The document outlines the 'Radical Product Thinking' methodology, which emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision and strategy in product management to avoid common pitfalls like 'product diseases.' It introduces key concepts such as prioritization, execution, and cultural considerations while advocating for a balance between speed and direction in achieving product goals. The masterclass aims to equip participants with essential skills to navigate product development and foster strategic roles within their organizations.

1. Radical Product Thinking:
Productized Masterclass
@RadhikaDutt

2. Our agenda today
1. What skills we’re going to build today and why that’s important
2. Vision introduction and exercises
3. Prioritization and exercises
4. Next steps

3. Lean and Agile help help you innovate
faster - they give you a fast car.

4. Today, our approach to product
management relies heavily on iteration.
“We don’t have the right designer on the team, so that’ll just
mean a few more iterations… but eventually we’ll get there.”

5. We continue to optimize our fast car (get
better at Agile, increase sprint velocity…)

6. In the future, most people will have a fast
car (the ability to iterate fast).

7. But what use is a fast car when you can’t
tell where you’re going?

8. Our ability to set the destination (vision
and strategy) hasn’t kept pace.

9. “Product diseases” are still
very common.

10. Time for a checkup ?

11. Hypermetricemia
Obsession with metrics
and analytics
Incremental product
improvement, stuck in
local maxima
“MEASURE EVERYTHING! TEST EVERYTHING!”

12. Strategic Swelling
Product tries to do too
much for too many users
Unfocused efforts, weak
value proposition
“These eighteen features are table stakes for the industry.
We’ll decide how to differentiate after these get built.”

13. Locked-In Syndrome
Commitment to a
technology platform rather
than a problem space
“Our VCs funded an AI company — we can’t just use a simple
lookup table to recommend products!”
Reduces flexibility in
solving customer needs

14. These diseases make good products go
bad when we’re missing a clear
product vision and strategy.

15. Your differentiator will be navigating and
bringing the team with you on the journey

16. ...Speed
..are important feedback-driven execution
methodologies that give us...
Lean Agile
and

17. Speed, by itself, can look like this...

18. Speed + Direction = Velocity
Before launching into execution,
we must define the direction of our speed
+ =

19. Skills that will be table-stakes in the future:
● Ability to A/B test
● Optimize to increase metrics
● Ability to use Lean and Agile

20. What will differentiate you is the ability to:
● Communicate a clear vision and strategy
● Build world-changing products (not
optimizations).

21. My goal is to help you spread your influence
and take on a more strategic role in your
organization.

22. What is RADICAL PRODUCT THINKING ?

23. It’s a methodology for building
successful products that create the change
you want to see in the world.
...it’s a step-by-step, practical approach that lets you
iterate less and achieve more.

24. Vision
What’s the end-state
you want to create?
Strategy
How will you
create that?
Execution &
measurement
How will you measure
and adapt?
Prioritization
In what order will
you deliver it?
Culture
What culture do
you need in place?
You can systematically engineer your change:
...and communicate your rationale across
your team and within your organization

25. VISION
Define your

27. “To be the go-to platform for wine education
and purchasing.”

28. “To be the go-to platform for wine education
and purchasing.”
NOT A GOOD VISION

29. “To make buying and learning about wine less intimidating
and more enjoyable for people who want to drink good
wine but don’t have the time to become experts.”
MUCH BETTER!

30. What is a “good” vision ?
Hint: it’s not about you

31. Your Vision should articulate...
● Whose world are you changing?
● What does their world look like today?
● Why does their world need changing?
● How are you going to change it for them?
… the Who, What, Why, and How

32. Use the Radical Vision Worksheet to iterate
on your vision until you’re happy with it
Today, when
identified group
want to
desirable outcome
,
they have to
current activity/solution(s)
. This is unacceptable, because
shortcomings of current solution
. We envision a world where
shortcomings are resolved
.
We’re bringing this world about through
broad technology/approach
.

33. We’ll work on the following Mural link:
Exercise: Vision

34. Prioritization
Craft your rubric for

35. Vision gives you power.
But prioritization is where your vision
meets the ground…

37. Prioritization means balancing
progress towards the vision
against the reality of survival.

38. Prioritization the
Radical Product Thinking way:
1. Vision (envision the world you want to create)
2. Survival (acknowledge the need for survival)
3. Share your rationale for prioritization

39. Step 1:
Craft a vision for the change
you want to see...

40. Step 2:
Acknowledging the dark side...

41. Light. Darkness. A balance.

42. Personnel Risk Stakeholder Risk
Technology &
Ops Risk
Legal &
Regulatory Risk
Financial Risk
What could kill your product tomorrow?

43. Survival Statement
Currently, the greatest risk to
our product’s existence is that
greatest risk
If this happens, we won’t
be able to continue
operating because
consequence(s) of risk
This risk will most likely
come true if
factors that increase/amplify risk
Some factors that could
help us mitigate the risk are
factors that decrease/mitigate risk

44. 1. Identify existential threats
2. Craft your Survival Statement based on your single biggest
existential threat today
Exercise: Survival Risk (5 min)

45. GOOD VISION FIT
POOR VISION FIT
WORSENS
SURVIVAL
IMPROVES
SURVIVAL
INVESTING
IN THE VISION
IDEAL
DANGER!
BUILDING
VISION DEBT
Prioritization: Balancing Vision Fit vs. Survival Risk

46. 1. Prioritize features or opportunities relevant to your product
2. Share your rationale for why you placed items in a particular
quadrant
Exercise: Prioritization

47. How do we plug this in
to what we’re doing today?

48. Lean and Agile help you execute,
learn and iterate under uncertainty
Radical Product Thinking + Lean and Agile
Vision Strategy Execution
Radical Product helps you define and communicate
what you’re building and why

49. Vision
What’s the end-state
you want to create?
Strategy
How will you
create that?
Execution &
measurement
How will you measure
and adapt?
Prioritization
In what order will
you deliver it?
Culture
What culture do
you need in place?
You can systematically engineer your change:
...and communicate your rationale across
your team and within your organization

50. Want to learn more?
● Pre-order book: Launches on September 28
● Get the free toolkit from www.radicalproduct.com:
○ Create a powerful Vision
○ Craft and communicate your RDCL Strategy
○ Shake up how you do your Prioritization
○ Develop your Execution and Measurement model
● Blog: Accessible from www.radicalproduct.com

51. Questions?
www.radicalproduct.com
@RadhikaDutt