Jock Busuttil's Blog: I Manage Products, page 15

PRODUCTHEAD: 3 ways to handle team conflicts

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADsit down. product uptl;dr

When delivering difficult news at work, you are not there to seek sympathy

Tie business impact to deprioritised work to highlight the problem to your CEO without sounding whiny

An organisation’s emotionalculture governs which emotions people express and suppress at work

Many organisation equate “fixing” to basically “patchi...

PRODUCTHEAD: The strange attraction of desire paths

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEAD product falling into place tl;dr

Desire paths spring up as users’ needs and goals change

The effort paradox: the effort of forming a new path versus the desire to take the path of least resistance

In digital products we use analytical tools to help us observe desire paths

When a new desire path emerges, question your old assumptions — user behaviour ...

Should I take a product manager job in a sales-led company?

Here’s a question I was asked recently:

Hi Jock,

I’m currently applying for loads of product manager jobs. I’ve received an offer from a sales-led company where the Product team reports in to Sales. Should I take the job?

Yours,

G

Hi G,

When you’re applying for any job, it’s a good idea to start by writing down a list of what you will want from a new job. (Be realistic, though.)

It might be that you’re looking for a better salary or a more senior position.

Perhaps y...

PRODUCTHEAD: How to transcribe and analyse your user research recordings

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADany product can play guitartl;dr

Thematic analysis identifies the main themes emerging from qualitative data, such as interview transcripts

It can be a great activity to do with your team for establishing empathy with the users and their context

Good research means being intentional, conscientious, and ethical at every step

help me out
please rec...

PRODUCTHEAD: How to record your user research interviews

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADproduct altotl;dr

A mobile phone may be all you need to record an interview

For in-person recordings, keep your setup simple and portable

The simplest way to record video calls is to use the local or cloud recording option

Consider carefully whether to record an interview or to have a dedicated note-taker

help me out
please recommend PRODUCTHE...

PRODUCTHEAD: How to plan a user research interview

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADyes i producttl;dr

Ask your team: what do we actually need to know, by when, and how confident do we need to be?

Don’t ask users what they do. Ask them for an example of a time they have done something, and then ask if it was typical

When recruiting participants, say what the study is for, how long it will take, and what’s in it for them

help me...

PRODUCTHEAD: Trade-offs and negotiation

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADmeeting in the producttl;dr

Ask “why” to understand the other side’s position and interest

All negotiations involve both rational and emotional elements

Whatever decision you make as a product manager will disappoint some people

Teams benefit from a shared understanding of the trade-offs of decisions

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88: Control your narrative

Years ago, someone once told me that “perception is reality” when it comes to reputation at work. Many years later, I’ve come to understand better that this means that there will always be a narrative about how someone works at an organisation. The narrative can be positive or negative, and can be controlled by the individual it describes, or by others.

Of all the lessons I’ve learned in my career, this has been by far one of the hardest.

In this articleIntroductionTrigger wa...

PRODUCTHEAD: The perils of pitch presentation culture

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEAD4 minute producttl;dr

Asking about a specific problem causes people to ignore the other problems they have

Make time for product discovery in small steps, not all at once

Biases reduce cognitive load for our brain when it processes new information

An opportunity solution tree is a way to externalize your thinking

help me out
please recommend P...

PRODUCTHEAD: What can product managers learn about discovery from a superhero costume maker?

PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADmotion product soundtracktl;dr

Don’t specify rigid requirements to your delivery team, have a collaborative conversation instead

Try out lots of different solutions to the same problem

Don’t be pressured to rush through discovery and prototyping

Share knowledge around your team

Avoid misunderstandings through constant communication with stakehold...