Keeping Your Product Management Job – or – Understanding what your internal counterparts really want from you Norcal PDMA, 21 Oct 09 Rich Mironov [email_address]

An Unapologetic Product Guy Entrepreneur and long-time product manager Business models, pricing, segmentation CMO at Enthiosys and interim PM executive Repeat offender at software prod mgmt “ The Art of Product Management” Founded P-Camp/Product Camp Chair of Agile ‘09 PM/PO track

Entrepreneur and long-time product manager

Business models, pricing, segmentation

CMO at Enthiosys and interim PM executive

Repeat offender at software prod mgmt

“ The Art of Product Management”

Founded P-Camp/Product Camp

Chair of Agile ‘09 PM/PO track

Agenda How do key constituents see product management? What does a product manager do? Highlighting strategic value for key constituents

How do key constituents see product management?

What does a product manager do?

Highlighting strategic value for key constituents

I Contend that… Product managers tend to lose their jobs when They don’t understand or highlight their value Key stakeholders don’t understand their value Individual PMs lack organizational support PMs focus on deliverables rather than substance

Product managers tend to lose their jobs when

They don’t understand or highlight their value

Key stakeholders don’t understand their value

Individual PMs lack organizational support

PMs focus on deliverables rather than substance

Just for fun, let’s oversimplify.

Three Key Internal Constituents Engineering Sales Executives

Engineering

Sales

Executives

Engineering Assumptions Customers are rational and will agree that our product is the best Markets are identified, not designed PMs must be as technical as we are Engineering does most of the work Hungry for… Interesting problems to solve Customer stories and use cases

Assumptions

Customers are rational and will agree that our product is the best

Markets are identified, not designed

PMs must be as technical as we are

Engineering does most of the work

Hungry for…

Interesting problems to solve

Customer stories and use cases

Sales Assumptions Salesmanship wins deals, pricing and features lose deals Engineering could fix this in 3 weeks if they wanted to PM provides just-in-time info Sales does most of the work Hungry for… Stories about recent wins Competitive sound bytes

Assumptions

Salesmanship wins deals, pricing and features lose deals

Engineering could fix this in 3 weeks if they wanted to

PM provides just-in-time info

Sales does most of the work

Hungry for…

Stories about recent wins

Competitive sound bytes

Executives Assumptions Strategy leads to execution Our priorities are clear We get lots of customer input We need to do more with less Leadership is the hard work Hungry for Market scenarios with clear P&L Great execution

Assumptions

Strategy leads to execution

Our priorities are clear

We get lots of customer input

We need to do more with less

Leadership is the hard work

Hungry for

Market scenarios with clear P&L

Great execution

What Does Product Management Do? Mktg & Sales market information , priorities, requirements, roadmaps, MRDs, personas, user stories… software strategy, forecasts, commitments, roadmaps, competitive intelligence budgets, staff, targets Field input, Market feedback Segmentation, messages, benefits/features, pricing, qualification, demos… Markets & Customers Development Executives Product Management

More Than Simultaneous Translation Thoughtfully evaluating and organizing individual customer input … to share with engineers and executives Focusing the market’s attention on a few dramatic stories … when awash with features and benefits Sensibly aligning product roadmaps with corporate strategy … knowing that some details will never fit

Thoughtfully evaluating and organizing individual customer input

… to share with engineers and executives

Focusing the market’s attention on a few dramatic stories

… when awash with features and benefits

Sensibly aligning product roadmaps with corporate strategy

… knowing that some details will never fit

More Than Stacks of Documents Great product managers provide Vision Context Consistent steering Counter-arguments Market realities

Great product managers provide

Vision

Context

Consistent steering

Counter-arguments

Market realities

Product Management is a really hard job. Not for the faint of heart.

