PRODUCTHEAD: A little (self-)respect
» Product people are tired of being held up to unrealistic standards
» It important to remember what’s in your control and what isn’t
» Now is the time to be extra rigorous with finding product-market fit
Author: Jock Busuttil
Jock Busuttil is a product management and leadership coach, product leader and author. He has spent over two decades working with technology companies to improve their product management practices, from startups to multinationals.
In 2012 Jock founded Product People Limited, which provides product management consultancy, coaching and training. Its clients include BBC, University of Cambridge, Ometria, Prolific and the UK’s Ministry of Justice and Government Digital Service (GDS).
Jock holds a master’s degree in Classics from the University of Cambridge. He is the author of the popular book The Practitioner’s Guide To Product Management, which was published in January 2015 by Grand Central Publishing in the US and Piatkus in the UK.
He writes the blog I Manage Products and weekly product management newsletter PRODUCTHEAD. You can find him on Mastodon, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
PRODUCTHEAD: Product-led growth product management (wut?)
Product-led growth:
» is a strategy where the product itself sells itself through features and usability
» can create self-perpetuating growth loops
» can be even more effective when combined with growth product management company-wide
I want to update my pricing strategy. Where do I start?
“I want to change my pricing strategy to cater differently for SMEs and enterprise customers. Where do I start?”
PRODUCTHEAD: On brand
» Brand provides emotional context, which creates a contact between you and your customers
» Brands evoke a subtle mix of people’s hopes, dreams and aspirations
» Apple’s famous “1984” Super Bowl ad began a branding campaign that portrayed it as a symbol of counterculture
PRODUCTHEAD: When everyone’s using genAI to apply for jobs
» Larger companies are far more likely to hire for intern, junior or associate level PM positions, but competition will be greater
» Product success comes from the way its product manager makes decisions, thinks, communicates and relates
PRODUCTHEAD: A deep dive into crowdfunding
» “First comes the crowd, then comes the funding.” — Brad Guigar
» Done well, a crowdfunding campaign helps with market validation and publicity, as well as raising cash
» Make sure you repay your campaign backers’ loyalty, faith, and patience
PRODUCTHEAD: Navigating change
» Navigating change is hard because we don’t want to be seen as villains
» Don’t simply cut-and-paste another company’s organisational model without understanding the context
» Consider how the members of your team will understand the change, embrace it, and work through it
How do I make my product roadmap a better communication tool?
“My product roadmap is not getting the right information across to other people in my company. How can I improve it?”
PRODUCTHEAD: In search of deeper alignment
» A precursor to alignment is a clear product strategy
» Alignment needs you to tell the same story over and over
» Creating an assumption map can help to verify whether the team is actually aligned
PRODUCTHEAD: What if …?
» Scenario analysis frees you to consider how things would be different without limiting constraints
» Innovation can occur when challenging received wisdom on what is possible or not
» Scenario analysis can also help you to consider alternate strategies in a dynamic market
