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).
» Learning is more valuable than being successful and not knowing why
» You can experiment with the content and layout of any web-based product with basic skills
» The success rate of experimentation is higher if there is no penalty for failing
» “If you have a good idea on a Monday and can design, test and learn by the Friday, then innovation explodes.”
» More specific questions yield better user research findings
» User research works well when the team collaborates with a specialist user researcher
» Increased team user exposure hours correlates with more successful product improvements by the team
» The sooner you start user research, the greater impact it will have on your product
» A Kanban board helps the team to collate and track the questions to be researched
» To build trust, mutual respect and transparency are critical
» Becoming a product leader means letting go of the day-to-day product management
» Being good at your job means training others to be good at theirs
» Equip your team to make good choices without needing your input
» Developing people is the single most important part of your job
» Saying no to a good idea requires confidence in your product strategy
» Even if saying no to an opportunity, take the time to understand its value and context
» Keep ideas and suggestions separate from your product backlog
» Clear company goals and strategy make it easier to say no to unaligned requests
» Saying yes habitually to one-off custom features will usually kill your product business
» A selection of the best product management podcasts by product people, recommended by product people
» Discovery is about understanding the problem space experienced by people
» When on a tight budget for discovery, mitigate bias where possible and document all the biases you see
» A relaxed participant will open up and be more honest with you
» A discovery can prompt one or more possible solutions, or tell you the problem is not worth pursuing
» Bootstrapped startups have free rein with their strategy
» Successful startups try to anticipate failure, and learn from it when they don’t
» Investors look for long-term defensibility of your product’s proposition and unique advantage
» Operational velocity is key to company success
» When starting your next role, gather opinions and evaluate them before making your own appraisal of the state of the product
» Think of your first month’s activity in terms of people, product and personal
» The transition from product manager to leader requires many new skill sets
» To set up a new starter in your team for success, be clear on their role and goals
» Success theatre undermines the long-term potential of your team and organisation
» Small changes can incite a large culture transformation
» As organisations grow, they incorrectly start to value the importance of “process” over “product”
» Measuring process distracts you from determining whether you are creating value
» Quarterly planning is disruptive when it introduces too much new information at once
» Free, online courses are available to help you become more literate in the basics of finance
» There are three key financial metrics to track in a recurring / subscription business
» Gain a competitive advantage by interpreting annual corporate accounts
» Challenge received wisdom about key financial metrics and ratios to reveal hidden insights
