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Piotr Durlej & Michał Krajewski, ProductCamp 2022
Product decision making when
being on 🔥
What works and what doesn’t work in startups
Agenda
1. About us
2. People
3. You
4. Focus
5. Space
6. Frameworks
About us
Michał Krajewski
~10 years of building products
Head of Product @ foap.com
Piotr Durlej
~11 years of building products
Head of Product @ unveel.io
Working together on our podcast takbybylodobrze.pl
All fast-growing startups are similar
• People unsure what to do
• Crushing organizational debt
• Product strategy in making
• Real (cash
fl
ow) time pressure
• New critical challenges daily
Does it look familiar?
You
How can you make the best
possible decisions?
People
Focus on your team first
Marty Cagan, ProductCamp 2020
„We need teams of missionaries,
not teams of mercenaries”
Managing your homefront
What worked for us
• Your team feeling heard and motivated is the biggest leverage you can
get in this job
• Team is a living being, so step carefully and don’t challenge everything at
once
• Be present - start from regular 1on1s or check-ins, even if you have other
things to take care of
• As a leader with every step you are building your team culture. Thread
carefully
With team buy-in you can do this
• Re-engage your whole team in decision process, if appropriate
• Your voice is the loudest, so ask for opinion
fi
rst and answer
last
• Try to agree and commit, but if no consensus was reached -
disagree and still commit
• Agree how you will revisit a decision I or what will need to happen
to change it
What worked for us
You
What is your mental state
Aristole
„Knowing yourself is the
beginning of all wisdom”
You will be overwhelmed with past,
present and future organizational debt
And postponing a decision is
also a decision
So how do you feel?
Fighting back your cognitive overload
• Truly irreversible or black swan scenarios under your control should be
your main focus
• Aim to be fast & precise, not only one of them. It’s a balancing act
• Think in probabilities & possible scenarios, become your product
superforcaster
• This is a marathon, not a sprint. You will discover just more and more things
which will require your attention
What worked for us
Not doing anything is often the best decision, or
saying no is the best decision
It just has to be deliberate
Don’t feel ashamed
Focus
Gaining the edge to make the best decisions
Steve Jobs
„Focusing is about saying no”
And focus is the most important
manager resource in a startup
What focus means
How to maintain it
• You own* the Product Vision
• Being focused is about saying „no” to hundred good ideas
• Give yourself deadlines or critical KPIs for your assumption
• Fight back ego driven management - be aware of HIPPO (highest paid
person's opinion) and stakeholder in
fl
uence
*should
What will kill you if you ignore it
Based on our experiences
• User retention
• Team rotation
• Cash
fl
ow
Space
Be ready when it will count
Louis Pasteur, from Sequoia „Adapting to Endure” presentation May 2022
"Chance only favors the prepared
mind"
There will be urgent high-impact
decisions you will need to make on the
fly
You will need to be on the top of your
game then
How to prepare?
Besides your health and wellbeing obviously!
• Don’t allow yourself to have more than 50% calendar booked
• Master asynchronous communications,
fi
nd what works for you
• Book meetings with yourself, to not be disturbed
• If you are not sure, come back to a decision after a good nights sleep
• Fight back multitasking. Be 100% present in what you are doing
• Don’t save on your work related tools. They are your leverage
Decision making frameworks
How to make decisions under 3 minutes
Identify the enemy, if possible
Cyne
fi
n framework light® through Beaufort scale
• ☀ Beaufort 0-3 - domain is clear. Delegate and go for best (most popular)
practice.
• 🌬 Beaufort 4-6 - domain is complicated. Delegate to an expert in given
domain, ask for options, choose one which makes the most sense.
• 💨 Beaufort 7-9 - domain is complex. Reframe expectations of stakeholders,
delegate or take charge, then act, measure, learn, and repeat.
• 🌊 Beaufort 10-12 - domain is chaotic. Take charge personally, act based on
your instincts, and try to reframe decision.
