Ask Me Something: Product Technique Frameworks

November is coming to an in depth, and meaning it’s time for our month-to-month AMA roundup! This month we hosted 3 Slack AMA periods with these beautiful Product Folks:

1. Harsh Gupta, Product Chief at Google
2. Melanie Aley, Product Chief at Google
3. Lawrence Leung, Former Senior Product Supervisor at Amazon

This month we requested about Product Technique, and so they advised us their go-to frameworks. Every of them gave a really distinct reply, which fits to point out that a part of being an amazing PM is discovering your individual fashion.

Bonus: additionally they contact on subjects like breaking into Product, ideas for aspiring PMs, ideas for early profession PMs, main groups, drawback statements, and person analysis.

Product Technique

What’s your go-to Product Technique framework?

Harsh Gupta

For any long-term technique formulation, I usually use a modified model of the BCG 2*2 matrix, with one axis representing person segments (present vs new) and one axis representing new markets/geos (present vs new) together with an present product SWOT evaluation.

This helps in understanding alternatives with present and new person segments, and in present/new markets.

Melanie Aley

I virtually by no means utilizing any framework as written—I take it as extra of a place to begin. I suppose my commonest go-to for product validation is the basic Feasibility/Viability/Desirability, though I have a tendency so as to add operational viability as a fourth class (and typically “political desirability” if I’m working with shoppers…!)

Lawrence Leung

Love this query. I like utilizing the Weighted Objectives framework and the MoSCoW framework. Weighted Objectives helps assign metrics to enterprise goals and assist quantify the ROI. MoSCoW helps with characteristic prioritization for assume huge/greenfield product alternatives.

Breaking Into Product

How can somebody from non-Product roles transition into the sector?

Harsh Gupta

For those who work in a Product org, the most effective path could be to take extra duty past your core position. Help PMs in characteristic discovery via information, or take up new Product Discovery by conducting person & information analysis. Some corporations additionally supply rotation applications that are a good way to expertise PM and showcase your PM expertise.

College students with little/no PM expertise can stand out by showcasing hobby-projects which showcase product expertise or by taking up extra product-related work in your present job.

As an aspiring PM I’m getting rejected by many corporations for not having 2-4 + years confirmed expertise, particularly Google. Any recommendation?

Melanie Aley

I don’t assume you’ll prone to get a job at Google, or most corporations, with out a number of years of PM expertise. The one ‘new to position’ PMs are on the APM observe, which appears to be for brand new grads. Sorry to be so trustworthy. May you attempt shifting sideways in your individual organisation first? That’s usually simpler.

Is engineering expertise useful in beginning a profession in PM?

Harsh Gupta

Having an engineering background, although not needed so that you can reach a PM profession, is unquestionably a bonus as you’ll be able to make higher product selections preserving engineering tradeoffs/feasibility/price in thoughts.

Take a look at: Transitioning to Product Administration From ANY Background

For Early Profession Product Managers

What’s the one factor that you’d advise a junior Product Supervisor on their first day in workplace?

Lawrence Leung

There are a lot of issues to deal with while you first begin. This may’t be accomplished within the first day (possibly over the course of a pair months), however deal with constructing relationships together with your group and stakeholders so you may affect with out authority.

What was most tough about your transition right into a lead/senior PM position?

Lawrence Leung

I might say probably the most tough half is from a timing perspective to construct a powerful rapport and belief with my stakeholders throughout Engineering, Analytics, Advertising, Program, and so forth. groups. It does require numerous time as PM to construct these relationships as you’re employed on Product Discovery to ideation to delivery and iterating your merchandise. However when you construct that momentum together with your groups, you naturally will turn into the one threaded proprietor of your merchandise/options, achieve the assist of your group, and broaden your possession/scope to get to the lead/senior degree.

How would you recommend a brand new PM study and develop their expertise in an organization the place the Product tradition isn’t distinguished, and the supervisor isn’t an energetic mentor?

