The right way to Upskill as a Product Supervisor: 3 Frameworks for Drawback-First Pondering   – Product Administration Programs

As a product supervisor, have you ever ever felt like a short-order prepare dinner, simply ready for purchasers to let you know what they need? You’re not alone. Stakeholders typically carry us options with out explaining the actual downside. This rush to options can backfire, resulting in merchandise that solely deal with slender use circumstances or, worse, add little worth. 

How will we break this “answer behavior” and establish the true want? The reply lies in a problem-first mindset—taking the time to uncover wants, pains, and needs earlier than leaping to options. On this article, we’ll discover important instruments and three methods that assist product managers give attention to the issue. Let’s dive into creating actual worth slightly than delivering fast fixes.  

Recognizing “Resolution Communicate”  

Folks love options. It’s pure to goal for fast wins and speedy progress, however this mindset doesn’t all the time serve us effectively. A key query to begin with is, “What downside does this answer deal with?”  

Step one is recognizing “Resolution Communicate” from these round us. Product managers have to develop a “Spidey Sense” to catch statements like:  

• “Are you able to add this characteristic?”  
• “Can we develop what our competitor has?”  
• “We have to export stories to Excel to shut this sale.”  
• “This could take three steps, not 5.”  
• “Issues could be simpler when you simply gave me…”  

These requests could seem useful however are sometimes signs, not root issues. Counter with curiosity: ask questions and discover the “why” behind every request. By cultivating curiosity, we will steer conversations towards the issue, uncovering insights that result in higher options.  

Strategies to Uncover Actual Issues  

As soon as we acknowledge “answer communicate,” the subsequent step is to dig deeper. Listed below are three highly effective methods to assist product managers upskill and uncover underlying issues:  

1) Interviews & Statement  

Direct consumer interactions reveal worthwhile insights. Observing customers of their actual atmosphere permits us to see frustrations, bottlenecks, and workarounds that customers won’t label as issues. Interviews and observations assist you to see the entire image.  

Professional Tip: Teresa Torres’s article, “Buyer Interviews: The right way to Recruit, What to Ask, and The right way to Synthesize What You Be taught,” is a good useful resource. It affords actionable recommendation on creating efficient buyer interviews and uncovering the deeper motivations and challenges behind consumer requests.  

2) The 5 Whys Approach  

When stakeholders recommend options, stay curious and use the “5 Whys” approach. Begin with their proposed answer and ask “why” till you attain the underlying downside.  

Professional Tip: Asking “why” repeatedly might really feel pressured; as an alternative, take into account questions like, “What options have you ever tried?” or “What are the implications if this answer isn’t carried out?” These questions assist you to uncover the actual downside beneath the floor.  

3) Framing the Drawback Clearly  

After figuring out the issue, talk it successfully to stakeholders. Use a problem-framing template to middle discussions across the consumer’s expertise and seize the difficulty’s full context.  

Right here’s a easy template to attempt:  

• I’m… (Who’s the consumer experiencing this downside?)  
• Attempting to… (What purpose is the consumer attempting to attain?)  
• However… (What’s stopping them?)  
• As a result of… (Why does this impediment exist?)  
• Which makes me really feel… (How does this make the consumer really feel?)  

Instance: “I’m a product supervisor attempting to collect information from totally different departments, however I can’t entry it shortly as a result of the system is sluggish, which makes me really feel pissed off and unproductive.”  

This whole downside assertion tells a narrative, permitting you to higher talk consumer wants and inspire significant options.  

Remaining Ideas  

“If I had an hour to resolve an issue, I’d spend 55 minutes eager about the issue and 5 minutes eager about options.”

– Albert Einstein  

This quote from Albert Einstein completely captures the mindset product managers want. We’re typically requested to leap to options, however creating lasting worth requires understanding the issue deeply. By recognizing “answer communicate,” making use of methods to uncover actual points, and framing issues from the consumer’s perspective, we shift our focus from fast fixes to significant worth.  

Able to put these frameworks into motion? Obtain the ProductSide Playbook for entry to a problem-framing template, together with different highly effective instruments and templates to information you in making higher, user-centered selections. Empower your self to steer with readability and create merchandise that prospects love.