Jock Busuttil's Blog: I Manage Products, page 29

78: How to start a new product manager job

Starting a new product manager job can be daunting, particularly if you don’t change jobs very often. I work freelance, so I find myself in a new organisation roughly every 3-6 months. Let me share with you my tips for your first few months in a new role.

The first 30 daysLearning, not decision-making

Despite your best efforts during the interview process, you’ll probably only have scratched the surface when it comes to learning about your new product. So in your first 30 days...

PRODUCTHEAD: Remind me, what am I meant to be doing?

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

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADi might be a product managertl;dr

A product manager works at the intersection between business, technology and user experience

A product manager is not a replacement for absent specialists

The product manager is accountable for ensuring the solution is both valuable and viable

Product managers use their knowledge of user needs and business goal...

PRODUCTHEAD: Rethinking product roadmaps

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

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADa product at the doortl;dr

Remove the timelines from your product roadmap

Use roadmap themes to focus on solving user problems

User outcomes are more important than delivering features

Roadmaps help to make strategic decisions when there’s low certainty

Rethinking your roadmap approach can help when managing mature products

hello

P...

Q&A: What technical skills do I need to be a product manager?

I’m asked questions about product management from time to time. Here’s one I’ve answered recently:

Hi Jock,

I saw you speak recently and I read about your work. I was looking for inspiration and guidance as I am searching for a career change and Product Management/ Project Management are my areas of interest.

I was looking to understand, based on your experience, if in such roles technical skills are required. My profile is more on the business side, I have experience in managing transform...

PRODUCTHEAD: Creativity is borne of constraints

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

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEAD“a product at a wedding”tl;dr

Constraints that motivate and focus are most effective

Boredom can trigger a creative and productive state of mind

It’s important not to stave off boredom immediately with distractions

You can optimise your working environment for greater productivity on different types of task

hello

The first startup I w...

PRODUCTHEAD: Pricing – everything and nothing has changed

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

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEADpulk/pull revolving productstl;dr

Pricing determines the structure of the business that produces it

Start with consumer research to determine potential demand and feasibility of the product

A step-by-step guide to pricing software

Scalpers have made $82M in sales of consumer tech in under three months

hello

When compiling my list of g...

77: The only article you’ll ever need on prioritization

When faced with an overwhelming number of things you could be doing, all with good reasons for doing them, it can be tremendously hard to decide which to do, let alone which to do first.

Whether you’re looking at your roadmap, sprint backlog, or just your personal to-do list for the day, you can’t do everything simultaneously, nor should you try to. You need a way to decide the order in which you’re going to tackle them, and by the same token, to filter out anything that’s going to d...

PRODUCTHEAD: The good, the bad and the ugly of machine learning

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

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEAD





paranoid product manager







tl;dr

Machine learning is the science of getting computers to act without being explicitly programmed

Netflix and the BBFC automate age certifications for content with a staff-trained algorithm

YouTube’s recommendation algorithm has the unintended consequence of creating echo chambers

An algorithm widely used in US court...

PRODUCTHEAD: Better teams need better leaders

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

Subscribe to PRODUCTHEAD





hail to the product







tl;dr

Leaders have a disporportionate impact on the psychological safety of their teams

Effective teams feel their work means something and makes a difference

A servant leader’s motivation begins with a conscious choice to serve others without self-interest

A leader can show support and respect by approving and following a te...

Q&A: What lessons from antiquity would you apply to product management?

I’m asked questions about product management from time to time. Here’s one I’ve answered recently:

Hi Jock,

So this this might seem a bit odd, but are there any lessons from antiquity given your background in Classics that one might apply to product management in the year 2020?

Best regards,

R

Read on for my reply!

Hi R,

Well, 2020’s been a dumpster fire of a year, to put it mildly. But here we are at the end of it, and we can look forward to a more hopeful 2021.

I’m not a m...