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Mind the Product

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How to build a product-led operating model that actually sticks – Jen Swanson

Data

How to quantify the value of UX with stakeholders

B2B product management

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Minimum Viable Product

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What I learned from building products in Africa

What does it take to build world class products today? Ezinne & Oji Udezue (Co-Authors at ProductMind, ex-CPOs of Calendly, Typeform & WP Engine)

Rudra is a Product Manager at Tubi, with 5 years of experience building B2B products in tech using automation and AI. He started his career as a R&amp;D engineer in Siemens Healthineers and had worked in different cross-functional roles before moving to Tubi where he is responsible for scaling Tubi's content management, Ad Ops, &amp; Sales products. Academically, Rudra holds a M.Eng in Engg. Management from Cornell University and a MS in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras. Outside his day job, Rudra is a product expert with Criya having mentored 200+ aspiring &amp; new product managers, a published author and speaker, and also a Six Sigma Black Belt recipient. Recently, Rudra was awarded the O-1 "Extraordinary Ability" visa by the United States for his impact and contribution in the tech industry.

Rudra Choudhury

<p>Listen up, product manager extraordinaire, you&#8217;re smack dab in the middle of a whirlwind of choices, demands, and compromises. It&#8217;s the thrilling world of the product manager&#8217;s dilemma, where you&#8217;re expected to pull off a high-wire act, balancing a captivating vision with the pesky limitations of time and resources. Oh, and let&#8217;s not forget the ever-changing whims of those oh-so-demanding customers. Buckle up because we&#8217;re about to dive deep into the nitty-gritty of this conundrum. We&#8217;ll uncover the hair-raising challenges that come your way and reveal the ingenious strategies you employ to navigate these tumultuous waters like a seasoned pro.</p>
<p>Picture yourself as the conductor of a symphony, harmonizing the grand vision you hold with the harsh reality of constraints. It&#8217;s a juggling act like no other. You&#8217;ve got to channel your inner Houdini, escaping the clutches of impossible deadlines and limited resources while keeping your eye on the prize: satisfying those ever-elusive customer needs.</p>
<p>But fear not, my ambitious friend! We&#8217;re here to unravel the secrets, to dive headfirst into the murky depths of product management.</p>
<h2>Navigating the vision vs. Constraints conundrum</h2>
<p>Picture this: You, the daring product manager, stand at the crossroads of innovation and practicality. Armed with a mind buzzing with grand visions, you&#8217;re on a mission to shake up the world with groundbreaking products that leave jaws dropping and competitors scrambling. But hold up! The real world, with its pesky constraints and tight budgets, loves to rain on your parade. It&#8217;s the ultimate clash of dreams versus reality, and you, my friend, have the challenging task of striking that perfect balance. So, how do you conquer this epic conundrum? Buckle up and take note of these battle-tested strategies:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Embrace your audacious vision:</span> Let your imagination run wild and dream big. Believe in the power of your ideas to reshape industries and captivate customers.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Face the gritty realities:</span> Take off those rose-tinted glasses and confront the limitations head-on. Assess the resources, timelines, and budget constraints with a discerning eye.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Find the sweet spot:</span> Channel your inner magician and work your charm to align your visionary aspirations with the pragmatic realities. Seek innovative solutions that fit within the boundaries without compromising the essence of your grand vision.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prioritize like a boss:</span> Identify the crucial elements that will have the most impact and focus your efforts there. Trim the excess and zero in on the essentials to create a feasible roadmap that still carries the essence of your visionary masterpiece.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Iterate, iterate, iterate:</span> Rome wasn&#8217;t built in a day, and neither will your groundbreaking product. Embrace an iterative approach, testing, refining, and adapting along the way. Learn from each step and let your vision evolve as you uncover new insights and overcome obstacles.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Decoding customer desires: The product manager&#8217;s mission</h2>
<p>Get ready to don your detective hat, because understanding customer needs is the secret sauce that fuels your product manager superpowers. Here&#8217;s how you crack the code:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Master the art of active listening:</span> Tune in to customer voices, capturing their pain points, desires, and expectations. Open your ears wide and let their insights guide your product decisions.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Embrace the power of empathy:</span> Step into their shoes, see through their eyes, and feel what they feel. Empathy fuels your ability to create products that truly resonate.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Decode the signals:</span> Dive into the sea of feedback, data, and market trends. Uncover the hidden gems that inform your feature prioritization and strategic decisions.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Balance the trinity:</span> Weave the voice of the customer seamlessly into the fabric of market dynamics and business goals. Strike a harmonious chord that resonates with your target audience while driving success for your organization.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Diplomatic superpowers: Navigating the stakeholder expectation maze</h2>
