Slides Jordan Bergtraum recently used in his discussion w/ mentees of The Product Mentor. Synopsis: A successful Product Manager needs to be good at knowing which activities NOT to take on just as much as which activities they should. The PM role is broad enough to drown a whale, don't add more dead weight to your already difficult job and sink. You will learn 5 activities that you are likely doing on a weekly basis that you should STOP doing immediately. The Product Mentor is a program designed to pair Product Mentors and Mentees from around the World, across all industries, from start-up to enterprise, guided by the fundamental goals…Better Decisions. Better Products. Better Product People. Throughout the program, each mentor leads a conversation in an area of their expertise that is live streamed and available to both mentee and the broader product community. http://TheProductMentor.com

1. 5 Things Product Managers
Should Stop Doing
Jordan Bergtraum
Product Management Consultant
March, 2018

2. 10+ years of B2B SaaS experience7 years leading Product Management teamsEducation, Pharma, Legal, and Facilities ManagementTwice introduced Product Management to an organizationOwned market research, product marketing, product
design, product delivery
Who is Jordan Bergtraum?

3. What to expect from this presentation?
Why should you give up some activities?
Which activities to give up (or reduce)
Challenges
Why this is a win

4. Reality check!
Be a “team player” not a “people pleaser”Don’t ignore your prioritiesThe smaller the company the bigger the challengeIt’s a zero-sum gameDon’t expect to give up all 5, all the time

5. Why do I need to stop some activities?
Product Management is broad
No mortal can tackle all these activitiesMarket Research, Product Ideation, Prioritization, Design,
Requirements, Engineering Support, QA, Project Management,
Customer Support, Product Training, Demos, Messaging, Release
Management… You get the point!
Great PMs focus on key priorities
Customer acquisition
Upsell / Cross sell
Retention
Company growth
Great PMs ALSO know what is NOT a priority

6. Give up…
i.e. What does configuration option X do?
# 1
product support
i.e. How does feature Y work?

7. #1: Give up product support
There are other ways to obtain product support
Don’t do their job for them
Ignore the first inquires… unless it’s someone “senior”
Respond to follow-up inquiries
Get cover from your leadership

8. Give up…
i.e. Can you train client X on the new version?
# 2
product training

9. 2#: Give up product training
Let other people train
PMs train the trainers
Exceptions for A-list clients
Training / Knowledge Development
Client Success
ImplementationDon’t dump work on them… EMPOWER them
(Slippery slope)

10. Give up…
i.e. Can you demo the product for prospect X?
# 3
product demos

11. #3: Give up product demos
Let other folks demo.
PMs train the demo-ers
Exceptions for large/key opportunities
Sales
Presales / Business consultants
Client successDon’t dump work on them… EMPOWER them
(Slippery slope)
Who?

12. Give up…
# 4
project management
When is the release date for X?How would adding an engineer impact deliver timelines?How is QA progressing?

13. #4: Give up project management
Project management is time consuming
Project management will take priority
Lean on engineering leadership

14. Give up…
Are you serious?!
# 5
roadmaps
I Sure Am.i.e. X releases & features to release over the next 3 years
Ridiculous!!!
# 5
“traditional”

15. #5: Give up “traditional” roadmaps
Who do your roadmaps benefit?
Roadmaps help maintain discipline
Use “Research roadmaps” externally
Encourage other teams to use “Research
Roadmaps”
Engineering. How?
Sales. How?
Customers. How?
Marketing. How?What is THAT?
Sales. Marketing. Client Success. Leadership.

16. Summary
You can’t do it all at a “Rock Star” level
Rock Star PMs prioritize… Rock Star PMs limit…
Don’t expect to prevent all 5…
Product support
Product training
Product demos
Project management
Roadmaps
Customer acquisition
Upsell / Cross sell
Retention
Company growth

17. Questions?
Jordan Bergtraum
Product Management Consultant
March, 2018
Thank You!