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Dec 26, 2024
Trim the Dead Weight
Removing a feature signals a mistake. Few people feel comfortable admitting that.
This hesitation keeps bad features alive. Teams cling to them, fearing the optics of walking back a decision. But doubling down on something that doesn't work costs more in the long run - time, energy and user trust. Recognising when something doesn't fit and cutting it isn't failure. It's progress.
Users notice when products improve. Removing what's broken clears space for what works. -
Dec 23, 2024
From Chaos to Clarity
The exec team was drifting, priorities misaligned, goals scattered. With OKRs, we trimmed 50 key results to 15, forcing clarity on what mattered most. The tough trade-off conversations exposed clashing perspectives but created alignment. Had to be done.
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Dec 22, 2024
Fast Fades, Purpose Wins
In product management, it's tempting to move fast and break things. Sometimes, that works.
But moving with purpose works better. It means focusing on what matters, making smart choices, and building something valuable. Speed without direction leads to wasted effort. Purposeful action builds progress that lasts.
Fast fades. Purpose wins. -
Dec 19, 2024
Clearing Space with No
Saying no is a leadership skill.
It's not about rejecting ideas, it's about protecting focus. When everything feels important, nothing is. Saying no clears space for what truly matters - what drives impact, not just activity.
Yes, it will sting. People will take it personally. But prioritisation isn't about popularity; it's about progress.
Every “no” to distractions is a “yes” to momentum. -
Dec 14, 2024
Push the Limits
Bold ideas unlock progress.
When crafting new products or features, it's easy to focus on safe, incremental improvements. These solutions feel achievable and practical but they rarely break new ground.
Adding a bold concept into the mix forces the team to think beyond limitations. Even if the daring idea doesn't make it to launch, it creates a spark. It pushes boundaries, reshapes how problems are viewed and reveals opportunities overlooked in safer designs.
A bold solution isn't just a backup plan. It's a catalyst for better work. -
Dec 13, 2024
Scaling with a Head of Product
Trust between a founder and their first Head of Product defines whether a startup scales or stalls.
Founders often start as the Head of Product, driving vision, roadmaps and hiring. But as a company grows, splitting attention across fundraising, culture, operations and strategy leaves product leadership exposed. Bringing in a Head of Product isn't just inevitable - it's essential. The challenge is doing it without breaking the momentum or diluting the founder's vision.
Alignment is the foundation. A great Head of Product doesn't just execute - they embody and challenge the founder's instincts, building scalable systems around them. -
Dec 12, 2024
When Teams Don’t Need a PM
A team doesn't always need a dedicated product manager.
In startups, founders often take on this role naturally, using their deep understanding of the market and their vision for the product.
In larger companies, if the team already has a strong handle on strategy, data and market needs, they can absolutely operate without a formal PM. However, someone still needs to take charge of the product function - making prioritisation decisions clear and aligning the team around common goals. -
Dec 11, 2024
More Than Just ICE
Feature prioritisation isn't always about frameworks like ICE (Impact, Confidence, Effort), Kano or MoSCoW.
Sometimes, it's about building momentum - creating buzz, lifting your team's morale, staying ahead of competitors or even strengthening internal relationships.
The challenge is finding the balance between chasing these quick wins and staying true to your long-term vision.
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Dec 3, 2024
The Most Important Skill for Product Managers
As my product management career has progressed, my perspective on the most important skill has changed. Early on, I thought it was all about speed - getting things done fast. Later, I believed strategy was the ultimate priority. But now, I'm increasingly convinced that the most important skill for a PM is clarity - and the key to achieving clarity is strong communication.
It doesn't matter how brilliant your product strategy is or how strong your... read more -
Aug 15, 2024
Lead with Problems, Not Solutions
Sharing problems doesn't mean solving them.
Early in a product management career, it's tempting to package every problem with a solution. It feels efficient and helpful but it can limit your team's creativity. Presenting ready-made answers shifts focus from understanding the problem to critiquing your idea. This shortcut skips the messy, collaborative process where the best solutions often emerge.
Teams thrive when they tackle challenges together. Give them the problem - leave space for their brilliance. -
Jun 26, 2024
PMs, Step Back to Move Forward
When PMs and PDs overlap, clarity saves teams.
PMs and PDs often talk to customers, pitch ideas and think about UX. Overlap is natural but not all tasks require both voices. If PDs excel at crafting intuitive experiences, PMs should step back and refocus. Their time is better spent refining strategy and building cross-team alignment.
Stepping back isn't losing control - it's enabling brilliance. -
May 8, 2024
QA Isn’t the Fix
Dedicated QA creates more problems than it solves.
When a dev team owns quality, accountability stays in the right hands. Bugs are fewer, fixes are faster and processes tighten.
Introducing dedicated QA shifts that balance.
Developers grow complacent, relying on testers to catch mistakes. Tools diverge, creating inefficiencies. QA often duplicates what devs should already handle.
Quality isn't a separate role. It's a shared responsibility embedded in every line of code.
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Nov 15, 2020
Product Management FAQs
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, execution, and success of the product or one of its areas. Product Managers are trusted by the organisation to make prioritisation calls.
Product Managers and their teams work on a product or feature that impacts the wider business, from customer support to finance. They mus... read more -
Aug 8, 2020
Tips for Aspiring Product Managers
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 on your learning you then formulate a strategy to address customer problems and ensure that the business excels. While formulating the strategy, you get to me... read more -
Jul 28, 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 management.
You've likely experienced a number of painful problems in your life and thought, "I wish... read more -
Feb 4, 2020
Skills Over Tools, People Over Certificates
Product management advice often focuses on mastering tools, but tools are just a means to an end. Spending too much time on them can distract from what matters most - understanding customers and solving their problems.
Instead: Focus on learning customer research, prioritisation, and communication skills. Tools come and go, but these skills are timeless. Build your foundation on these, and the tools will follow naturally.
People overplay the impo... read more -
Apr 4, 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 it's usually assumed that the team can shift gears immediately and become productive in a matter of days.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work this way. And let's not forget that it takes much longer for a completely new team to jell and perform.
T... read more -
Mar 13, 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 ‘solution mode' 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 feeling. But, realistically, what are the odds of that? It's a bet!
Sadly, in most organisations, stakeholders alr... read more -
Mar 13, 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 it's damn hard! And if you haven't…it's damn hard!
In a modern corporate environment, it is a huge challenge to build a digital product that is commercially viable, technically feasible and irresistible to customers. Business priorities change, often... read more -
Feb 29, 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, applying my expertise, meeting new people and making friends. On the other hand, the first few weeks can be particularly stressful, trying to fi... read more
