» Async working lets you set aside time for deep thinking
» Forced remote working led naturally to more async work
» Async relies on three main tenets: multiplexing, communication and action
» Find the right balance between flexibility and cohesion, independence and togetherness
» In-person time is important to sustain the human relationships that enable you to get work done
When you start out as a head of product, you’ll probably need to create a community of product people. In this article I share my advice to help you get the ball rolling with your own community of practice.
All product managers will need to stand up and present to others at some point. You won’t be helping yourself (or your audience) if your slide deck is atrocious. So here are my 6 tips for presenting slides that don’t suck.
» 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
» 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
Product managers often struggle to keep on top of their product roadmap. I recently gave this talk on the secrets of meaningful product roadmaps at Landing Festival Berlin to explain where people often get lost.
People ask me from time to time about how they can get into freelance product management. Here’s a recent question: Hi Jock, I’ve been working as a product manager for 5 years now. I worked in different industries (financial, loyalty, …
What skills do I need to be a freelance product manager? Read more
For those of us who are artistically challenged (read: crap at drawing), it can be daunting to contemplate the use of pictures over text to make a point. I’m a perfect case in point.
Last time I published an article explaining why I thought roadmaps were a little like DVD box sets. DonorDrive product manager Kasey Marcum (@kaseymarcum) asked in the comments:
“Always enjoy your posts, Jock! I really love the high level idea of this. What does this actually look like in the wild?”
Imagine your roadmap and sprints being as engaging as a hit movie – just think how much easier they’d be to “sell” to your stakeholders and customers! Let’s see how you can do this.
Curating the product roadmap is one of the most typical responsibilities of a product manager. But have you ever thought about why you bother with them in the first place and how you could make them more effective?
