product management
DESCRIPTION
Product Management. Or.. The most important thing most startups forget to do. Me. I have a CS degree (and started life as a software engineer) I have run marketing I have run engineering I think like a product manager CTO/Co-Founder, Service Metrics (sold to Exodus) VP Research, Exodus - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Product Management
Or..The most important thing most
startups forget to do
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Me• I have a CS degree (and started life as a software engineer)• I have run marketing• I have run engineering• I think like a product manager
• CTO/Co-Founder, Service Metrics (sold to Exodus)– VP Research, Exodus
• CTO in Residence, Mobius Venture Capital• Venture Partner, Fidelity Ventures• CTO/Co-Founder, Newmerix• Have made 7 angel investments (2 sold, 2 profitable, 2 TBD, 1 dead)• Helped open two bars/restaurants (Boulder/Boston)
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My Philosophy
• I learned a long time ago to fall out of love with technology and fall in love with solving real customer problems
• I never need to have an original idea if I keep talking to my customer base
• I believe product development is a science not an art (although there are elegant parts of it) and it’s definitely not a crap shoot
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Survey
How many of you do active product management?
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Product Management Rule #1
There is no wrong way or right way to do product management – you should do what
gets you the result you want.
So what is the result you want??
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What is Product Management
A process for delivering the right features at the right time
Corollary: Product Management is NOT about extensive documentation!!
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The Role of the Product Manager
Sales
Engineering
Roadmap
Competitors
QA
Customers/Users
Visionary
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Product Management Basics
The primary job of the product manager is to clarify
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Product Management Basics
The secondary job of the product manager is to be the person who says “no” (and have good
reasons for saying it)
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Product Management Basics
Everyone must write things down!
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A Basic PM Process
Sales
Engineering
Competitors
QA
Customers/Users
VisionaryFeature List
Feature Review
Broad Scoping
Requirements
Specifications
Clarification of Requirements
Clarification of Specs
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Basic Documents
• Feature List– A loose list of all features that have been requested
• Overview– A document outlining briefly what features are in a release
and their purpose to the release• Requirements– A document listing all new requirements for the release– Old requirements are assumed unless changed
• Specs– A response to requirements with choices and
consequences
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How to Write A Good Requirement
• It’s easy – just finish this sentence, “The user should be able to…”
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How to Respond With a Good Spec
• It’s easy, just finish the sentence, “The user can do X by..”
• .. and then list all the exceptions
As a side note, a specification is well written when a QA person can figure out how to definitively test if a feature is
working or not.
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The PM/Engineering Clarity Continuum
Specificity/Clarity
Feature A
Feature B
Feature C
Feature D
Feature E
Feature F
Feature G
Spec A
Spec B
Spec C
Spec D
Spec E
Spec F
Spec G
Concept
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My Secret Tip: The Feature Review
1. Demonstrate each requirement
2. Clarify any changes needed
3. Clarify any differences accepted
4. Release feature to QA
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I Know What You’re Thinking, But..• Don’t tell me you do agile development so your short
time boxes alleviate you from having to do formal product management
• Don’t tell me that product management is something you do when you’re a bigger company and have more product complexity
• Don’t tell me you do product management as a group (if you’re not comfortable giving one person the reigns then you don’t know what you’re building)
• Don’t say you’re climbing a mountain one step at a time – you’re assuming you’ve picked the right mountain
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Remember…
• Its take 30 seconds to write a requirement• It takes 2 minutes to clarify it in discussion• It takes 5 minutes to write the specification• It takes hours to prototype, write code,
integrate and test it
Where in the process would you like to discover a communication issue?
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Top Reasons Why PM Fails1. Some team members think they don’t need it2. The process and documents are not designed by the whole team3. Teams don’t evolve the process over time4. Too much documentation is created (and thus has to be updated)5. The PM does not balance short and long term priorities6. The PM doesn’t have the cajones (or good data) to say “no”7. Engineers get lazy and argue their time is better spent coding or
prototype and not writing anything down8. Teams get lazy and skip steps (e.g. Feature Review)9. The PM starts dictating design and architecture10. People don’t empower the PM with the authority they need
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How to Pick a Product Manager– Engineering background/interest (this is not required
but can be helpful to call BS)– Someone who listens– Someone who debates– Someone who can think big picture and at the same
time can handle incredible detail– Someone who likes to be in the field (talking to
people about what you’re doing)– Someone who can defend their decisions and does
not mind having to disappoint some people every once and a while
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Top Mistakes PMs Make
• They insist on too much documentation• They think everyone will just follow the process so
they don’t ride herd on everyone• They don’t know how to say “no”• They allow the process to move forward without fully
completing each gate• They have no clue the complexity they are asking for• They make choices without talking to their
constituencies and letting those discussions drive their choices
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IMHO
The Product Manager should be the most empowered employee in your company!!
- Yes, even more than the CEO -
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Closing Thoughts
• I have worked with a lot of startup companies now (my own, others, as a board member, investor, etc…) and the #1 thing IMHO opinion that goes wrong is that there is poor product management.
• You cannot hire the right team if you don’t know what you are building
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Founder Teams – Key Personalities