Presented at IIMB stage for ISPMA SPM Summit 2021 in March 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic not just brought the health and economic crisis but also opportunities to disrupt businesses. It was just then the yearly budgets, visions, roadmaps, pipelines finalized but with the situation, it all went for a toss. Many businesses turned out to be fragile instead of agile! With the world changing upside down, while I worked at an early stage setup took no time to rescue from the situation. With so much uncertainty around, it was not easy but took quick decisions and did the right things that mattered to business continuity. In the process learned a lot about customers, products, emerging needs, and what could be done to create a faster time to value, renewing the vision for existing products and pivots. Remember, the pandemic is not yet over! We are still at the early stages of the vaccine distribution process, seeing some good signs of recovery. I will talk about my learning and what matters the most in times of crisis from a business and product management standpoint.

1. PRODUCT
LEADERSHIP
LESSONS FROM
SURVIVING 2020
Harvinder Singh Narula
Disclaimer - The opinions, views expressed in this presentation and on the
following slides are solely those of the presenter and not necessarily those
of current and former employers of presenter.
Presentation intended for educational purpose only and not for profit use.

2. COVID19 - Business not as usual
Impacted
Company Initiatives on-
hold
Frozen budgets
Declined revenues
Shifting market
landscape
Challenged
Customer Retention
Adapting product
strategy
New product Launch
Keeping team aligned
and collaborating
effectively (remotely)
Mike Tyson

3. Roadmap: Fixed Scope/Timeline, Forget it?
Adaptation is key to
business survival
Market
Product

4. Product Strategy, pulse check?
Zoom Video Communications stock with Covid19 timeline
Product
Strategy
What’s the
Financial
status?
Are value
proposition
positioning,
pricing,
roadmap still
valid?
Do you need
to Adapt the
product to
new
environment?
Does Vision
need to be
relooked at?
Pivot?

5. Focus on the right thing?
•Successful
features !=
Number of
features
Do More
with Less
•Items to
Cut
•Low
Value
Products
•Strategic
•Quick
Wins
Low
Hanging
Fruit
Big Bets
Not
Worth
the Effort
Maybes
Value/
Benefit
Cost/Effort
Low
High
High

6. Fast & Flexible, are you?
Take new
opportunities
Adaptable
Flexible

7. Empathy, Compassion & Communication
Communicate updates, news to
your customers, reassure them
Make proposals, ask customers
their needs and how you can
help
Listen to customer concerns
with open-door policy

8. Create, Invent, Reinvent?
From cleaning to
sanitizing
Cosmetics
company produced
hand sanitizers
Fashion companies
manufactured
stylish facemasks
Industrial 3D printers
used to
manufacture test
strips, face shields
and ventilators
Airlines started
“Flight to nowhere”
(takeoff & landing
airport being same)
Image Credit - Karthi Subbaraman

9. Reinvent yourself. Be creative!
Brewdog Online Bar
Thai Airline HQ Canteen to plane
theme restaurant
Decathlon’s snorkeling mask ad-
hoc adapted to be a ventilator

10. Crisis = Opportunity
Retrospect
together
with team
How did
we do?
What
did we
do well?
What
did we
not
handle
well?
Build products
more robust
and stronger
Build a resilient
process and
team for such
future
uncertainty

11. QUICK REACTION TIME
FLEXIBILITY TO ADAPT
BALANCED PORTFOLIO
SPEED TO DELIVER VALUE
COMMUNICATE
BE CREATIVE
Learnings

12. Thank You
HARVINDER SINGH
NARULA
HTTPS://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/
IN/HARVINDERSINGHNARULA