role is not a product manager
- PRODUCTHEAD: Outcome-driven product roadmaps
- PRODUCTHEAD: More product coach, less line manager
- PRODUCTHEAD: Async working and communication
- PRODUCTHEAD: 3 product leaders share what they’ve learned
- Sorting the signal from the noise — a guide to fact-checking
- PRODUCTHEAD: The ethics of information (data ethics)
- What’s the difference between a growth hacker and a growth product manager?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Product ops — cynical rebrand or division of labour?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Exploring the solution space with prototyping
- 84: Start building a community of practice with the 3 minute challenge
- PRODUCTHEAD: The joy of metrics
- PRODUCTHEAD: Obtaining an optimal organisation
- PRODUCTHEAD: Dealing with discomfort
- PRODUCTHEAD: When your product is a blank canvas
- Should a growth product manager even be a thing?
- PRODUCTHEAD: The rise of the growth product manager
- PRODUCTHEAD: Managing mature products
- PRODUCTHEAD: New year’s resolutions
- 6: 6 tips for presenting slides that don’t suck
- My boss wants to set me an OKR on revenue growth. Is this right?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Your favourite articles of 2021
- PRODUCTHEAD: Dear Santa …
- PRODUCTHEAD: Incentives and behaviour
- PRODUCTHEAD: John Cutler’s North Star Metric
- PRODUCTHEAD: To specialise in product management?
- 83: 5 tips to ace your first impression at a new job
- PRODUCTHEAD: Prize winners / reinventing HR
- PRODUCTHEAD: Dear younger me …
- PRODUCTHEAD: Win a VIP ticket to #ProductCon Online
- PRODUCTHEAD: Tsundoku (piles of books waiting to be read)
- PRODUCTHEAD: Facilitating workshops
- PRODUCTHEAD: Product management in charities
- 82: Replatforming the cash cow
- PRODUCTHEAD: Rapid prototyping
- PRODUCTHEAD: Working well with user researchers
- PRODUCTHEAD: Becoming a product leader
- PRODUCTHEAD: Should we be saying no or not?
- PRODUCTHEAD: 9 of the best product management podcasts
- 81: The unifying principles of product management
- PRODUCTHEAD: (Re)discovering discovery
- PRODUCTHEAD: Acting like a startup seeking funding
- PRODUCTHEAD: Starting your next role in product
- PRODUCTHEAD: Success theatre
- What to do when service transformation goes wrong
- PRODUCTHEAD: Basics of finance for product managers
- PRODUCTHEAD: 5 product strategy tips
- PRODUCTHEAD: To err is human
- PRODUCTHEAD: Better than okay OKRs
- PRODUCTHEAD: Pimp my system
- I’m overwhelmed — can you help?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Listen all y’all, it’s a sabotage
- PRODUCTHEAD: Everyone needs coaching
- PRODUCTHEAD: Product management post-COVID-19
- PRODUCTHEAD: World Product Day 2021
- How do you find the balance between autonomy and focus for PMs you’re managing?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Stakeholders are people too
- PRODUCTHEAD: “Don’t f**k up the culture”
- PRODUCTHEAD: Service design and product management
- PRODUCTHEAD: Ethical product management
- 80: The neverending quest for product-market fit
- PRODUCTHEAD: User personas or creepy caricatures?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Trust and customer success
- PRODUCTHEAD: Why do my houseplants keep dying?
- Mission to Mars
- PRODUCTHEAD: What’s the fuss about Jobs To Be Done?
- PRODUCTHEAD: The new lamplighters
- PRODUCTHEAD: Recruiting the right stuff
- 79: The product leader’s guide to interviewing product managers
- PRODUCTHEAD: When did storytelling become so hard?
- PRODUCTHEAD: It’s payback time on technical debt
- Should a product manager have responsibility for profitability?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Wrap your ears around these podcasts
- PRODUCTHEAD: The what, why and how of user research
- 78: How to start a new product manager job
- PRODUCTHEAD: Remind me, what am I meant to be doing?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Rethinking product roadmaps
- What technical skills do I need to be a product manager?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Creativity is borne of constraints
- PRODUCTHEAD: Pricing – everything and nothing has changed
- 77: The only article you’ll ever need on prioritization
- PRODUCTHEAD: The good, the bad and the ugly of machine learning
- PRODUCTHEAD: Better teams need better leaders
- What lessons from antiquity would you apply to product management?
- PRODUCTHEAD: There are only 5 product strategies
- 76: Manage the whole product
- PRODUCTHEAD: Being able to see the chessboard
- PRODUCTHEAD: Digital inclusion and accessibility
- Managing product managers
- What’s the difference between a product manager and a business analyst?
- PRODUCTHEAD: Content design
- PRODUCTHEAD: Rearranging the deckchairs
- 75: The dirty little secrets of decision-making
- PRODUCTHEAD: Have you been having visions?
