Max Antonov - Product Management & Leadership

Max Antonov
Fractional Product Leadership Product Leadership Coaching

I'm a father of 3 from Sydney, a product and technology leader. I write about leadership, product management, technology and the messy reality of making work work.

I'm currently building and experimenting with a mildly alarming number of things. I also work as a fractional product leader, stepping in where the founder or CEO is still carrying product decisions on their own, and offer 1:1 product leadership coaching for senior PMs and emerging product leaders. I founded SoundingBoard, practical peer exchange for product people. Connect via LinkedIn, or follow me on X.

Product Management

  1. May 9, 2024
    Product Management

    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.

    You don't need QA
  2. Mar 12, 2023
    Product Management

    Raising Problem Awareness for Niche Products

    The look on someone's face when they finally get it is hard to describe. You explain what Backpocket does, a payment option that makes group events easier, no more chasing, no more wondering who's pai...
    Raising Problem Awareness

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  4. Feb 4, 2020
    Product Management

    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...
  5. Apr 5, 2017
    Product Management

    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 hi...
  6. Mar 14, 2017
    Product Management

    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...
  7. Mar 14, 2017
    Product Management

    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 unders...
  8. Mar 1, 2016
    Product Management

    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 fe...