In this talk, you will learn: - Product Strategy: How to choose personal/professional goals and plot a path to achieve them - Product Definition: How to hone the specific tactics you can take to build effective habits - Product Execution: How to leverage feedback and retrospective analysis to keep moving forward

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How to Product Manage Yourself by
CNET Sr Product Manager

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10. Alexander
Weingart
T O N I G H T ’ S S P E A K E R

11. AGENDA
◦ About Me
◦ Product/Life Strategy
◦ Product/Life Tactics
◦ Product/Life Execution
◦ Takeaways
HOW TO PM YOURSELF

12. ABOUT ME

13. PRODUCT MANAGER
+ TECH LOVER
◦ Career PM in Consumer
Media (Microsoft, Sosh,
CBS)
◦ Currently drive product for
native apps + personalization
◦ Love electronic music,
tennis, bridge, travel, and…
ABOUT ME

14. SELF
IMPROVEMENT!
◦ Work: Regularly improve the
product
◦ Personal Life: Have goals ->
???
◦ Can we apply product
management principles to
personal development?
ABOUT ME

15. PRODUCT/LIFE
*STRATEGY*

16. A plan to achieve your goals.
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY
WHAT IS STRATEGY?

17. 1. Determine + write your goals (SMAR…T will come
later)
2. Determine your metrics
3. Prioritize!
GOAL-SETTING: OVERVIEW
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY

18. 1. Love: Increase average app score rating to 4 stars
2. Growth: Increase DAUs by 25%
3. Video: Increase Video Plays / Session by 50%
GOAL-SETTING: PRODUCT
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY

19. 1. Sleep: Get 8 hours of sleep a night
2. Exercise: Visible 6-pack
3. Relationships: Increase from one to three friend
“circles”
GOAL-SETTING: PERSONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY

20. 1. Product Intuition: Majority of success criteria set for
projects are hit
2. Productivity: Ship more* than any other PM at the
company
3. Relationships: People ask to work with me
GOAL-SETTING: PROFESSIONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY

21. 1. List ideas to achieve goal
2. Prioritize!
3. Set timeline
ROADMAP: OVERVIEW
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY

22. ROADMAP: PRODUCT
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY
GOAL: Love
FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DECJAN
Add highly-requested
user features
(increase average app score rating to 4 stars)
Add rating prompt Reset app score
rating

23. ROADMAP: PERSONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY
GOAL: Sleep
1/8 1/15 1/22 1/29 2/5 2/12 2/19 2/26 3/5 3/12 3/191/1
In-room by 9PM
(Get 8 hours of sleep a night)
In-bed by 9:45PM Lights out by
10:30PM

24. ROADMAP: PROFESSIONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE STRATEGY
GOAL: Productivity
1/8 1/15 1/22 1/29 2/5 2/12 2/19 2/26 3/5 3/12 3/191/1
Thinking Thursdays
(Ship more* than any other PM at the company)
Work with others
Wednesdays
Ticket Tuesdays Metric Mondays

25. PRODUCT/LIFE
*TACTICS*

26. Methods to get your ideas to “take.”
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS
WHAT ARE TACTICS?

27. 1. Gamification
2. Nudges
3. Friction Adjustments
COMMON TACTICS
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

28. 1. Leverage “completionism”
2. Reinforce progress
3. Encourage competition
GAMIFICATION: OVERVIEW
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

29. ◦ Example: CNET’s Tech Today App
◦ Dot for every story read
GAMIFICATION: PRODUCT
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

30. ◦ Example: Recorded ”streaks” for sleep ideas
◦ +1 if completed; -1 if didn’t
GAMIFICATION: PERSONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

31. ◦ Example: JIRA leaderboard for resolving bugs
◦ +1 for each bug resolved, public list
GAMIFICATION: PROFESSIONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

32. ◦ Highly visible reminder to take (or not take) action
NUDGES: OVERVIEW
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

33. ◦ Example: CNET Deals Section
◦ Badge increases for every new deal
◦ “Clears” on tap
NUDGES: PRODUCT
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

34. ◦ Example: Put ”streaks” on whiteboard in the kitchen
◦ Can’t avoid seeing it
NUDGES: PERSONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

35. ◦ Example: Calendar block on Thinking Thursday
◦ Not just nudge to me, but also others
NUDGES: PROFESSIONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

36. ◦ Make it *easy* to take desired actions
◦ Make it *difficult* to take undesired actions
FRICTION ADJUSTMENT:
OVERVIEW
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

37. ◦ Example: CNET Onboarding
◦ Sign in is the “happy path”
FRICTION ADJUSTMENT:
PRODUCT
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

38. ◦ Example: Leverage App Detox to block app usage
◦ Adds friction: To use apps past 9PM, have to disable
rule in app detox
FRICTION ADJUSTMENT:
PERSONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

39. ◦ Example: Work with others Wednesdays
◦ Removes friction: Less meetings on Thursdays
FRICTION ADJUSTMENT:
PROFESSIONAL
PRODUCT/LIFE TACTICS

40. PRODUCT/LIFE
*EXECUTION*

41. Iteratively reflecting on and refining your
strategy and tactics.
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
WHAT IS
EXECUTION?

42. REFLECTION + REFINEMENT, PRODUCT:
RETROSPECTIVES
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
What went well At least one changeWhat went poorly

43. STRATEGY CHANGE
Engineering mentioned struggling to find all
requirements in various portion of the spec.
TACTIC CHANGE
Deeplink to spec in tickets
RETROSPECTIVE OUTCOMES
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
Focus development on CNET App
Noticed development + marketing efforts were
fractured, and old app continued to
outperform in all KPIs.

44. REFLECTION + REFINEMENT, PERSONAL:
5 MINUTE JOURNAL
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
Gratitude Goals Affirmation Went Well One Change

45. STRATEGY CHANGE
Turns out, removing *all* progress when a
“streak” was broken was too demoralizing.
TACTIC CHANGE
Points system adjustment
5 MINUTE JOURNAL OUTCOMES
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
Tackle digital addiction first
Trying to get to sleep was impossible until I
was able to break my addition to phone +
computer.

46. REFLECTION + REFINEMENT, PROFESSIONAL:
3P’S
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
Progress ProblemsPriorities

47. STRATEGY CHANGE
It’s awkward to ask people to move meetings
when you’re free; easier if you just schedule it
yourself.
TACTIC CHANGE
Schedule meetings myself
3P’S OUTCOMES
PRODUCT/LIFE EXECUTION
Thinking Thursday
Progress wasn’t happening; every week I’d
lay out similar priorities, but planned work
always got pushed aside for reactive work.

48. TAKEWAYS

49. TAKEAWAY #1
YOU CAN’T GET TO YOUR DESTINATION WITHOUT
A ROADMAP.
CREATE YOURSELF ONE.

50. TAKEAWAY #2
THE SAME TACTICS YOU USE TO CREATE HABITS
IN YOUR USERS WILL WORK ON YOU.
LEVERAGE THEM.

51. TAKEAWAY #3
YOU’RE GOING TO FAIL. FREQUENTLY.
REFLECTING ON FAILURES + ADJUSTING COURSE
WILL YIELD SUCCESS.

52. YOU’RE A PRODUCT, YES. BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY…
…YOU’RE THE MOST IMPORTANT
PRODUCT YOU’LL EVER WORK ON.

53. THANK
YOU
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajweingart/
https://www.ajweingart.com/

54. www.productschool.com
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