In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy sit down with Moshe Mikanovsky—product coach, educator, and host of the Product for Product podcast—to explore what makes an effective product management toolkit. From identifying the real problems in your workflow to choosing and implementing tools that stick, Moshe outlines a pragmatic, user-centric approach to tool selection. He also shares how he built his Product Manager Toolkit, offers thoughts on AI's growing role, and gives insight into the most common pitfalls teams encounter when adopting new tools.
Chapters:
2:59 – From Engineering to Product Management
5:25 – Why Choosing Tools is Hard
8:11 – Elements of a Product Stack
10:49 – From Roadmaps to Analytics
14:01 – A Framework for Selecting Tools
18:01 – Comparing Tools Beyond Features
21:18 – Test and Validate Your Tool Choices
26:01 – Why Implementation is Critical
28:04 – What’s Changing in Product Tools
29:26 – AI and the Future of Product Management
32:01 – Keeping Your Stack Modern
34:29 – Making the Case for Budget & ROI
37:23 – When ROI Forces a Change
38:45 – Final Thoughts & Listener Call to Action
Key Takeaways:
— Tools are not a solution to bad processes. Selecting the right product is only impactful if the team already understands the problem it needs to solve.
— Think like a PM when choosing tools. Identify problems, prioritise needs, shortlist and compare tools, test them meaningfully, and ensure proper implementation.
— Evaluate beyond features. Support, flexibility, integration needs, and developer dependency are just as critical.
— Testing should be focused and time-boxed. One to two months is generally sufficient unless product cycles require more time.
— Implementation determines success. Even the best tool fails without buy-in, proper training, and a plan for rollout.
— AI tools show promise but require scrutiny. Use them to augment discovery and comparison, but don’t rely on them exclusively.
— A modern tool stack can be a career asset. Staying informed is part of professional development—even if the tools don't define your success.
Featured Links:
Follow Moshe on LinkedIn | / mikanovsky
Moshe's Product Manager Toolkit | https://miro.com/miroverse/product-manager-toolkit/
PostHog | https://posthog.com/
