Jock Busuttil's Blog: I Manage Products, page 37

Q&A: what kinds of questions should I be asking in discovery?

I was recently asked this question:

During the problem exploration phase, what kind of questions should I be asking and how do I go from 1000 problems to the core problems that will unlock the solution?

Here’s my answer:

Hi there,

Steve Blank has some great tips on the kinds of questions you should be asking – here’s a handy set of bite-size videos he’s done.

In the course of discovery, it will start to become apparent which are the most pressing problems for the majority of people, and whic...

How UK government digital services gather and use evidence

I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my decisions in product management. I’ve edited the transcript a little and split it into bite-size parts for your entertainment. This bit is about how UK government digital services gather and use evidence. The last bit was about why we can’t help jumping to conclusions.

A new approach in UK government

I spent about eight months recently as head of product for the UK’s Ministry of Justice – so, in government – and...

Q&A: how closely aligned should product organisations be with marketing and personas?

Here’s another question I was asked recently:

If you’re concerned about buyer needs and their objectives, how closely aligned do you suggest product organisations should be with marketing and with the persona development to ensure they are creating a solution that does meet those needs in the market?

Here’s my answer:

User and buyer personas

Very important distinction here: if you in a B2C company (business to consumer company) then obviously your user personas (for the people who are using...

Why we can’t help jumping to conclusions

I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my decisions in product management. I’ve edited the transcript a little and split it into bite-size parts for your entertainment.

This bit is about why we can’t help jumping to conclusions. The last bit was about expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them).

Daniel Kahneman (Credit BBC)

This chap is called Daniel Kahneman, and he is a recipient of the Nobel prize for economics. He tells us in his...

Q&A: how much evidence is sufficient for decision-making?

I was recently asked this question:

Do you have a rule of thumb for deciding how much evidence is sufficient for decision-making? I often see decisions made on the basis of a sample of one.

Here’s my answer:

Hi there,

Thanks for the question. I don’t have a general rule of thumb for sample sizes for user research as it depends on a few things, including:

What level of accuracy you’re looking for from your research (statistical rigour) How large your target user persona segments are What kind...

Q&A: how much evidence is sufficient for decision making?

I was recently asked this question:

Do you have a rule of thumb for deciding how much evidence is sufficient for decision making? I often see decisions made on the basis of a sample of one.

Here’s my answer:

Hi there,

Thanks for the question. I don’t have a general rule of thumb for sample sizes for user research as it depends on a few things, including:

What level of accuracy you’re looking for from your research (statistical rigour) How large your target user persona segments are What kind...

Expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them)

I gave a talk recently about how I’ve been using data and analytics to guide my decisions in product management. I’ve edited the transcript a little and split it into bite-size parts for your entertainment. This bit is about expensive and risky assumptions (and why you should check them).

Data from the outset

This slightly blurry typescript is from 1931. It’s a memo that a chap called Neil McElroy wrote to his bosses. He used to work at Procter and Gamble – P&G. And he was responsible for t...

Q&A: how do I get my waterfall organisation to be more agile?

I was recently asked this question:

How would you recommend working with organisations, who are used to a traditional / waterfall approach, transition towards agile / iterative development?

Here’s my response:

Hi there,

This is a big, big question :-)

I’m planning to talk about digital transformation in much more detail over a series of blog posts based on my work with the Ministry of Justice, GDS and the University of Cambridge. But let me give you a few highlights to get you started.

Lesso...

Q&A: how do I distil users’ wish lists of requirements to a core handful?

I was recently asked this question:

Can you make suggestions of how best to distil users’ wish lists of requirements/outcomes to a core handful that will encompass most people’s problems?

Here’s my answer:

Hi there,

Thanks for the question. I have a couple of suggestions that may give you a different perspective for your problem.

You mention users’ wish lists of requirements. I appreciate this may not be what you meant, but this is a good point worth reiterating anyway. Yes, you absolutely n...

55: How to beat writer’s block

I’m writing about one hundred things I’ve learned as a product manager.

For a variety of reasons, in the last few months I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing regularly. And just as I fool myself that having a gym membership is the same as exercising regularly, so also I need to remind myself that blogs don’t write themselves.

Over the last few months I’ve been working with another set of great, challenging and occasionally misguided clients. They’ve been pleased with the results I’d helped...