Harsh Gupta

1. Discover sponsors outdoors of your group or administration chain who can assist you in rising as a PM
2. Discover alternatives which are high of the thoughts for the corporate – this manner you will get assist of senior leaders
3. Construct a group of all PMs and product people within the firm for cross-learning

Any guide suggestions to turn into extra accustomed to ideas within the very first months of the PM profession?

Harsh Gupta

1. Impressed – Marty Cagan
2. Design of On a regular basis Issues – Don Norman
3. Hooked – Nir Eyal

These books are a great place to begin. Following Product Leaders on social media (Shreyas Doshi) and studying standard newsletters (Lenny, Stratechery, and so forth) are additionally nice studying sources.

Product Observe

What textbook methods for PMs do you not suggest or deprioritize?

Lawrence Leung

That is situational. It relies on what area and trade you’re in.

For instance, a Information Platform PM verses a Development PM. Your technique for rising your product as a Development PM can be centered on market growth and buyer development/growth levels. This will likely require extra intensive market competitor analysis, buyer conferences, and so forth. to tell your roadmap priorities. Whereas a Information Platform PM,  they might be working in a later stage within the product life cycle (maturity) and can be centered engineering/system design and discovering options to broaden infra capabilities to decrease price/maximize effectivity.

What are a few of your favourite instruments to handle the Product Roadmap? We tried Miro, Trello, Asana. Whereas all of them are nice in some features, I feel there may very well be a greater product that checks all of the packing containers. Trying on the huge image, good UX, nice for following duties and so forth.

Harsh Gupta

I’ve tried most of those instruments, and, sadly, no device is ideal as a result of PMing on the whole is completed in another way throughout completely different groups, orgs, industries and so forth.

I’ve normally discovered a mixture of spreadsheets, docs and a wireframing device (like Balsamiq, Figma and so forth) ok for me to do my job nicely

Verify our assortment of the most effective instruments for Product Managers

I’m looking for Product-Market Match for a two-sided platform between customers and content material creators. What are good metrics to trace apart from DAU, MAU?

I’m not an knowledgeable right here, though I did do an fascinating ‘autopsy’ on a failed market. Typically your typical Product Metrics exit the door for a market. My colleagues at DV who’ve accomplished this greater than I usually discuss ‘stock’ obtainable for matching, and profitable match ratios on each time. 

It’s additionally very a lot about stability between provide and demand—though don’t be afraid to artificially add provide if you must (i.e. purchase it elsewhere… ever heard Zappos origins story?). Focus closely in your conversion funnel.  Additionally deal with the QUALITY of a match—how glad have been they (vs. different channels?).  Be clear in your worth proposition to either side, and actually measure that.

And one in every of my favorite metrics—price of SUCCESSFUL ‘match’. Take complete price of acquisition on either side, and divide by matches that went nicely (nevertheless you measure that).

Main Groups & Stakeholder Administration

How do you resolve conflicting product necessities? There’s usually conflicting priorities between rising revenues (from wider stakeholders) and rising interactivity/engagement on the app.

Melanie Aley

There’s completely different priorities, that’s cool, however you must be on the identical web page on general technique upwards wherever it converges – e.g. firm degree, enterprise unit degree, and so forth.

You should very clearly draw the connection between interplay/engagement and income.  Assuming you don’t work for a non-profit, at the moment’s interplay = tomorrow’s income, proper?  Are you crystal clear in your buyer funnel?

I’ve personally discovered that Pirate Metrics are helpful when making the case for engagement prior to now.

Having based your individual firm beforehand, and now a pacesetter at a serious firm how do you coach your group to have the identical entrepreneur mindset of attempting a brand new mind-set to resolve a problem on your customers?

Harsh Gupta

Loads of that is grounded in constructing a powerful artistic / experimental tradition in your groups, and naturally, it’s simpler stated than accomplished. I normally attempt to accomplish this tradition within the following methods:

1. Have a powerful long-term imaginative and prescient, technique & targets
2. Chart incremental steps to achieve the long-term targets
3. Set expectations with management on each technique and the iterative execution
4. Be sure you have a data-backed method to measuring impression of every experiment and the way the outcomes are a logical transition to the following steps

How does one persuade stakeholders and sponsors that the dev group must spend time on technical debt? It received’t present seen worth to the top buyer, but it surely IS essential for the maintenance and well being of the general system.

