Jan 10, 2024
Commitment is a function of two things: clarity and buy-in
"Commitment is a function of two things: clarity and buy-in" -- Patrick Lencioni, The five dysfunctions of a team ...
Jan 8, 2024
Forces That Block Change
We will always be more comfortable with what already exists, even if it's š©. Typically, we are not actively looking for better ways to solve problems we face. And this could be due to a number of reasons. Sometimes, we donāt even realise how bad or time-consuming the experience is because we are so used to it. Itās just the way it is, and we ...
Jan 7, 2024
Go Bold
If you're putting a lot of effort into creating a new product or feature to solve a customer problem, ensure you have the bold solution under your sleeve too. Even on paper (or in Figma), bold ideas push boundaries and inspire creative thinking in your team. We sometimes find ourselves dropping to the status quo. We forget to challenge ourselves...
Jan 5, 2024
Stop sharing solutions with your team
One of the many mistakes I made when I started my product management career was thinking that if I shared a customer problem with the team, I must also present a ready-made solution. This notion stems from managing up. You donāt go to the leadership team with a problem without providing options to solve it and a recommendation. However, this doe...
Sep 15, 2023
The Power of "Stupid" Ideas
Have you ever found yourself hesitating to share an idea, one so weird or seemingly absurd that you questioned its merit? I've made a conscious decision to share even my wildest and seemingly "stupid" ideas with my team. Because hidden beneath these unusual thoughts, there's a chance for something really amazing. During brainstorming, we ar...
Aug 13, 2023
Company Values
Itās been 18 months since we set our values, and they are still relevant and capture our team culture really well. Itās a good sign. Here are our four values: ADAPTABILITY, TRANSPERANCY, OWNERSHIP, and EMPATHY. We still use the language in our day-to-day conversations, and it helps us gain focus and direction in moments of ambiguity. Values A...
Jul 17, 2023
"How We Roll" Team Activity
Looking for a team-building activity that's both enjoyable and beneficial for fostering better connections and understanding among your team? Well, let me share with you an activity called "How We Roll" that originally came from the book "Team Up" by Keegan Luiters. Then I made a couple of tweaks to the template and the activity to make it even mor...
Jul 9, 2023
The Future of Product Managers
The news of product managers being removed from teams at companies like Dovetail and Airbnb has generated intrigue and speculation about the future of this role. Some argue that successful products can be developed without product managers. However, whether to include or exclude product managers depends on various factors, including company cultu...
Jul 3, 2023
A Start-Up Morning Routine
Working from home has become increasingly common, especially in the era of small, remote-first start-ups. But remote work can be hard! Particularly when it comes to fostering team cohesion and maintaining a sense of connection. Here at Backpocket, we have 3 team members who work remotely on a full-time basis and our morning routine helps us bu...
Apr 24, 2023
Ambiguity & Decision Making
Navigating ambiguity can be one of the toughest parts of making product decisions. The sense of ambiguity is often more intense in startups, where there is a new problem space or niche to explore, no users or customers, no strategy in place, and fewer people on the team to speak with. If you are a product person in a startup, you are probably ...
Apr 16, 2023
Agile vs Strategy
The word "agile" is now everywhere in the business world these days. It's been overused. It's almost lost its meaning. It might even trigger you. Somehow, the idea of being "agile" has become synonymous with constantly changing one's mind. The issue is that the concept of agility is frequently used to disguise the lack of product strategy. I...
Apr 15, 2023
The Purpose of a Strategy
I had to read a 30-page Product Strategy document when I just started working as a product manager for the first time. I couldn't understand it. I was lost. I felt like I was punching above my weight. Only later in my PM career did I realise that wasn't my fault. The document itself was the problem. It lacked a clear vision, a logical structur...
Apr 15, 2023
No-Reply Emails
Have you ever received an email from a service or business that you wanted to reply to because you had a burning question? But then discovered it came from a "no-reply" address? Did a mixture of "Argh!" and "F*ck!" escape your lips? And the idea of going to their website, finding the "Contact Us" section, and filling out a form felt like yet...
Mar 9, 2023
SCQA Framework
The SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, and Answer) framework, also known as the Minto Pyramid Principle, is a structured approach to communication and problem-solving that involves breaking down complex ideas into simpler, more manageable parts. Here are some of the benefits that you can enjoy by using the SCQA framework in your business co...
Mar 7, 2023
Product Strategy Canvas Notion Template
Are you having trouble defining and communicating your product strategy? The Product Strategy Canvas Notion Template is just what you need to get started. Inspired by Melissa Perri's article "What is Good Product Strategy?", the Product Strategy Canvas Notion Template is designed to help you plan and visualise your product strategy in a way ...
Feb 5, 2023
What Makes a Good Product Manager?
Product management is a challenging position that calls for a broad skill set and familiarity with several aspects ofĀ business. Being a good product manager requires more than just having a specific set of technical skills. You also need to have some personality traits and soft skills that can make a huge difference in a product's success. Learn ...
Nov 20, 2022
The 3 Leadership Books Every Product Manager Should Read
Being a product manager presents a difficult task since you don't have any subordinates. Achieving success means finding methods to persuade and guide individuals without the power of the organisation backing you up. To steer both the product and the team, you'll need to express the vision, strategy, and product roadmap. Listening to others, cul...
Sep 12, 2022
Product Coaching and Mentoring
Hey there! š I'm Max, a product leader with over a decade of product management experience. I have extensive experience in both large corporations and startups, developing a unique skill set for utilising product tools and methodologies based on context and business goals. I've successfully managed and grown multiple product teams, fostering ...
