Main takeaways: -Self-management is more critical than ever. "On/Off Time Balance" is more important than "Work/Life Balance." Prioritize YOUR TIME, not just your products. -Learn to be OK with not being a visionary. Remote PM is about patience, execution, and helping the visionaries grow their visions by choosing when/how to engage. We should celebrate the PMs that grow the curve as much as the ones who originated the idea. We don't have the luxury of winning over the room and building that kind of emotional momentum. Make the most of your work trips and face the time when you have it to lay seeds of your vision. -Passive emotional Intelligence and understanding what motivates your team can navigate strategy better than data (but certainly keep data in the story), particularly on zoom calls from afar

1. www.productschool.com
PM from Home by eBay Head of PM
Strategy & Operations

2. CERTIFICATES
Your Product Management Certificate Path
Product Leadership
Certificate™
Full Stack Product
Management Certificate™
Product Management
Certificate™
20 HOURS
40 HOURS
40 HOURS

3. Corporate
Training
Level up your team’s Product
Management skills

4. Free Product Management Resources
BOOKS
EVENTS
JOB PORTAL
COMMUNITIES
bit.ly/product_resources
COURSES

5. Product
Management
@Home
Evan P. Thomas
Senior Manager, Product Management
ebay Head of Buyer Experience Strategy & Operation (“COO”)

6. Product
Leads
Product
Managers
Product VP

7. Agenda Today:
● Problems facing Remote Product Management
● Helpful Unlocks (could any work for you?)
➢ Strategy
It’s Okay to Not be a “Visionary”
➢ Execution
Time Prioritization is just as important as Customer
Prioritization
➢ Leadership
Navigating Human Connection and Motivations

8. Problems facing
PM @Home

9. Technology
Needs
Legal
Needs
Regional
Needs
Customer
Needs
Strategy/
Business
Needs
Product
Manager

10. P
l
a
t
f
o
r
m
S
c
a
l
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
Task
1
Task 2
Prioritizing
Grooming
N
e
w
C
a
p
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
M
a
r
k
e
t
A
n
a
l
y
s
i
s
Customer Problems
B
r
o
k
e
n
T
r
a
c
k
i
n
g
S
ca
la
b
ili
ty
&
A
rc
h
it
e
ct
u
ra
l
R
e
q
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ir
e
m
e
n
ts
C
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r
P
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n
P
o
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t
S
c
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a
b
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l
i
t
y
N
e
e
d
s
New
Features
C
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t
o
m
e
r
C
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p
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P
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o
l
U
p
g
r
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Production
B
ug
N
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w
P
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o
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o
g
y
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q
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e
m
e
n
t
s
N
e
w
C
a
p
a
b
il
it
ie
s
Specific
Technical
Requirements

11. It’s okay not to be a
“visionary”

12. Task
1
Task 2
D
a
ta
In
d
ic
a
ti
n
g
C
u
st
o
m
e
r
P
ro
b
le
m
s
C
u
s
t
o
m
e
r
C
o
m
p
l
a
i
n
t
I
m
p
r
o
v
e
m
e
n
t
s
N
e
w
O
p
p
o
r
t
u
n
i
t
ie
s
Problem solving
customer needs
Market
assessments
Define success
for winners
Revenue
modeling
Selecting
winners
Empathizing with
customer needs
Estimating potential
impact
(from all sources)
Translating winners
into product lifecycle
requirements
Driving program
execution
Interpret behavioral
data into future
learnings
Evangelizing
potential solutions
Gauging
success
Resource allocation
balancing

13. Problem solving
customer needs
Market
assessments
Define success
for winners
Revenue
modeling
Selecting
winners
Empathizing with
customer needs
Estimating potential
impact
(from all sources)
Translating winners
into product lifecycle
requirements
Driving program
execution
Interpret behavioral
data into future
learnings
Evangelizing
potential solutions
Gauging
success
Resource allocation
balancing
“Visionary skills”
that benefit from
collaboration and
storytelling in-the-room

14. Problem solving
customer needs
Market
assessments
Define success
for winners
Revenue
modeling
Selecting
winners
Empathizing with
customer needs
Estimating potential
impact
(from all sources)
Translating winners
into product lifecycle
requirements
Driving program
execution
Interpret behavioral
data into future
learnings
Evangelizing
potential solutions
Gauging
success
Resource allocation
balancing
“Incubation skills”
that benefit from deep,
in-depth desk time, then
sharing with one another

15. Time prioritization
Is almost as important as
customer prioritization

16. It’s nice to be
needed! But it can
be time consuming.
“Visionary” skills and
“Incubation” skills
both require
collaboration.
Your sprint team
relies on your
deliverables, and
your energy.

17. Avg. PM
Work Day
9:00 Meet with Europe
9:30 Sprint Standup
10:00
10:30 Manager 1-to-1
11:00
11:30
Strategy Session with PM
Team
12:00
12:30 Design Review
1:00 Analytics Readout
1:30
Market Discovery
2:00
2:30
3:00 Legal Meeting
3:30 Marketing Campaigns
4:00
4:30 Backlog Grooming
“ON” vs. “OFF”
Time
9:00 Meet with Europe
9:30 Sprint Standup
10:00 Manager 1-to-1
10:30 Design Review
11:00
“Off Time”
11:30
12:00
12:30
1:00
Market Discovery
1:30
2:00
Strategy Session with the PM
Team
2:30
3:00
“Off Time”
3:30
4:00
4:30
Estimation model for
several features while
listening to Spotify
Talk with some
customers on Reddit, and
walk the dogs

18. Risks to look out for!
Missing out on
critical decisions or
exposure.
Keep yourself
productive during
“off” time.
How you engage
during your limited
“on” windows.
1 2 3

19. Navigate teammate
human connection and
motivation

20. Create meeting time just to get to know people. Listen to their
successes, joys, and struggles. Not every meeting must be a decision.
Rely a bit more on words and thoughtful responses than on body
language and reactions.
Develop skills and tools to help with asynchronous collaboration.
Collaboration styles are some of the best ways to understand what
motivates your teammates.
Make the most of your work trips. Every work trip’s primary outcome
should be to develop a closer connection, and whatever the other
“actual” reason for travel is the secondary outcome.

21. Thanks!
epthomas@ebay.com

22. www.productschool.com
Part-time Product Management Training Courses
and
Corporate Training