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PM 101, a thread for anyone who& #39;s curious about Product Management
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I recently came across a post on Twitter where a person was curious to learn more about Product Management: a dummies guide as he put it
So I thought Iâd create it. Here goes:
What is Product Management?
1/n
I recently came across a post on Twitter where a person was curious to learn more about Product Management: a dummies guide as he put it
So I thought Iâd create it. Here goes:
What is Product Management?
1/n
Having the ability to ship a product without knowing either code or design is to me the best definition of product management.
Eg. You want to create a website for your shop/business which was offline and is now moving online.
You need developers and you may need a designer.
2/n
Eg. You want to create a website for your shop/business which was offline and is now moving online.
You need developers and you may need a designer.
2/n
Now if the team is small (2-3 ppl) itâs easy to co-ordinate and decide what has to be built.
Aka: most of the things are informal and âcasuallyâ agreed
Decisions like: what hosting site to use? what payment aggregator to use? Which Wordpress Plugin to use
3/n
Aka: most of the things are informal and âcasuallyâ agreed
Decisions like: what hosting site to use? what payment aggregator to use? Which Wordpress Plugin to use
3/n
get agreed easily in largely informal conversations.
Likewise while actually building: things get shipped based on loose timelines. Issues get sorted when fires come along.
In effect there are no guiding rules or agreements and things happen.
4/n
Likewise while actually building: things get shipped based on loose timelines. Issues get sorted when fires come along.
In effect there are no guiding rules or agreements and things happen.
4/n
The problem starts when you now need to add more things to this simple website:
Someone wants to show more images, someone wants a chatbot, someone wants user dashboards
Now, each of these tasks take time to build (design and code; not even talking about testing right now).
5/n
Someone wants to show more images, someone wants a chatbot, someone wants user dashboards
Now, each of these tasks take time to build (design and code; not even talking about testing right now).
5/n
And the resources (man hours) are limited
Basically you can only create so much
So what you now need is *Prioritisation*: Someone to decide and get everyone to agree on which task to do 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on
6/n
Basically you can only create so much
So what you now need is *Prioritisation*: Someone to decide and get everyone to agree on which task to do 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on
6/n
Not only that, someone also needs to define what *Exactly* needs to be built
For eg: When you say chatbot: what exactly should it look like? what should be the feature set? where do we show it? when do we show it? how do we show it? to whom do we show it?
7/n
For eg: When you say chatbot: what exactly should it look like? what should be the feature set? where do we show it? when do we show it? how do we show it? to whom do we show it?
7/n
And, assuming you get a plug and play tool, what do we do with the questions that get asked by users? When do we decide to send questions to our support team?
So many questions!
Left to developers, each question would have its unique answer and a unique interpretation.
8/n
So many questions!
Left to developers, each question would have its unique answer and a unique interpretation.
8/n
And so you need someone to create a document or note on exactly what you will build. Basically a *product note* or a product requirement document (PRD)
9/n
9/n
Taking a pause now, will add more
Ok, back again, small Recap:
So this âsomeoneâ is our very own Product Manager: at a very minimum she decides what exactly gets built and in which order/priority
She creates a small note called the PRD, letâs just call it a Product Note.
10/n
So this âsomeoneâ is our very own Product Manager: at a very minimum she decides what exactly gets built and in which order/priority
She creates a small note called the PRD, letâs just call it a Product Note.
10/n
What all goes into this note? Well, answers to some simple questions like:
Why are we building this? What is the problem we are solving? How are we going to solve this problem? What are the small steps (increments) that we need to take to build this?
11/n
Why are we building this? What is the problem we are solving? How are we going to solve this problem? What are the small steps (increments) that we need to take to build this?
11/n
How will it look (mockup/wireframe)? WhatâŠ
The more questions you can answer, the better. But here is the best part about a PM: You CANT answer all the questions
Why? Firstly, you may not know all the answers. More importantly though, you might end up overwhelming
12/n
The more questions you can answer, the better. But here is the best part about a PM: You CANT answer all the questions
Why? Firstly, you may not know all the answers. More importantly though, you might end up overwhelming
12/n
your team of devs and designers.
So what you need is a fine balance, enough information that there is no confusion; while at the same time, not too much info that they feel they are working on a NASA project. Keeping things simple helps.
13/n
So what you need is a fine balance, enough information that there is no confusion; while at the same time, not too much info that they feel they are working on a NASA project. Keeping things simple helps.
13/n
Remember, you are trying to establish a common protocol between totally diverse sets of people: developers, designers (and maybe even management)
Great! Now you have a Product Note for your feature!
But how do you prioritise?
14/n
Great! Now you have a Product Note for your feature!
But how do you prioritise?
14/n
Normally, people use frameworks, tools (lots of theory available on this, a simple google look up will help)
But Iâd suggest for someone just starting out focus on two things: The effort needed (time) and the return on the effort (either monetary, or a defined parameter)
15/n
But Iâd suggest for someone just starting out focus on two things: The effort needed (time) and the return on the effort (either monetary, or a defined parameter)
15/n
The first part is easy: honestly itâs not the PMâs role to tell this, the devs & the designer will > basically how much time would they need to create X
And this is a very rough approximation, for now.
For the 2nd part what you most definitely need are metrics and data:
16/n
And this is a very rough approximation, for now.
For the 2nd part what you most definitely need are metrics and data:
16/n
Take the chatbot example: how would you define the return on the effort put in?
Questions answered? Leads generated? Sales completed? % change in Revenue? New sign ups?
There could be several.
But you as a PM you need to define a sort of âNorth Starâ that can work
17/n
Questions answered? Leads generated? Sales completed? % change in Revenue? New sign ups?
There could be several.
But you as a PM you need to define a sort of âNorth Starâ that can work
17/n
At an early stage, pick the simplest metric: impact on revenue or new signups
Score each feature on these two: effort required vs return
Initially this might take time, but progressively, you would know which feature to prioritise, as you understand the business better
18/n
Score each feature on these two: effort required vs return
Initially this might take time, but progressively, you would know which feature to prioritise, as you understand the business better
18/n
And again, these are estimates, so you could go wrong, no harm.
Ofcourse, there will be times when you absolutely must do something NOW (because the boss says so?). At those rare (hopefully) moments, these elements do take a back seat.
19/n
Ofcourse, there will be times when you absolutely must do something NOW (because the boss says so?). At those rare (hopefully) moments, these elements do take a back seat.
19/n
These two would constitute 20-30% of the work (can vary massively depending on org size).
But doing just these 2 right is a good starting point.
Will add more on feedback, user inputs/research, testing, analytics (and more jargonshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đ" title="Smiling face with open mouth" aria-label="Emoji: Smiling face with open mouth">) later
But doing just these 2 right is a good starting point.
Will add more on feedback, user inputs/research, testing, analytics (and more jargons