PM Form vs. PM Substance It’s hard for outsiders to judge quality An MRD or product vision describes some future product An insightful MRD tells why some segment will pay a premium A roadmap shows some sequence of releases A strategic roadmap captures and explains hard choices A price list shows what your product will cost A clever pricing strategy makes economic sense for customers and accelerates the selling process A backlog is any list of tasks A well-prioritized backlog delivers revenue sooner Competitive analysis lists what some competitors have Smart competitive analysis exposes competitor weaknesses

It’s hard for outsiders to judge quality

An MRD or product vision describes some future product

An insightful MRD tells why some segment will pay a premium

A roadmap shows some sequence of releases

A strategic roadmap captures and explains hard choices

A price list shows what your product will cost

A clever pricing strategy makes economic sense for customers and accelerates the selling process

A backlog is any list of tasks

A well-prioritized backlog delivers revenue sooner

Competitive analysis lists what some competitors have

Smart competitive analysis exposes competitor weaknesses

Order Takers Are We Order Takers? Product plans without a vision of evolving markets Requirements without segments, personas, problems Roadmaps without hard choices Positioning without competitive intelligence Pricing without ROI, win/loss or market data PM work can crowd out thinking and research It’s easier to be an order taker Less perceptive consumers can’t tell the difference

Are We Order Takers?

Product plans without a vision of evolving markets

Requirements without segments, personas, problems

Roadmaps without hard choices

Positioning without competitive intelligence

Pricing without ROI, win/loss or market data

PM work can crowd out thinking and research

It’s easier to be an order taker

Less perceptive consumers can’t tell the difference

How Do We Highlight Value? Relentless facts about segments and customers Keep your roadmap handy Schedule regular time to brief teams on “ what ” and “ why ” Put dollars against projects/epics Look for teachable moments

Relentless facts about segments and customers

Keep your roadmap handy

Schedule regular time to brief teams on “ what ” and “ why ”

Put dollars against projects/epics

Look for teachable moments

Helping Engineering See Value Bring information to the team Problems, scenarios, segments, sales results Requirements are not magic Explain “how” and “why” and “who this is for” Information + analysis + insight > opinion Good developers want to engage “ Can’t users just grep the logfile?” “ Why are these segments different? “ I have another way to solve that problem!” Big win: someone forwards your update to all-dev@

Bring information to the team

Problems, scenarios, segments, sales results

Requirements are not magic

Explain “how” and “why” and “who this is for”

Information + analysis + insight > opinion

Good developers want to engage

“ Can’t users just grep the logfile?”

“ Why are these segments different?

“ I have another way to solve that problem!”

Big win: someone forwards your update to all-dev@

Helping Sales See Value Ship products that work Focus on a few good tools Qualification checklist Three representative case studies Well-designed ROI calculator Answer your phone when you can Always know what’s on the roadmap Find, support, love and listen to your SEs On the big deals, help without complaining Big win: allowed to talk directly with prospects

Ship products that work

Focus on a few good tools

Qualification checklist

Three representative case studies

Well-designed ROI calculator

Answer your phone when you can

Always know what’s on the roadmap

Find, support, love and listen to your SEs

On the big deals, help without complaining

Big win: allowed to talk directly with prospects

Helping Executives See Value Offer market scenarios Quote customers and competitors Quantify recommendations Always know what’s on the roadmap … that execs recently asked for Don’t dive into the details Big win: added to portfolio planning team

Offer market scenarios

Quote customers and competitors

Quantify recommendations

Always know what’s on the roadmap

… that execs recently asked for

Don’t dive into the details

Big win: added to portfolio planning team

Don’t Be Put Into a Box There’s always a theory why PM isn’t important… Agile Product Owners (must be telepathic) “ SaaS companies don’t need product management” “ Successful PMs don’t need domain expertise” “ We have a stage-gate process”

There’s always a theory why

PM isn’t important…

Agile Product Owners (must be telepathic)

“ SaaS companies don’t need product management”

“ Successful PMs don’t need domain expertise”

“ We have a stage-gate process”

Not A Solo Effort If you are a VP or Director of Product Management, this needs to be on your agenda Create forums for sharing and learning Reward substance over form Celebrate, and invite the neighbors It takes long-term effort investment to shape behavior

If you are a VP or Director of Product Management, this needs to be on your agenda

Create forums for sharing and learning

Reward substance over form

Celebrate, and invite the neighbors

It takes long-term effort investment to shape behavior

Take-Aways Product managers want to focus on their products, not their peers Internal constituents don’t understand PM or know how to judge quality Sharing what we know – and what we do – builds support for good products and good PMs You job is worth keeping

Product managers want to focus on their products, not their peers

Internal constituents don’t understand PM or know how to judge quality

Sharing what we know – and what we do – builds support for good products and good PMs

You job is worth keeping

Keeping Your Product Management Job – or – Understanding what your internal counterparts really want from you Norcal PDMA, 21 Oct 09 Rich Mironov [email_address]