Introduction
"Inspired" by Marty Cagan, is one of the most interesting reads I have done this year. This popular book is a bible for most product managers out in the real world. It aims to identify and explore the unique challenges and issues associated with creating technology-powered products, experiences, and services.
I quite enjoyed the author's concise explanation of how to run products "right" as well as avoiding the common pitfalls in this field, I felt that it was simplistic in style.
The author in the first chapter makes it quite clear for the reader how Product management is distinct from Design, Engineering, Marketing, and Project management roles.
I believe I possess some entrepreneurial spirit, and I learned several lessons from the first chapter of the book. The words- Knowing what we cant know is going to guide my planning process for every aspect of my life. I gained additional insight into how product management is more than just inspiration and imagination. It is hard work, determination, and a whole lot of science.
© 2011 Martin Eriksson
The most valuable lesson that I learned from this chapter is that half of the “revolutionary” ideas are unlikely to work. Business is harsh, but it is a fact of life. While failing is difficult, knowing that you are not alone should be slightly comforting to us. A second thing that I learned from this chapter was how a revolutionary product doesn't come from one all-encompassing idea, but rather from several iterations of it.
Averting fatal flaws
Tesla founder, Elon Musk once said that he doesn’t start companies just for the sake of it but instead to get things done. Although it is possible to predict what service needs to be disrupted based on user frustrations, it is next to impossible to estimate if a product is going to work in the market at all even though it seems like a radical idea. My opinion is that regardless of your fear of failure, one must take the leap of faith with sufficient research and trust in their own skillset. Ultimately, mistakes become valuable lessons if you learn from them.
As the author notes, it is difficult to determine what the product will make as well as how much investment will be needed. Building a prioritized business case is therefore superfluous. However, I believe it is important to build a flexible business case to help the team get a sense of what to expect.
Availability of similar products in the market is also one of the reasons why a product fails. The way to prevent this is that my conducting competitive research much prior to the release of the product. A powerful tool for promoting the product and preventing its absolution, this would significantly increase the odds of success.
Availability of similar products in the market is also one of the reasons why a product fails. The way to prevent this is that my conducting competitive research much prior to the release of the product. A powerful tool for promoting the product and preventing its absolution, this would significantly increase the odds of success.
As products are still in the beginning stages of development, product roadmaps set in unprecedented stress on teams when they are tasked with following rigid directions for the quarter. According to Jana Barstow of ProdPad [1], we should replace dates with themes: choose a theme each quarter and focus on it without worrying about deadlines. With more flexibility, you'll be able to respond to changes without getting off course.
It is necessary to get design consultation and an engineering consultation right away from the beginning. Often, they can develop innovative solutions to very real problems when provided with the opportunity to see the problems of the customers. This can lead to breakthrough products.
I agree with the author's assessment that waterfall models are inherently flawed. It is not until the end of the life cycle that working software is produced. There is a great deal of uncertainty and risk. The model is not suitable for projects that are complex and object-oriented. A good way to improve communication between cross-functional teams and increase buy-in is by the use of agile development practices.
The best way to solve problems as a product manager is to think lateral, by approaching solutions indirectly and creatively. Additionally by the method of reduction [2] where you solve a problem by transforming it into another problem for which solutions exist.
Personal Experience
The most challenging situation for me while working at a corporate was while I was working at a product-based company back in Bangalore, India. The firm was more development-oriented and did not emphasize much on design. The task at hand was to overhaul an existing enterprise backup solution website to a newer platform while the UI remains the same.The issue with this overhaul was the website had usability issues and was not modern enough with the current standards of web design nor was it engaging for the visitors. Our team was unable to move forward with the project because we did not want to produce an inferior website as it conflicted with our design consciousness.
In lieu of introducing new features, we wanted to resolve and improve existing issues on the site.As a proud member of the team, I took the initiative to handle meetings with stakeholders and convince them that we should redesign the website. After a few grueling meetings, we promised to improve customer engagement which will, in turn, improve customer acquisition in the same time frame that was given to us to wrap up the project.
After we labored for 2 months on the project, we redesigned the whole website to be a much more user-friendly platform. In a matter of few weeks, we analyzed the statistics from Google analytics and found out that the number of visitors on the site had drastically increased and the sales shot up and the quarterly revenue of the company improved by a staggering 37%.I was very proud of this project since I piloted it all by myself. It gave me the confidence to know that I can head a team of talented individuals to succeed personally and professionally while also doing fiscally well for the company. It helped me tackle problems head-on and come up with creative solutions that were in favor of the team and the firm.
Unanswered Questions
As a result of the reading, one question arose in my head: How do product managers define success? Upon generating revenue or upon solving a user problem?
How do Product Managers deal with failures, setbacks, and negative feedback?
In my opinion Product managers always need to be these dynamic personalities that need to be in constant communication with various teams, I wonder what their idea of work-life balance is and what they do to maintain their mental wellbeing.
References
[1] Jana Barstow. 2015. Why Release Dates Are Irrelevant To Product Managers. (November 24, 2015). Retrieved September 7, 2021, from https://www.prodpad.com/blog/why-release-dates-are-irrelevant-to-product-managers/
[2] Wikipedia. 2021. Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduction_(complexity)