Jun 16, 2022
Product Development Roles and Responsibilities
The efficiency of a product relies heavily on the team behind its development. Familiarising oneself with the diverse roles and obligations that accompany the product development procedure is crucial to ensuring the eventual product meets the consumer's expectations while also adhering to the schedule and financial constraints. Let's take a look at...
Aug 29, 2021
"The Mom Test" - Book Summary
Just finished reading a book by Rob Fitzpatrick "The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you". It's an excellent book - short, practical and to the point. This book can be very helpful for Product Managers, User Experience Designers, someone who is planning to launch thei...
May 3, 2021
Changes at Basecamp
Basecamp went big this week! There's a lot of hate and negative vibes around the recent Basecamp's corporate policy changes. See the announcement āNo more societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp accountā. People were quick to accuse DHH and Jason Fried of eliminating freedom of speech. I'd like to share ...
Apr 29, 2021
Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) in Purpose Statements
While scrolling through a number of lists outlining the āpurposeā, āvisionā and āmissionā of organisations, I spotted a pattern ā some of them reference all three types of jobs from the "Jobs To Be Done" (JTBD) framework: Functional, Consumption and Emotional/Social jobs. Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a powerful framework for developing produc...
Nov 16, 2020
Product Management FAQs
Have a question about product management but couldn't find an answer here? Send your question to antonov@hey.com Updated on 12 March 2023 What do Product Managers do? Product managers decide what to build next. They are accountable for the overall success of the product. Product Managers drive the vision, product strategy, user experience...
Aug 9, 2020
Tips for Aspiring ProductĀ Managers
Why become a Product Manager? As a Product Manager, you are given the opportunity to solve customer and business problems. It all starts with learning about business goals and understanding how the business operates. Simultaneously, you study the market and discover challenges that your customers are dealing with. Based o...
Jul 29, 2020
How to Get Into Product Management With no Experience
Getting into product management with no experience may seem daunting, but you can achieve your goal by breaking it down into smaller steps. Start by taking on a pet project, reading business books, getting a job at a tech company, and acting like a product manager. Keep building your skills, and you will soon be on your way to a career in product...
Jul 25, 2020
Reflections on āAtomic Habitsā by James Clear
I finished reading Atomic Habits by James Clear earlier this year and would like to share key learnings that helped me to form a couple of good habits. Atomic Habits James Clear gets to the point of what it takes to build healthy long-lasting habits. One of the ideas he puts forward is the power of compounding ...
Jun 24, 2020
How THE ICONIC continuously improves customer experience
At THE ICONIC we are passionate about creating great customer experiences. Itās quite common for us to evolve our rituals and processes to support our customersā needs. Coupled with this, whenever we see an opportunity to break barriers between teams and departments, we grab it and work in tandem towards the same goal. Breaking Barriers ...
Feb 4, 2020
Product Management Career Path
Are you interested in pursuing a career in product management? Product management is a dynamic and exciting field that offers a range of opportunities for professionals with the right skills, knowledge, and experience. To help you get started, I've created the ultimate product management career roadmap. This roadmap provides an overview of the...
Apr 5, 2017
The benefit of a small product team
In an organisation, when a decision to create a new product is made, there is a high chance that one of the existing teams will be allocated to the task right away. Management expectation is always high, and itās usually assumed that the team can shift gears immediately and become productive in a matter of days. Unfortunately, it doesnāt work th...
Mar 14, 2017
Running Lean: Forget the business problem...for now
Often in companies of different sizes, the product team is either forced, or voluntarily switches, to āsolution modeā hoping to solve a business challenge. A much better way forward is to fully understand the customer problem. You might get lucky and guess the right customer problem to solve based on your experience, insights and gut feeli...
Mar 14, 2017
Creating Successful Products in a Corporation
How do you go about improving your chances of creating a successful product in a corporation? Have you ever tried to create a new digital product in a large corporation? You have? Well then, you know itās damn hard! And if you havenātā¦itās damn hard! In a modern corporate environment, it is a huge challenge to build a digital prod...
Jun 27, 2016
Five ways to improve your teamās dynamics
Doesnāt it feel great when on top of solid job performance your team is buzzing, joking and having a good time? Yes, it does without a doubt! Daniel Pink, in his book, Drive, lists 3 elements of the motivation formula: (1) Autonomy ā the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery ā the urge to get better and better at something that matte...
Mar 1, 2016
The First 2 Weeks in a Product Role
Starting a new job is often thrilling and overwhelming. Like a rollercoaster ride, I get pumped up and excited to get on but also my heart starts pounding and palms get sweaty. Do you get the same feeling? I like all the new opportunities that come with a new job such as learning extra skills, apply...
Dec 21, 2015
How to encourage collaboration?
When a product leader decides to forge a new feature or even build a new product itās a good idea to brief the team and draw a couple of diagrams on a whiteboard. What does your team do next though? I bet the chances are the devs have already started thinking about technical implementation, the designers are creating UI elements in their h...
Jan 10, 2015
Four Ways to Develop a Good Reading Habit
Iāve never read more than 15ā20 books in a year. One of the excuses I had was that Iām a very busy person ā with 2 children, a full-time job, a local soccer team I play for, plus a million other things to do. Last year, I set a goal to read 36 books. My objective was to learn more about leadership, business, product management and, of cour...