Writing is a talent that product managers make the most of day-after-day. Good writing is underrated when performed properly, however stands out like a sore thumb when performed poorly.
Product mangers write lots. As I used to be brainstorming for this text, I spotted simply how a lot writing I do in my day-to-day as a product supervisor.
Right here’s a brief listing however non-exhaustive listing:
- Assembly Notes & Agendas
- Launch Notes
- Chat Messages and Emails
- PRDs/Requirement Docs
- Epics, Person Tales
- Product Memos/Technique Docs
- Standing Studies
A core a part of a product supervisor’s job is to achieve stakeholder alignment. That is performed by offering context with info instantly or not directly associated to your product. Written artifacts just like the above talked about are a major medium for delivering this context with readability to stakeholders. If poorly executed, your meant message might be missed and your stakeholder may be left confused, or worse — misaligned.
As firms embrace the remote-first tradition, the necessity to synthesize and convey info that may be consumed asynchronously is turning into more and more necessary. There may be solely a lot time in a day to have conferences to share context verbally, so permitting your colleagues and stakeholders to digest info via a written narrative is turning into the norm. Product managers which have clear, succinct writing could have an edge amongst their friends.
Constructing nice merchandise and fixing complicated issues requires crucial considering. Jeff Bezos has (now famously) instilled a tradition of the written narrative at Amazon. Though there are numerous components to Amazon’s success, I imagine that their product tradition was a key contributor. It’s no accident that one of the vital progressive firms forces their product managers and executives to suppose critically!
When writing a Product Memo or Working Backwards Doc, product managers must totally analysis the market, enterprise panorama, buyer segments, strategic pillars, drawback area and write a story that clearly ties this stuff collectively.
The steady-state for many product managers is to run round like “headless chickens” from assembly to assembly or from one fireplace to the following. Because of this we’re not proof against being lazy or reducing corners with regards to making ready a presentation or writing a product spec or a consumer story. Nonetheless, with clear writing backed by analysis, details, particulars and insights, we decrease the possibilities of failure inside our workforce and product.
In different phrases, crucial considering accompanied by good writing, features as a software to optimize a product’s success.
Writing is just not all the time simple. It’s one thing that I nonetheless actively work on — nearly a decade into my product administration profession. Listed here are three ideas to assist enhance your writing:
Apply intentional writing
Give attention to an space of writing that you simply discover probably the most difficult and work on enhancing it. It might be grammar, or author’s block, or doing analysis.
Learn
This one is fairly apparent. There’s a robust correlation between studying and stronger writing. You may study lots from printed authors and use their examples to enhance your personal writing abilities.
Write first, good it later
Making an attempt to get it proper the primary time is a idiot’s errand. It’s higher to get your uncooked ideas written down first after which do a couple of rounds of edits. I do that on a regular basis with my Groups/Slack and e-mail communications (and Medium articles!).
For this reason — one of the best ways to get higher at writing, is to maintain writing.
