Presentation by Allan Neil at Product Camp Ottawa November 21st, 2015 in Ottawa, Canada.

1. Allan Neil
Product Camp Ottawa 2015

2. • Allan Neil, 20 years in technology product
management
• Pragmatic Marketing class of 1997 (San Francisco)
• Volunteer Leader of Toronto Product
Management Association from 2004-2015
• President 2014/2015
• Currently contributing to the community in a
different way….PODCASTING
• www.readyproductradio.com
• Like one of my favorite childhood comic characters –
Sgt. Rock……
• Grizzled old veteran planning to fight on the product
management field forever
• Contact Info - @allanneil onTwitter,
ca.linkedin.com/in/allanneil on LinkedIn
About your presenter

3. • Thank you to the whole Ottawa team for a great day of networking
and sharing and learning
• We have had 8 product camps so far in Toronto
• I know how much work it is to organize and run these events
• Thanks to all the organizers (APPLAUSE for the organizers)
• And if any out there is interested in VOLUNTEERING for the OPMA
please reach out to the team Andrew or Mike or others…..the
lifeblood of these organizations is a steady stream of
committed/dedicated volunteers
• Let’s make this session fun and interactive – jump right in if you
have a question or a counter-point to make!
• HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE?
Housekeeping Notes

4. “The Product Manager is the
CEO OFTHE PRODUCT”
1997 Pragmatic MarketingTraining

5. “The Product Owner is the CEO
OFTHE PRODUCT”
2015 Podcast “Agile for Humans”

6. Who REALLY owns the product?
So………..

7. Does it really matter?
And…..

8. Define
“Personas”
to help understand the needs of
the customer
1997 Pragmatic MarketingTraining

9. Define
“Jobs to be Done”
to help understand the needs of
the customer
2015 Outcome Driven Innovation

10. 1997 Product Manager
“Jobs to be Done”

11. 2015 Product Owner
“Jobs to be Done”

12. Seems like the same mandate to me!?
A cage match?
Two roles enter, one role leaves?
Hmmmmm…..

13. Is it a Perfect Match?
A Dynamic Duo?
Or…..

14. Biggest Complaint of Product
Managers:
“Not enough time for strategic
activities. Too many tactical
distractions”
1997 Pragmatic MarketingTraining

15. • Pragmatic Marketing Survey
• “Need more resources to deal with day-to-day tactical activities”
• 280 Group
• 57.4% said Product Managers too tactically focused , not strategic enough
• (of those usingAgile 69.9% say Product Manager and Product Owner
same person)
• 56% say too much focus on Dev+QA and not enough on other stages
(Conceive, Launch, Maximize, Retire)
• PMA.LA (Las Angeles Product Management Association)
• ActualTime Allocation – 64%Tactical, 34% Strategic
• IdealTime Allocation – 50%, 50%
2015 Biggest Complaint of
Product Managers

16. It’s not a matter of ROLES or
METHODOLOGIES but of
FOCUS!?
Maybe……..

17. Craig Stull (President of Pragmatic)
• (yes he was a trainer himself in 1997)
• “You have to get out of the office”
• “You can’t understand the customer inside
the four walls of your office”
• “The answers are OUTTHERE”
1997 Pragmatic MarketingTraining

18. Interviewer (me):
• “If you could go back 20 years and give some
Product Management advice to your younger
self what would it be?”
Kim Phelan:
• (without a second’s pause) “Get out of the office
more!”
2015 Interview with Kim Phelan,
VP Product at ClearFit

19. Same as the old voice of the customer (Product Manager)?
Meet the New “Voice of the Customer”
(Product Owner)

20. Is Agile killing the Product Manager?
Are Product Managers Killing Themselves?
Are Product Managers Disempowering Themselves?
Do we all have SCADD?!?
Maybe we need to reframe the
question?

21. A debilitating disease crippling 70% of all Product Managers
Strategy &
Customer
Attention
Deficit
Disorder
SCADD

22. SCADD!!!!
Product Managers & Product Owners
Unite Against Our REAL Enemy!

23. QUESTIONS?
allan@allanneil.com
@allanneil