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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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» The vision describes the future we are trying to create » The strategy describes how we’ll make the vision a reality » There are only 4 strategies after finding product-market fit » Tesla subsidised more affordable car models with the revenue from their initial luxury roadster » Storytelling helps to convince stakeholders to believe in your vision
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» Customer research and validation is critical, but it can’t always make decisions for you » Remedy mistakes quickly and honestly to earn respect » Use the “rule of 10” to put mistakes in context » People remember most your small defining moments
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» Objectives and key results (OKRs) set ambitious goals and track progress towards them » Manage your desired outcomes separately from what you do to achieve those outcomes » Make use of OKRs standard across all teams » Learn from when you fail to achieve your desired outcomes » OKRs go hand-in-hand with team autonomy
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» 6 core concepts of systems thinking will help you start solving complex problems » Systems thinking complements the more familiar analytical (reductionist) thinking » It is a way of creating a shared understanding of how something works » It provides useful tools for surfacing and breaking reinforcing cycles of blame
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» Competing execs will sometimes sabotage by claiming features for their own product long before they plan to implement them » Your product roadmap can reveal symptoms of underlying organisational dysfunctions » We need to consciously remember that the needs of our users change over time » Many biases are underpinned by shared psychological mechanisms, such as the desire to feel positively about ourselves
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» Coaching allows you to leap ahead — it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you » Active listening helps you restrain the urge to jump in early with a solution » Performance management is retrospective; performance development looks forward » A lack of clear goals and simplistic evaluation are ways performance management goes wrong
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» Mind The Product pivoted in 8 weeks, then spent the next 8 months refining the concept » When working remotely, post information in at least 3 places to ensure everyone sees it » Pivots that align with the existing corporate vision tend to be more successful » The shift to digital during the COVID-19 pandemic will not be as sticky as some assume
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» Change in your organisation may be inhibited by a small number of constraints » Your product, your company is always part of a wider ecosystem » A product strategy needs to be clear on what metrics to focus on and how to move them » Finding product-market fit is the beginning, not the end
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» Identify the key stakeholders whom you need to trust you and collaborate with you regularly » Understand the real reason for anger – whether in others or ourselves » Remember where stakeholders’ help starts and ends » To be trusted, you need to demonstrate your competence
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» Problems come and go, but culture is forever » Psychological safety presents a new set of social norms » Product managers should be at the forefront of helping organisations to do things better for people » The corporate vision explains why the company exists » Open forums and communication lines between teams helps to maintain alignment
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» Customers are seeking more value from digital technologies — “liquid experiences” » Services by nature don’t always fit current organisational structures » Service design and business analyst roles require a different type of focus and mindset » Key to becoming a service designer is not finding a new job, but transforming your current job » “Seamless services” means bringing together people from across professional boundaries
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» Product managers must understand the impact of their products on society as a whole » Now is the time to push for broader product management accountability » No company, individual or set of activities, yet provides a clear-cut example of ethical best practice » What we build must not be at the cost of another group’s needs » Nothing in traditional product training prepares you for making ethical decisions
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» Avoid waste by by first researching “shallow” user personas then progressively elaborating as needed » Product managers can and should conduct user research when demand outstrips the researchers available » Connect user personas to people’s actual goals for more emotional impact » Good interviewers listen, not talk
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» Keeping your users’ attention means minimising cognitive drain » Customer onboarding is a continuous process » Video games use contextual nudges to teach players how the game works » A new customer success team builds trust by prioritising people, then process
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» Use sensitivity analysis to identify the make-or-break metrics for your business » Your analytics approach needs to change over time to keep up with your evolving product » Blindly copying best practices results in an imperfect copy » Analytics tools don’t do the thinking for you
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» A milkshake is really just a way to pass the time and stave off hunger on a long drive » Users struggling to use your product to complete their tasks have unmet needs » Christensen emphasises the higher order goal, Ulwick the task at hand » Jobs To Be Done is often misunderstood, making it difficult for some to begin applying it