When in the mess, go with WSJF’s
Weighted Shortest Job First
The only one you care
Summary
Deciding on a decision in 3 points
1. Assess the the class („domain”) of the problem
2. Assess the impact on product
3. Assess the category of the decision
Thanks!
mail@takbybylodobrze.pl

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Product decision making when being on fire

  • 1. Piotr Durlej & Michał Krajewski, ProductCamp 2022 Product decision making when being on 🔥 What works and what doesn’t work in startups
  • 2. Agenda 1. About us 2. People 3. You 4. Focus 5. Space 6. Frameworks
  • 3. About us Michał Krajewski ~10 years of building products Head of Product @ foap.com Piotr Durlej ~11 years of building products Head of Product @ unveel.io Working together on our podcast takbybylodobrze.pl
  • 4. All fast-growing startups are similar • People unsure what to do • Crushing organizational debt • Product strategy in making • Real (cash fl ow) time pressure • New critical challenges daily Does it look familiar? You
  • 5. How can you make the best possible decisions?
  • 6. People Focus on your team first
  • 7. Marty Cagan, ProductCamp 2020 „We need teams of missionaries, not teams of mercenaries”
  • 8. Managing your homefront What worked for us • Your team feeling heard and motivated is the biggest leverage you can get in this job • Team is a living being, so step carefully and don’t challenge everything at once • Be present - start from regular 1on1s or check-ins, even if you have other things to take care of • As a leader with every step you are building your team culture. Thread carefully
  • 9. With team buy-in you can do this • Re-engage your whole team in decision process, if appropriate • Your voice is the loudest, so ask for opinion fi rst and answer last • Try to agree and commit, but if no consensus was reached - disagree and still commit • Agree how you will revisit a decision I or what will need to happen to change it What worked for us
  • 10. You What is your mental state
  • 11. Aristole „Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”
  • 12. You will be overwhelmed with past, present and future organizational debt
  • 13. And postponing a decision is also a decision
  • 14. So how do you feel?
  • 15.
  • 16. Fighting back your cognitive overload • Truly irreversible or black swan scenarios under your control should be your main focus • Aim to be fast & precise, not only one of them. It’s a balancing act • Think in probabilities & possible scenarios, become your product superforcaster • This is a marathon, not a sprint. You will discover just more and more things which will require your attention What worked for us
  • 17.
  • 18. Not doing anything is often the best decision, or saying no is the best decision It just has to be deliberate Don’t feel ashamed
  • 19. Focus Gaining the edge to make the best decisions
  • 20. Steve Jobs „Focusing is about saying no”
  • 21. And focus is the most important manager resource in a startup
  • 22. What focus means How to maintain it • You own* the Product Vision • Being focused is about saying „no” to hundred good ideas • Give yourself deadlines or critical KPIs for your assumption • Fight back ego driven management - be aware of HIPPO (highest paid person's opinion) and stakeholder in fl uence *should
  • 23. What will kill you if you ignore it Based on our experiences • User retention • Team rotation • Cash fl ow
  • 24. Space Be ready when it will count
  • 25. Louis Pasteur, from Sequoia „Adapting to Endure” presentation May 2022 "Chance only favors the prepared mind"
  • 26. There will be urgent high-impact decisions you will need to make on the fly You will need to be on the top of your game then
  • 27. How to prepare? Besides your health and wellbeing obviously! • Don’t allow yourself to have more than 50% calendar booked • Master asynchronous communications, fi nd what works for you • Book meetings with yourself, to not be disturbed • If you are not sure, come back to a decision after a good nights sleep • Fight back multitasking. Be 100% present in what you are doing • Don’t save on your work related tools. They are your leverage
  • 28. Decision making frameworks How to make decisions under 3 minutes
  • 29. Identify the enemy, if possible Cyne fi n framework light® through Beaufort scale • ☀ Beaufort 0-3 - domain is clear. Delegate and go for best (most popular) practice. • 🌬 Beaufort 4-6 - domain is complicated. Delegate to an expert in given domain, ask for options, choose one which makes the most sense. • 💨 Beaufort 7-9 - domain is complex. Reframe expectations of stakeholders, delegate or take charge, then act, measure, learn, and repeat. • 🌊 Beaufort 10-12 - domain is chaotic. Take charge personally, act based on your instincts, and try to reframe decision.
  • 30. When in the mess, go with WSJF’s Weighted Shortest Job First
  • 31. The only one you care
  • 32. Summary Deciding on a decision in 3 points 1. Assess the the class („domain”) of the problem 2. Assess the impact on product 3. Assess the category of the decision