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» Learning is more valuable than being successful and not knowing why » You can experiment with the content and layout of any web-based product with basic skills » The success rate of experimentation is higher if there is no penalty for failing » “If you have a good idea on a Monday and can design, test and learn by the Friday, then innovation explodes.”

» More specific questions yield better user research findings » User research works well when the team collaborates with a specialist user researcher » Increased team user exposure hours correlates with more successful product improvements by the team » The sooner you start user research, the greater impact it will have on your product » A Kanban board helps the team to collate and track the questions to be researched

» To build trust, mutual respect and transparency are critical » Becoming a product leader means letting go of the day-to-day product management » Being good at your job means training others to be good at theirs » Equip your team to make good choices without needing your input » Developing people is the single most important part of your job

» Saying no to a good idea requires confidence in your product strategy » Even if saying no to an opportunity, take the time to understand its value and context » Keep ideas and suggestions separate from your product backlog » Clear company goals and strategy make it easier to say no to unaligned requests » Saying yes habitually to one-off custom features will usually kill your product business

» A selection of the best product management podcasts by product people, recommended by product people

A recent tweet by John Cutler provoked some interesting reactions. It got me thinking about whether there are underlying principles of product management that apply in all contexts.

» Discovery is about understanding the problem space experienced by people » When on a tight budget for discovery, mitigate bias where possible and document all the biases you see » A relaxed participant will open up and be more honest with you » A discovery can prompt one or more possible solutions, or tell you the problem is not worth pursuing

» Bootstrapped startups have free rein with their strategy » Successful startups try to anticipate failure, and learn from it when they don’t » Investors look for long-term defensibility of your product’s proposition and unique advantage » Operational velocity is key to company success

» When starting your next role, gather opinions and evaluate them before making your own appraisal of the state of the product » Think of your first month’s activity in terms of people, product and personal » The transition from product manager to leader requires many new skill sets » To set up a new starter in your team for success, be clear on their role and goals

» Success theatre undermines the long-term potential of your team and organisation » Small changes can incite a large culture transformation » As organisations grow, they incorrectly start to value the importance of “process” over “product” » Measuring process distracts you from determining whether you are creating value » Quarterly planning is disruptive when it introduces too much new information at once

When companies set out to redesign a product or service, the results can sometimes be underwhelming. Instead of delivering service transformation, the team recommends only minor efficiency tweaks. If this has been happening to you, there can be many underlying causes. I’ve identified a few common problems and what you can you do about them.

» Free, online courses are available to help you become more literate in the basics of finance » There are three key financial metrics to track in a recurring / subscription business » Gain a competitive advantage by interpreting annual corporate accounts » Challenge received wisdom about key financial metrics and ratios to reveal hidden insights