PRODUCTHEAD
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.
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Recent editions
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» AI means product people should focus more on discovery and go-to-market » AI opens the door for product people to become product builders (A range of views this week on PRODUCTHEAD)
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» The SaaSpocalypse won’t kill off vendors, but they will have to change their pricing strategy » There is an opportunity to exploit higher usage driven by AI agents and increased automation
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» Open and sustainable dialogue across roles leads to greater organisation coherence » An organisation’s business model solidifies over time » A new venture with a different model should ideally be pursued separately to the main org
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» Understand the needs of your audience to be more influential » Go-to-market execs won’t hear you unless you speak in currency symbols » Your manager can’t advocate for you if you don’t brief them
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» Humans, not AI, are still sifting job applicants in or out » PMs should use AI to amplify their thinking, not replace it » Positive news for product managers in the UK job market » Advice from someone unjustly fired from Facebook
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» Traditional SaaS companies will struggle if they believe they’ll control their UI for ever » Some org leaders think that AI can replace their “glue people” » The glue person’s work is often invisible because they were good at it
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» Make your principles explicit so you can make the hard trade-offs between things you value » Your organisation’s strategy is the anchor that your culture – how you work together – is built on
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» The art of influence is the highest-leverage skill remaining for product leaders » AI agents require the same strategic clarity as humans do » Building fast necessitates more human selectivity and expert judgement
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» There’s no one true version of product management, but there are 4 flavours » Without support from the CEO, your product operating model probably won’t succeed
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» In a self-service world, good content design helps users do what they’re trying to do » A content crit is a constructive, supportive peer review technique » Poor content design diminishes the value of your product or service to users