PRODUCTHEAD: Moats and bridges
» When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure
» Product, market, model and channel must all fit together to be successful
Category: PRODUCTHEAD – Product management newsletter
PRODUCTHEAD is my free curated newsletter of the best articles, videos and podcasts from product leaders and commentators all over the world. All neatly packaged up in a weekly email delivery for your reading, viewing and listening pleasure. Curated by Jock Busuttil (jockbusuttil.com).
PRODUCTHEAD: AI usage and the ‘bottleneck’
» In complex human systems the constraint is often policy, mindset, or coordination, not a single bottleneck
» Being the “human in the loop” means having genuine authority, time to think, and understanding the bigger picture well enough to question the system
PRODUCTHEAD: Who doesn’t love a good manifesto?
» AI is forcing us to adapt how we work in the face of greater information flow
» However, this doesn’t mean we abandon the fundamental guiding principles of our discipline
PRODUCTHEAD: What does ‘done’ even mean these days?
» With AI, shipping a product is not ‘done’, it’s the start of testing whether its behaviour is acceptable
» Staff-facing products are about tasks, decisions and protection
» Operating models are shifting because of AI; during the transition communication and collaboration need to change
PRODUCTHEAD: How to present to the Board with authority
» 10-min Board prep: What do I need from this room? What’s my one-line recommendation? And what will they repeat without me in the room?
» Culture, product and customer insight aren’t separate concerns, they’re interdependent
PRODUCTHEAD: What AI really gives you is time back for the hard things
» AI frees you up for thinking, learning and judgement
» IKEA found €1.3B using AI as a growth lever, not a cost lever
» AI should not be a further excuse to avoid human collaboration
PRODUCTHEAD: Your go-to guide for go-to-market
» Communicating your differentiated value consistently works better than a custom pitch every time
» For go-to-market without a PMM, aim to fill some of the gaps, not to take over the whole role
» Traditional marketing-generated leads involve telling the customer the value; product-led growth shows the value instead
PRODUCTHEAD: The anatomy of a ‘no’
» Avoid ambiguity by speaking plainly
» Bring the data, not the verdict
» Articulate the cost and opportunity cost
» A ‘yes’ is only worth something if a ‘no’ is worth something
PRODUCTHEAD: Augmenting your thinking without delegating it
» Exclusive free giveaways for PRODUCTHEAD subscribers in May
» Use genAI to generate possibilities and identify blindspots in your thinking without incurring cognitive debt
» Backlash against the UK’s NHS closing public code repositories
PRODUCTHEAD: AI anthology
» Ready meals are okay, just not all the time
» Previous hype cycles masked who really had product-market fit and who didn’t
» Humans excel where AI doesn’t
» New tech rarely solves social problems
