product management - isaac souweine for founderfuel
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
What is Product Mgmt and Why Should You Care?
By Isaac SouweineHead of Product Management @ Frank & Oak
Presented to Founder FuelFeb 26, 2014
![Page 2: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Personal Intro● Columbia (Religion)● Scholastic● INSEAD● Yahoo● Pollenizer● Frank & Oak
![Page 3: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Group Checkin
![Page 4: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
I. why should you care?
![Page 5: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
product managers partner with devs, design and business to bring products to market that drive business value
http://www.mindtheproduct.com/2011/10/what-exactly-is-a-product-manager/
![Page 6: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
discussions of product management typically assume highly specialized organizations
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
![Page 7: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
and that diagram is a massive understatement
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BI INFCust svc Ops
HR FIN LAW M&A strat
![Page 8: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
the context is appropriate considering who invented product management
![Page 9: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
and who practices it at scale today
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
![Page 10: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
meanwhile, this is the context of an early stage startup
Biz co- founder
Tech co- founder
Customers
![Page 11: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
or maybe this
Biz Tech
Customers
Design
![Page 12: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
also known as
Huster Hacker
Customers
Hipster
![Page 13: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
or perhaps your hipster is more on the marketing side
Biz Tech
Customers
Mktng
![Page 14: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
whatever the case, your team is tiny.
whereas product management is about managing complex organizations.
so why should you care?
![Page 15: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
II. why you should care
![Page 16: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
market product
Early stage startups are temporary organizations in search of product/market fit
![Page 17: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
They seek product/market fit by conducting build/measure/learn cycles
market product
LEARN
MEASURE BUILD
![Page 18: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Big company PMs are actually trying to run similar cycles
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
![Page 19: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
They just have a lot more people involved in the process
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
![Page 20: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
which means a lot more stakeholder engagement
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
![Page 21: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
and a very long and filtered learning process
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
![Page 22: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
all that complexity should not be that interesting to early stage startups
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
![Page 23: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
But the way PMs run build/measure/learn is relevant
PM
design
Eng.
MktngBD
PMO
UX
VPs
Customers
Sales
BUILD
MEASURE
LEARN
![Page 24: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
III. what is product management?
![Page 25: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
so here is a list of what these big company PMs do
● understand● strategize● prioritize ● specify● analyze● grind
+ ● communicate● negotiate● motivate
![Page 26: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
you can divide the list into two areas
● understand● strategize● prioritize ● specify● analyze● grind
+ ● communicate● negotiate● motivate
Build, Measure, Learn
Manage complexity
![Page 27: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
of course we care more about the stuff on the left
● understand● strategize● prioritize ● specify● analyze● grind
+ ● communicate● negotiate● motivate
Build, Measure, Learn
Manage complexity
![Page 28: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
a list which maps pretty well to the B/M/L triangle
LEARN
MEASURE BUILD
● understand● strategize
● prioritize ● specify
● analyze
● grind
![Page 29: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
understand
● know your market deeply● market size and dynamics● competitors● trends (macro and micro)● customer profiles● use cases
![Page 30: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
strategize
● craft a compelling vision● value proposition● feature set● KPIs● brand alignment● monetization● acquisition flow
![Page 31: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
prioritize
● decide what to build● ROI● technical understanding● speed vs. scale
![Page 32: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
specify
● describe what to build● user stories● wireframing● copy● edge cases● errors and help● success metrics
![Page 33: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
analyze
● understand what happened● web analytics● funnel analysis● spreadsheets● data integrity
![Page 34: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
grind
● do whatever it takes● customer engagement● qa● developer enablement● late nights and early mornings● wrangling of all kinds
![Page 35: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
there are a few paths to the product management role
● marketing > PM● engineering > PM ● UX > PM
![Page 36: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
IV. so should you have a product manager?
![Page 37: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
a lot of what PMs do is extremely relevant to early stage companies
● understand● strategize● prioritize ● specify● analyze● grind
Biz Tech
Mktng
![Page 38: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
but does that mean someone on your team should be a product manager?
Biz Tech
PM
![Page 39: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
of course the short answer is that it depends
Biz Tech
?
![Page 40: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
Pollenizer (AU) runs three person teams with a designated lean product manager. In this setup the LPM covers customer development and parts of growth.
Biz Tech
LPM
![Page 41: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
A designated PM role can also make a ton of sense for larger startup teams
Biz Tech
PM
Tech
MktngDesign
![Page 42: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
On the other hand, the marketing function can double as PM (reverse Pollenizer model)
Biz Tech
Mktng
![Page 43: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
In other cases, the business lead can share product management responsibility
Biz Tech
Mktng
![Page 44: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
Or simply owns it completely in a two person team
Biz Tech
![Page 45: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
In design heavy teams the designer can play the PM role, especially if she comes from a UX background
Biz Tech
Design
![Page 46: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
in the end, it doesn’t matter so much whether you have the formal role of PM
market product
LEARN
MEASURE BUILD
PM
![Page 47: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/47.jpg)
what matters is that your team is set up to drive effective B/M/L cycles
market product
LEARN
MEASURE BUILD
![Page 48: Product Management - Isaac Souweine for FounderFuel](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022060107/554bf990b4c9058e098b45f0/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
THANK YOU!!