As an Engineer Sarika used to jump to the question - How ? How do I solve this problem ? But as a Product Manager she had to change her perspective. Sarika added many more questions before coming to how. The general checklist she follows is : -What is the problem? -What is the severity of impact? -What are our short term and long term options? -Communication : Internal vs External?

1. The Product Perspective on Problem Solving
by former Visa PM
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7. Sarika Kanabar
TONIGHT’S SPEAKER

8. Problem Solving
A Product Perspective
by
Sarika Kanabar, Sr PM @ First Tech Fed

9. About me
Sr Product Manager
Online & Mobile Banking
Product Manager
Connected Cars
Technical Product Manager
Mobile Banking Platform
Sr Software Engineer
POS solution
Lead Java Developer
Hockey night in Canada

10. Agenda
1. The Role
2. PM vs Dev toolkit
3. The Communication Chain
4. Type of problems
5. Current product
6. New Development
7. Strategy and Roadmap
8. Key takeaways

11. Product Manager : Role
A product manager role is defined in different
ways in various organizations.
In general, it is an interdisciplinary role. The
product manager represents the voice of the
customer and is responsible to define the
WHAT and make sure it gets done.
Key factors to product management success
1. Building relationships
2. Data driven thinking
3. Clear and customized communication

12. PM vs Dev Toolkit
PM Tools Developer Tools
Customer Empathy Algorithms
Data Insights Databases
Relationships Configurations
Communication Code
Strategy Deployments

13. The Communication Chain
Executives
Customers
Design
EA
Dev & QA
Vendors
Marketing
Legal
Support
Product
Manager

14. Type of Problems
A product manager can be presented with any of the 3 types of problems
1. Immediate need
Current product : Issues with existing production features
1. Short term
New Development with near term go-live commitment
3. Long term
Growth Strategy and Roadmap

15. Problem 1 : Current product
1. Ascertain the customer impact
a. How many?
b. Analyze the data for patterns.
2. Assess the organization impact
a. Is this issue a legal or compliance risk?
b. What are our losses due to this issue?
3. Define the problem statement
a. Actively listen to how the customer describes the problem.
b. Actively listen to how the support staff describes it.
c. Understand, process and build your own problem statement. Socialize, but not yet!
4. Investigate solution options
a. Immediate
b. Short-term
c. Long-term
5. Activate “The Communication Chain”
a. Treat your internal stakeholders as your customer
b. Customize your communication so it is relevant to them and help them help you.

16. The Communication Chain : Customer issue
Executives
Customers
Design
EA
Dev & QA
Vendors
Marketing
Legal
Support
Product
Manager
Phase 1
Phase 2

17. Problem 2 : New Product development
Product
Discovery
● Gather
requirements
● Write stories
● Prototype +
User testing
Backlog
Prioritization
● Value to the
customer
● Align to business
objectives
Product Vision
● MVP
● Roadmap
● Product Goals
● KPIs
Present to
Delivery Team
● Estimation
● Reprioritization
Roadmap
● Socialize
● Sign off

18. The Communication Chain : New Product Development
Executives
Customers
Design
EA
Dev & QA
Vendors
Marketing
Legal
Support
Phase 1
Phase 2
Product
Manager

19. Problem 3 : Strategy and Roadmap
1. Research industry trends
a. What are the predictions for your industry?
b. What is relevant for your customer base?
2. Align to organizational goals
a. Will the organization benefit through this strategy?
b. Which LOBs can benefit?
3. Perform financial analysis
a. Build / Buy / Partner decision
b. What will be initial investment and resources required?
c. What will be the ROI and how soon?
4. Define success & test
a. Test with PoC
b. Define and track KPIs
5. Share your dream!
a. Create a Vision, Mission, Strategy for your idea.
b. Evangelize and get buy-in to take your vision to execution.

20. The Communication Chain : Strategy and Roadmap
Executives
Customers
Design
EA
Dev & QA
Vendors
Marketing
Legal
Support
Phase 1
Phase 2
Product
Manager
Phase 3

21. Key Takeaways
● Know your customer
● Keep an eye on the data
● Collaborate
● Focus on clear and custom communication
● Let the Vision, Strategy and Roadmap be your North Star

22. Thank You !

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