You’re Not a Better Product Manager Because…
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READING TIME
2 min & 32 sec
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Dear es,
Short one from me this week. Let's get it!
I'm a big fan of getting better in context over working towards an absolute "best." But what helps you get better comes in different shapes and forms. Here's where some of these forms can lead you astray.
You're not a better PM just because you correctly filled out a Strategy template.
You're a better PM because you said no to an opportunistic idea that doesn't fit your strategy and maintained focus for your team. A template might help you communicate this, but it's the result, not the starting point.
You're not a better PM just because you write Outcome OKRs.
You're a better PM because you prioritize work that moves business and user success metrics. Sometimes, Outcome OKRs will be your best measure to express just that. But sometimes they won't.
You're not a better PM just because you talk to customers every week.
You're a better PM because you use reliable, first-hand insights to reduce uncertainty. Talking to customers might be a part of that, but don't confuse the hammer with the nail.
Did you enjoy this one or have feedback? Do reply. It's motivating. I'm not a robot; I read and respond to every subscriber email I get (just ask around). If this newsletter isn't for you anymore, you can unsubscribe here.
Thank you for Practicing Product,
Tim
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Content I found Practical This Week |
Everything is a product
I’ve heard lots of people wrestle with defining what a product is. Those discussions always leave me confused. Because it’s a lot simpler than anyone seems to describe it. The short answer to “what is a product?” Is EVERYTHING. Everything is a product as long as you look at it through a product lens.
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In defense of feature team product managers
When a feature team commits to delivering a new capability, the PM is responsible for execution, which means driving the cross-functional team effort to translate the request into a useful experience for the customer/user the feature is intended to serve. Feature team PMs often don’t have a dedicated project manager or program manager they can rely on for tactical execution support, so they need to do it themselves, leading to the misconception that feature team PMs are merely project managers. (They may have to do some project management, but their core work is product work.)
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Is your company ready for Product Operating Model Coaching?
There is usually one person or a group of people who are starting to see the cracks in the current system. But the rest of the company is not yet there. So if this is you, my recommendation would be: Map all the things you observe. Write them down. Connect the dots and create a story you can share. Don’t be pessimistic or draw a negative picture of your status quo. Just collect all the facts and data points and tell people about it. Oftentimes others have only seen fractions of that picture—so small that it was easy to ignore. But if you manage to collect a good set of data and put it in front of many folks in your organization, it’s more likely that they will come to the same conclusions then you did.
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What did you think of this week's newsletter?
As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions.
I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery.
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