Melanie Aley

Ha, I really feel your ache. Right here’s what I realized the laborious method: NEVER attempt to promote tech debt.  It received’t work. Simply put aside X% (normally 10-20%) of your capability for tech debt, and simply do it. 

However do push your tech leads laborious to prioritise inside their want checklist. If this fails—or they see via it—then I’d strongly recommend threat avoidance. Make the adverse impression of not addressing your tech debt sound so scary that execs would by no means dream of accepting the chance

Giving an instance, I lately oversaw a migration from a legacy front-end framework that was not supported to a brand new one.  Zero buyer impression, if we did it proper. I discovered some scary numbers round variety of bugs, and impression of outages on income. And whereas numbers don’t lie, they are often massaged

Drawback Statements

Does your work all the time come within the format of an issue assertion? May give some examples of drawback statements that you’ve got labored on?

Harsh Gupta

Some examples of drawback statements:

• How can we improve the product buy conversion price for this person phase?
• How can we construct extra belief with our customers throughout the onboarding journey on the app?

I want work all the time got here within the format of an issue assertion, however normally it does.

Typically, nevertheless, PMs grapple with very open-ended drawback statements which fall below what I name ‘unknown unknown’ the place even the issue assertion is open ended

How do you method a broad drawback assertion like: ‘develop the monetization income from the platform by introducing new initiatives or merchandise’?

Harsh Gupta

This query wants 30 minutes for itself, however let me attempt to summarize some key questions you’d wanna ask to construct the technique for such a broad drawback assertion:

1. Are my customers paying for my product at the moment? If sure, why are they keen pay, for which options?
2. Can I prolong these options to a unique person phase?
3. Can I discover adjoining issues to resolve with the product?

Person Analysis

Any pointers or frameworks that you’d use to evaluate and quantify buyer suggestions?

Harsh Gupta

Normal pointers or frameworks:

1. Outline the speculation of what you’re validating and be sure to check each the factual and counterfactual. This helps keep away from affirmation bias
2. Normal rule of thumb is to not information the customers an excessive amount of whereas conducting person analysis—this helps in understanding how a person would use the product on their very own
3. Person analysis ought to usually be used to derive insights to affect product choice making reasonably than take selections immediately. Person analysis ought to be coupled with information, beta testing to verify person suggestions

In a case the place your instincts/intestine feeling is pointing in a path completely different from the info method, which is able to you select?

Harsh Gupta

I’m personally a agency believer within the idea of ‘intestine’ in Product choice making. Nonetheless, for intestine to trump laborious proof (like information), the intestine feeling needs to be explainable not directly, both via person analysis, interviews, trade insights, anecdotal proof, and so forth.

How do you create merchandise or options in an present product that caters to tens of millions of individuals?

Harsh Gupta

Current product characteristic discovery usually stems from the next sources:

1. Current person conduct and utilization information
2. Specific person characteristic asks (via in-app suggestions, app retailer scores, social media and so forth)

Ultimate Recommendation

Any last ideas for aspiring Product Managers?

Harsh Gupta

My recommendation for aspiring PMs:

1. Perceive what the PM position entails, the talent units wanted, the character of labor—and whether or not it’s a great match for you. PMing can look like a really superb job from the skin, but it surely’s difficult position to succeed at.
2. Contemplate your path to changing into a PM as a studying expertise—it is going to educate you a unique method to take a look at merchandise, design, enterprise and hopefully construct a powerful psychological mannequin to resolve human issues

Lawrence Leung

Sure! Regardless of the place you might be in your Product Administration journey, I might advise you to deal with delivering outcomes. Taking a web page out of Amazon’s Management Ideas: To ship outcomes you need to be proper lots. To be proper lots, you need to be buyer obsessed and demand on the very best requirements, which in flip requires you to dive deep and invent and simplify.