Congratulations! You’re a Product Supervisor or Product Proprietor or each, and you’ve got a brand new alternative so as to add an present product to your arsenal. One catalyst for this state of affairs is when a colleague leaves, or modifications positions. Somebody has to take over her merchandise or options. Till they rent a substitute, it’s your accountability.
One other impetus is whenever you completely inherit a few of their merchandise or options as a result of an organizational or strategic change in hierarchy. One other set off is a brand new job- the place you’re taking over a product from any individual else. Maternity/paternity go away is another excuse this might happen. Or, you will have switched positions, so you progress on out of your different tasks. Regardless of the motive for the state of affairs you end up in, what’s the easiest way ahead?
Earlier than you get cluttered with all the data you’re about to imbibe, let your self dream. Do a brainstorm with your self. Write up questions, assumptions, instructions for a imaginative and prescient. Get all of it on the market on a whiteboard or on paper. Make a multitude along with your ideas, enable your self to free affiliate. Undecided the place to begin? Borrow from Tony Buzan’s thoughts map. Jot down assumptions on the facet. Make an inventory of questions.
While you’re completed, take an image of the whiteboard, or retailer that paper for later. After Discovery, you’ll re-visit and see what has shifted. Hopefully, you’ll have solutions to a few of your questions. You’ll be able to reject a few of your concepts. You should have a clearer route.
Ask the questions
You may have the accountability to ask the questions, to get the data. Don’t anticipate to be spoon-fed. Bear in mind, it’s your product now, and the product supervisor who’s handing it over might wish to transfer on as quick as doable. Alas, her subsequent problem awaits her too and he or she is raring to embark on discovery of her personal.
Seize their imaginative and prescient
If the outgoing product supervisor has a roadmap and imaginative and prescient, nice. In the event that they don’t convey it up, you’ll be able to ignite the flame one final time. Product managers who’re leaving or altering positions might have already been damaged down by their product, within the sense that they developed minor myopia. At first, they’d extra ardour, a bolder imaginative and prescient.
The load of life — builders, prospects, markets, organizational politics— no matter, has taken the sting off of their preliminary spark. However you’ll be able to study lots from re-igniting it. Give them a magic wand for a second, and ask them to dream, to share the perfect state of affairs. You might hook up with it or not, however a minimum of it can take you — and the dialog with them — to a much more expansive psychological area.
Get the again story
Why is that this characteristic the way in which it’s? Are there earlier choices that we’re captive to upholding? Why was resolution X made, and resolution Y? Typically there are ‘skeletons’ within the type of outdated constraints, or setbacks that we are able to now overcome.
Get written sources
Ask for paperwork despatched now. Let there be awkward silence for a second whenever you ask what paperwork, emails, correspondence, PRDs, epics, no matter, it’s best to have a look at. Typically there are at all times some paperwork, even when they’re previous and out of date. Although not fascinating to present product managers, they’ll nonetheless provide you with a way of the place the product was in some unspecified time in the future, and the way it was considered then.
Key Efficiency Indicators (KPIs)
What are the product KPIs? If there are none, why not? What was the product supervisor contemplating? How did they measure product success?
Be a part of energetic conversations
Get linked into energetic electronic mail chains, or tickets. If there are energetic open present gadgets, have the product supervisor you’re taking on for add you to the conversations, so others know you’re concerned. I discover this useful even when you don’t know what you’re doing but. Your colleagues will perceive that you simply want a grace interval earlier than you’ll be able to supply worth, and you’ll study concerning the product if you are ‘listening in’ on the conversations.
Ask who else to speak to
Each product has a group round it. Discover the members of the group across the product you’re taking on. Interact with them. In fact your possession will affect who’s a part of the group.
Don’t be judgmental or crucial
No matter you do, don’t be a hater. The product supervisor whose product you’re taking over had struggles you don’t but perceive. Bear in mind, it was as soon as their child. They poured hours of sweat and tears into it. So even when you see the product otherwise from its earlier product supervisor — and it’s pure that you simply will- be mild about it.
You don’t wish to march in and aggressively overthrow every thing concerning the product. Even when you do wish to change every thing about it, you’ll be able to accomplish that in a delicate but agency method.
Your group has a number of data concerning the present product. You could stand up to hurry, quick. How?
Paperwork: PRDs, MRDs, HLDs, LLDs, SLAs, YAMLs, Launch Notes, Press Releases, Articles
Discover the paperwork which have been written concerning the merchandise you’re inheriting. The acronyms above might or will not be related to those utilized in your group.
Software program mission administration tickets
Your mission administration software program (like JIRA) has tickets concerning the product. Past what you might have been knowledgeable about within the handover out of your product supervisor, search key phrases associated to your product. One can find help tickets, bugs. You might discover some backlog gadgets. Some gadgets which are associated. Dependencies. This is a useful supply of data. The feedback, too.
‘Listening tour’: Interview related non-stakeholders
A number of individuals in numerous roles and positions have extra expertise with this product than you do. Builders. Designers. Technical Writers. QA. They don’t seem to be direct prospects or customers, however they’ve been engaged on the product, toiling for it. So have a number of perception. Ask them about it.
Undecided how one can body your exercise? Inform everybody you’re embarking on a listening tour. Ask stakeholders to share their views, too. Worst case — you don’t agree. Greatest- you will have new insights and concepts.
Take part in buyer calls
Even when you don’t know something concerning the product but, be there on calls. That is the way you study. Savor these indignant grievance calls; you’ll study a ton about ache factors.
Knowledge
Does the product have utilization knowledge? Is there a software? Get the login credentials, and play with the information. Greater than play — grasp it, if you wish to make data-driven product choices. If there’s a Product Analyst, speak to her and get her suggestions.
You may have a possibility to re-ignite relationships with stakeholders associated to the product. Arrange conversations to listen to their opinions concerning the product’s present standing, and invite them to share their views on challenges, and even how they see the product shifting ahead.
Ask what’s the easiest way to work with them, and what they anticipate from you. Inform them the way you wish to work. Ask the easiest way to speak with them — calls, conferences, emails, or do they like to not be bothered except one thing crucial comes up? As a substitute of studying this the onerous and laborious method, put it on the desk and work it out collectively.
If the market context is new to you, delve in deep. Learn trade reviews. Comply with the competitors. Attend conferences. Subscribe to newsletters. All that is ‘bread and butter’ of product managers, and needs to be apparent. However what’s not trivial is carving out time to permit your self to study.
True E2E product administration means taking accountability. In conversations with different stakeholders — builders, gross sales, prospects, buyer supply, technical writers- you’ll want to personal even that which you inherited. If you wish to cry and complain and moan about all of the crummy features of the product you inherited that weren’t your fault, you’ll be able to rant in your non-public journal or speak to your self alone in a darkish room. However from the second the product is yours — it’s yours, even its previous.
With all its superb successes, and all its scars and weaknesses. Don’t succumb to the temptation to let slip, in passing, some justification of the product— yea, that was earlier than I took possession. That might be petty. Taking on a product might be daunting, and a steep studying curve. However after the preliminary shock, you can be up and working sooner than you believed doable.
This text which is a part of a collection on product administration based mostly on my experiences.
I’m a UX Designer turned Product Supervisor, with expertise in startups, freelance, and agile B2B2C firms. Writing helps me mirror & constantly study. Join with me on Twitter.
