Escaping the Build Trap

@lissijean
Escaping
The Build Trap
Melissa Perri
@lissijean
Produx Labs
#mtpcon

@lissijean
KEEP CALM
AND
MANAGE THE
PRODUCT

@lissijean@lissijean@lissijean

@lissijean
EVERYTHING
YOU
EVER
WANTED!

@lissijean
DO NOT WANT
@lissijean

@lissijean
The
Build Trap
@lissijean

@lissijean
Customers Businesses
problems
wants
needs
products or services
$$$$

@lissijean
Solving big problems for
customers creates
big value for businesses.
@lissijean

@lissijean
On Wednesdays
we wear pink.
@lissijean

@lissijean
STRATEGYPROCESS CULTURE

@lissijean
Scrum tells you
how to build,
not what to build.

@lissijean
We keep adding to the backlog
and never take away.

@lissijean
What is all this shit?
@lissijean

@lissijean
Scrum
doesn’t
have a
brain.
@lissijean

@lissijean
Creating new products
is full of uncertainty.
@lissijean

@lissijean
PROCESS
To escape the Build Trap,
we need to reduce the risk
of failure in the market by
using the right processes
at the right time.

@lissijean
Start with the goal
@lissijean

@lissijean
Uncertainty
Research &
Analysis
Problem
Validation
Solution
Validation
Solution
Optimization
Product Management is about choosing the
right processes at the right time.

@lissijean
If you are uncertain
about the customer
problem…
Use Market Research
&/or Data to inform
your direction and
then talk to your
customers.
@lissijean

@lissijean
about how to solve the
problem…
Experiment to
validate that you
understand and can
solve the problem.
@lissijean

@lissijean
about what the best
solution is…
Test a few options
and then decide.
@lissijean

@lissijean
about adoption in the
market…
Build the first
version and get it
out to customers.
@lissijean

@lissijean
Uncertainty decreases
every step of the way.
0
25
50
75
100
Analysis Problem Validation Solution Validation Solution Optmization

@lissijean
Ingredients and
recipes shipped
to your door.
@lissijean

@lissijean
“The price is too high,
we should lower it.”
“The photos are not enticing.”
“We need to rebrand the sign
up funnel to the new design.”
“We should be offering
sign up gifts.”
“They cannot try it for free!”

@lissijean
Increase
conversion rate
by X%

@lissijean
Obstacle:
We don’t understand why
people are leaving.
@lissijean

@lissijean
Learned:
The top reasons people are leaving.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Reason
Can't Find Menu What's in the box? The price is too high I want more plan options I am vegan

@lissijean
FAQS HELPFDS
@lissijean

@lissijean
Product Managers choose
the right processes for the
right situations.

@lissijean
Teams are all in
motion but not
going anywhere.
@lissijean

@lissijean
STRATEGY
To escape the Build Trap,
drive high alignment through
a good strategy framework.

@lissijean
STRATEGY
“Strategy is a deployable decision making framework, enabling
action to achieve desired outcomes, constrained by current
capabilities, coherently aligned to the existing context”
- Stephen Bungay
@lissijean

@lissijean
ALIGNMENT
@lissijean

@lissijean
Defines the company’s business,
it’s objectives, and how it plans
to reach those objectives.
MISSION STATEMENT

@lissijean
VISION STATEMENT
A defined direction for the
company or product on what
it wants to become long term.

@lissijean
“To be Earth’s most customer-centric
company, where customers can find and
discover anything they might want to
buy online.”
VISION

@lissijean
“We strive to offer our customers the
lowest possible prices, the best available
selection, and the utmost convenience.”
MISSION

@lissijean
Echo
Makes it easier
to buy things
you never
meant to.
@lissijean

@lissijean
“Be stubborn on vision,
flexible on details.”
-Jeff Bezos
@lissijean

@lissijean
Feature
Product
Business Line
Corporate How
What &
Why
How
How
What &
Why
What &
Why
What &
Why

@lissijean
Product leaders help provide
clear direction and vision for
their teams to be effective.
@lissijean

@lissijean
“Delight customers through hard
to copy, margin-enhancing ways.
Optimize retention and cost.”
-VP of Product 2005 - 2010, Gibson Biddle

@lissijean
PERSONALIZATION
We want to make discovering and ordering an
appealing DVD easier and faster for users through
personalization. We know that we retain users at a
higher rate the faster they order their next DVD and
enjoy it. At the moment, we have no way of
knowing what content users have enjoyed or not,
so we cannot recommend the right movies to them.

@lissijean
PERSONALIZATION
higher rate the faster they order their next DVD
and enjoy it. At the moment, we have no way of
so we cannot recommend the right movies to them.

@lissijean
PERSONALIZATION
higher rate the faster they order their next DVD and
enjoy it. At the moment, we have no way of
so we cannot recommend the right things to them.

@lissijean
Fear legal and
compliance when
experimenting.

@lissijean
Not allowed to
contact
customers.

@lissijean
Too busy to try
something new.

@lissijean
CULTURE
To escape the Build Trap, create
a customer-centric organization
that rewards learning and
reaching outcomes.

@lissijean
We all need
to be able
to fail
sometimes.
@lissijean

@lissijean
WHAT DO YOU MEAN
THIS WASN’T
VALIDATED?
@lissijean

@lissijean
“The greatest
successes come
from having the
freedom to fail.”
-Mark Zuckerberg
@lissijean

@lissijean
We need space and
time to learn and
reduce uncertainty.
@lissijean

@lissijean
“Our highest priority is to
satisfy the customer through
early and continuous delivery 
of valuable software.”“

@lissijean
What can
Product
Managers do?
@lissijean

@lissijean
PROCESS
Use the right processes at the
right time, and communicate
why with the rest of the
company.

@lissijean
STRATEGY
Create a strategy for your part
of the product, and work with
your manager to set goals.

@lissijean
CULTURE
Talk about what you’ve learned
as often as what you’ve built.

@lissijean
Melissa Perri
melissa@produxlabs.co
m
produxlabs.com
melissaperri.com
@lissijean
Learn great
Product Management
online. Take 15% off with
MTPCON.
productinstitute.com
Coming
Late 2017!
Melissa Perri
melissa@produxlabs.com
melissaperri.com
produxlabs.com
twitter: @lissijean

Escaping the Build Trap

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