- PRODUCTHEAD: The plummeting price of power
- Misunderstood metaphors: Product manager as conductor
- PRODUCTHEAD: Hardware’s harder to manage
- PRODUCTHEAD: Hieranarchy
- Growing together: developing and retaining your product team
- PRODUCTHEAD: A single point of failure
- Podcast: Voxgig Fireside for professional speakers
- PRODUCTHEAD: Introverts, extraverts and just a smidge of pseudoscience
- Open, honest and always improving
- PRODUCTHEAD: Tricksy interviews
- 74: The black art of designing content
- PRODUCTHEAD: Living your brand values
- PRODUCTHEAD: Finding the positives
- Saving yourself from product management hell
- 73: You wouldn’t drive blindfolded – why you need user research
- Upcoming live talks – September and October 2020
- 5 product leadership lessons learnt from the UK’s Ministry of Justice Digital team
- How do I make my product manager CV stand out?
- How to measure product management – ProductBeats talk
- 72: All the world’s a stage – how to launch a product
- What’s the best way to focus teams on outcomes not outputs?
- Upcoming live talks – July 2020
- What’s the name for ‘continuing to find product-market fit’?
- Reading aloud
- 71: The PMO strikes back
- What does a product manager do (and not do)?
- 70: You need a delivery manager on your team
- May you live in interesting times
- 69: It matters what you say and what you do
- 68: 4 common user persona mistakes
- 67: Why cake is important for product leaders
- 66: Show the thing
- Podcast: Learning Product Leadership
- What exactly is a “Freelance Head of Product”? (Interview for Working Products conference)
- What makes a good UX designer? (from a product manager’s point of view)
- Speaking at DevTalks Romania 2019
- Can I pick your brain about product roadmaps?
- 65: The secrets of meaningful product roadmaps (redux)
- Speaking at Landing Festival Berlin 2019
- Should I take a different role before applying to become a product manager?
- How do you establish an effective product management team?
- Threads II – The Sequel
- Speaking at ProductCamp L’viv
- Product management has evolved. Has your company?
- What skills do I need to be a freelance product manager?
- 64: Good product management
- Speaking at DevTalks Bucharest in June
- How do I make myself more suitable for a senior product role in UK government?
- I need a product manager with specific experience, can you help?
- 63: The whole agile thing
- How on earth am I going to start managing a second product?
- 62: How to measure product manager performance
- 61: The 16 most important technical skills every product manager needs
- 60: The 12 most important soft skills every product manager needs
- 59: Find the tipping point in your user research
- How did you get into product management?
- What’s the one thing retailers are doing wrong in ecommerce?
- 58: What Eurovision taught me about product management
- 57: Cut through red tape
- How do you keep user needs front and centre?
- The secret behind meaningful product roadmaps
- 56: The coffee shop problem
- The benefits of open and transparent data
- What sources of information should people use to build products?
- What user trends do you see?
- What kinds of questions should I be asking in discovery?
- How UK government digital services gather and use evidence
- How closely aligned should product organisations be with marketing and personas?
- Why we can’t help jumping to conclusions
- How much evidence is sufficient for decision-making?
- Expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them)
- How do I get my waterfall organisation to be more agile?
- How do I distil users’ wish lists of requirements to a core handful?
- 55: How to beat writer’s block
- Modernising your product in 2017 – webinar for Logi Analytics
- Starting with a guess: how to use data creatively
- Building a product community in government
- 54: How to stop common B2B dysfunctions in the product team
- How product managers can build a healthier relationship with the sales team
- 53: THIS is what product-market fit looks like
- 52: It only takes one bottleneck
- The £20 bottle of Blue Nun
- 3 ways to build a better sales team
- Should I start a bank?
- How to show your team the benefits of experimentation
- 51: Assemble the right product team
- Getting better at public speaking
- 6 simple rules of product management
- 50: A novice’s introduction to service design for product managers
- 49: How to prioritise your product portfolio
- 48: Mac or PC? You don’t have to pick a side
- Making myself redundant
- Interview with Wade Danielson of The Entrepreneurs Library
- I’m about to launch a website. Any advice?
- Becoming a product manager at MOJ Digital
- Want a free copy of ‘The Practitioner’s Guide …’?
- What’s it like working as a product manager at a startup?
- The Practitioner’s Guide… a best seller and selling out fast!
- The Practitioner’s Guide To Product Management – out tomorrow
- 47: How I learned to stop hating job interviews
- Link of the Day: Data-driven products now! (by @mcfunley)
- 46: How to qualify yourself for a product management job
- 45: Three ways you’re DEFINITELY doing MVPs wrong
- Analytics and decision-making on Mind the Product
- Should the product manager and product owner be the same person?
- Guard against the SSLv3 Vulnerability (“POODLE”) in Zeus Web Server
- 44: A good picture can save 1,000 words
- ‘I Manage Products’ now 14% more efficient!