<p>Imagine this: You, the product manager extraordinaire, find yourself in a whirlwind of conflicting demands, with stakeholders pointing in different directions. Executive leaders thirst for growth, engineers crave technical brilliance, marketers yearn for differentiation, and sales teams hunger for a competitive edge. It&#8217;s a chaotic symphony of expectations that only you can harmonize. So, how do you conquer this stakeholder battleground? Take note of these supercharged strategies:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Master the art of effective communication:</span> Break out those persuasive powers and articulate your product vision with clarity and finesse. Speak the language of each stakeholder to build understanding and alignment.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Become a negotiation ninja:</span> Navigate the treacherous waters of compromise with grace and cunning. Find win-win solutions that appease multiple parties while keeping the product&#8217;s strategic objectives intact.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Manage expectations like a pro:</span> Channel your inner magician and set realistic expectations from the get-go. Educate stakeholders on the constraints and trade-offs, while highlighting the value and benefits your product will deliver.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Embrace your diplomatic superpowers:</span> Act as the glue that holds the team together, fostering collaboration and ensuring everyone&#8217;s voice is heard. Forge alliances, build relationships, and create a united front to tackle the storm of stakeholder expectations.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Unleashing the power of iterative development and adaptability</h2>
<p>In this ever-changing world of uncertainty and market madness, product managers need to step up their game and embrace the power of iterative development and adaptability. Forget about products that are &#8220;finished&#8221; because, honey, they never really are. Continuous improvement is the name of the game if you want to stay on top and leave your competitors in the dust. Lucky for you, Agile methodologies like Scrum or Lean Startup are here to save the day. Here&#8217;s how you can rock it:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Feedback Frenzy:</span> Gather feedback early and often, like a boss! Don&#8217;t be shy; let those customers and stakeholders spill the tea on what they love and what needs improvement. You&#8217;ll gain priceless insights that will fuel your product&#8217;s evolution.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Feature Frenzy:</span> It&#8217;s time to unleash your inner creative genius. Take those feedback gems and iterate on your features like a master artist. Keep refining, tweaking, and adding that extra sparkle to make your product shine brighter than the sun.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Course Correction Master:</span> Mistakes happen, babe, but you won&#8217;t let them bring you down. With your agile mindset, you&#8217;ll make course corrections faster than lightning. Stay flexible, adapt to the ever-changing landscape, and pivot like a pro when needed. Ain&#8217;t nobody got time for being stuck in the wrong direction.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Mitigating risk: Securing your product&#8217;s success!</h2>
<p>As a savvy product manager, you know that risk is a sneaky little devil that can sabotage even the most brilliant ideas. But fear not, my friend, because I&#8217;ve got your back when it comes to mitigating those risks and securing your product&#8217;s success. Here&#8217;s how you can kick risk to the curb:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Know Thy Enemy:</span> Identify potential risks upfront, like a detective hunting for clues. Analyze the market, competition, and technological landscape to understand the threats that lie ahead. Knowledge is power, my friend!</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Plan, Plan, Plan:</span> Develop a solid risk management plan that covers all your bases. Anticipate potential pitfalls and outline strategies to minimize their impact. Stay one step ahead of those risk monsters.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Test and Validate:</span> Don&#8217;t leave anything to chance; test and validate your product at every stage. Conduct rigorous testing, gather user feedback, and iterate based on real-world data. This way, you can catch and address any lurking risks before they rear their ugly heads.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Build a Safety Net:</span> Prepare for the worst by building a safety net. Establish contingency plans, backup systems, and disaster recovery measures. When the unexpected strikes, you&#8217;ll be ready to bounce back like a champion.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>So, my visionary product managers, let&#8217;s dance our way to greatness, twirling through the challenges, spinning past the competition, and leaving an unforgettable mark on the world of products. So, my visionary product managers, let&#8217;s dance our way to greatness, twirling through the challenges, spinning past the competition, and leaving an unforgettable mark on the world of products. Remember, you&#8217;ve got the rhythm, the moves, and the magic to make it happen. Now go out there and create a product symphony that will make the universe groove to your beat!</p>


core/freeform

Guest Post

Building Consumer-Grade Experiences for the Enterprise By Ciara Peter

What Makes a Great Product Manager by Graham Siener

The GIST Framework by Itamar Gilad

Scaling the Product and the Team by Rachael Shah

Decisions, Debt, and Other Dilemmas by Janna Bastow

Hacking Your Product Career by Gibson Biddle

How Medicine and Research Translates to Patients by Shree Patel

The Future of Product Management by Richard Harrison

Data Science and Digital Businesses by Ali Gulez

You Need A Product Strategy by Sam Odio

Mastering the product tango: Navigating vision, constraints, and customer cravings

Mastering the product tango: Navigating vision, constraints, and customer cravings

Rudra Choudhury

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