- 39-43: Four more things I’ve learned about product management
- Change management and product management on Mind the Product
- 10 top tips for reading your users’ minds – talk at Product Management Festival 2014
- 38: Product managers learn by doing
- Product roadmapping, prioritisation and portfolio management on Mind the Product
- B2B Product Management on Mind the Product
- A day in the life of a product manager – guest post for Silicon Milkroundabout
- Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product
- 14th May: The $100 million assumption – MVP down under
- 37: Unexpected delights – a geek’s guide to the Kano model
- Product Management in Commerce on Mind the Product
- 2nd March: Calling all entrepreneurs – Cofounders Bootcamp
- Back(log) to the Future – story arcs, roadmaps and product themes
- 24th February: How to build a minimum viable product (MVP) at General Assembly London
- 24th January: How to build a minimum viable product (MVP) at General Assembly London
- 36: Product roadmaps are like DVD box sets
- Product Management in Online Payments on Mind the Product
- 35: Product management skills to pay the bills
- Happy Christmas + where I’ve been hiding
- Product Management and the Internet of Things on Mind the Product
- 34: Pick your battles
- 4th November: How to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @GA_London
- Link of the day: The Agile Business Gap by @brainmates
- Ich bin Produktmanager: round-up from inaugural Product Management Festival 2013 in Zürich
- Join me to learn Product Management with General Assembly
- Cycles within cycles
- Crack out the Ferrero Rocher*
- Needs, features and benefits
- Blast from the past
- Fun, fun, fun at ProductTank London!
- 33: The “Field Of Dreams” is fiction
- Win-win-win with Wigwamm – an interview with Rayhan Rafiq Omar
- 32: Be flexible
- 31: Learn to enjoy networking
- What you should expect when recruiting a product manager
- Product managers make GREAT dinner guests
- 21st February: Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) @GA_London
- Don’t look back in anger – 2012 round-up
- My new favourite things
- 30: Reserve time for housekeeping
- UPDATED – 10th December: How to run effective usability testing @GA_London
- 29: Never commit to written word something you’ll be ashamed of later
- Top tip: fixing broken dynamic content in WordPress admin dashboard
- Link of the day: Agile Product Ownership in a nutshell
- 28: What’s the big idea?
- The 8 traits of a successful web API
- Why sales needs to align with product management to win more business
- Introducing Product People — interim product management, coaching, training and content creation
- 27: Don’t be scared of angry customers
- import.io – Live from Big Data London & Strata
- 26: The customer is king
- 18th October: How to Run Effective Usability Testing
- Link of the Day: Pricing your product – it doesn’t have to be so complicated
- Link of the Day: LaunchRock
- 25: “Don’t let roUtINe draw U IN to danger!”
- Link of the Day: Kano tutorial via Mountain Goat Software
- Facebook is like the drinking game “I Have Never…”
- 24: Variety is the spice of life
- What questions do YOU have about product management?
- Link of the day: Klok – free time tracking software
- How to double the speed of your WordPress site in 3 easy steps
- Link of the day: Product Focus’s journal
- 23: Too much choice can be overwhelming
- 22: Blow your own trumpet
- 21: Seven KPIs for customer insight
- Big data – big deal?
- Cookie cookie cookie COOOKIE
- 20: Leave work when you’re meant to
- 19: How to regain control of your inbox
- 18: Five ways to manage distractions better
- 17: Remember your manners
- Link of the day: MindJet Connect
- 16: You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone – Joni Mitchell
- 15: Product management is selling
- Drowning in product documentation? Start swimming – Part 2
- 14: There is always more work to do. Don’t burn yourself out
- 13: You’ve got to start the race before you can finish it
- 12: Keep it simple, stupid
- Drowning in product documentation? Start swimming – Part 1
- 11: You are allowed to say ‘no’ – it’s strategic
- 10: Give yourself time to think in a straight line
- Book recommendation – The Case for Working with Your Hands
- 9: Everything benefits from a good start in life
- 8: Empathise, empathise, empathise
- Live on ProdMgmtTalk July 25/26 – the love/hate relationship with Sales
- 7: Public speaking is as much about how you say it as well as what you say
- 6: Good presentation skills are not the same as good PowerPoint skills
- Lean, green, micro machines
- 5: The best possible way may not necessarily be the right way
- 4: Don’t focus on what’s stopping you
- 3: Know your subject matter
- 2: Find problems rather than guess solutions
- 1: Be fluent in the language of your audience
- OMG EOL – LOL (or: How to take a product to end of life)
- Painting the Forth Bridge
- Lo-fi usability testing – Part 3: Ten top tips
- Lo-fi usability testing – Part 2: Preparation
- Lo-fi usability testing – Part 1: Background
- What will your leaving speech sound like?
- New WordPress theme
- How to get your sales team selling value instead of discounting
- Link of the day: The Equity Kicker
- ProductCamp London: Why product managers and entrepreneurs need to be more alike
- Pre-empting customer churn
- What should product managers keep an eye on in 2011?
- Link of the day: Buzz Marketing for Technology
- 7 guiding principles for product install / upgrade usability
- Easier product forecasting
- 33 cut-out-and-keep usability requirements for your product
- DIY Eco Linux Fileserver (part 2)
- DIY Eco Linux Fileserver (part 1)
- The thorny issue of pricing
- The problem with successful products
- Net Promoter EU Conference 2010
- Why aren’t sales selling my new product?
- Ill communication
- “Why the heck should I upgrade?” – 4 things you’re probably missing
- Positive procrastination
- 4 key ways to spot a successful product manager
- Context is everything
- Hello. I’m new.
- Questions you need to be asking
- Pay attention to local requirements
- By way of an introduction