Bet you're dying to know what the formerly Cranky Product Manager thinks of this whole Google memo situation, right? No? Well, the whole situation has made me so cranky, it's brought me out of blogging retirement. I'm going to tell you my take on it anyway. But never fear, I'll »
My answer to a question about adoption on Quora: Q: Why is having biological children usually a couple's first choice, rather than adopting a newborn? My Answer: Because the adoption process is: Potentially very long & uncertain. You might not get matched to a child for years, or maybe you'll »
Let's say that you're a junior-ish Product Manager. Your product is NOT killing it (not yet, anyway). You have stiff competition. Your product is missing key capabilities that the market demands -- perhaps because this technology looks to fundamentally disrupt your product's market or because a competitor already (or imminently) »
Originally published in 2010. Updated and republished in May, 2015. A reader asks: "Can you please enlighten me on the art of pricing?" At the risk of misinterpreting, I believe the reader is asking specifically about enterprise software, where price lists are usually secret, transaction volumes are relatively low, and »
This is my youngest son. He's 4 years old and is a total goober. Let's call him "J". J is probably going to be a sales person when he grows up. He is extroverted, charming, funny, naturally positive, and when he wants something he goes after it with dogged persistence »
Ah, the Sinister Sales Engineer. Many companies have one. Early in my career, when I was not even a "Senior" Product Manager yet, this guy scared the bejeezus out of me. Let's just say that this guy was from the Bronx and had an, ahem, "way with words." Especially four-letter »
Once upon a time, when I was a wee lass (25 years old, to be precise), and not yet a product manager but a code warrior-ess (or whatever it is that you call female warriors), I did that clichéd, hackneyed Silicon Valley stunt: co-founding a tech startup with three other »
I answered the following question on international adoption on Quora: Q: I'm a single female in my 40s, and would like to adopt a child internationally. Which countries should I be considering? I'm based in UK, but for various reasons I'd like to considering international options. Russia has recently blocked »
Summarized from a discussion I had in the comments on Quora. Original Question: How could Y Combinator be more female-friendly? This isn't so much about how YC treats women once they get in, but about ways to balance the gender ratio. The Discussion One answerer suggested setting up processes that »
I've encountered lots of software startups that want to start up a Product Management function, even though they don't really understand what the Product Management role is or its activities. (I guess that's why they ask for my help). I've learned this is really common. Software is full of people »
Sometimes I help companies (usually startups) kickstart their Product Management function. These companies often know they WANT Product Management, even though they often don't have a clear idea of what Product Managers actually do. In another post, I speculate about why this widespread ignorance of Product Management exists. But for »
Originally posted to Quora. The original question was "Do parents love biological children more than adopted children?" Someone who was a biological father without adopted children, who was therefore speculating, posted: ...I think that we derive a certain fulfillment and gratification from natural children that we don't get from adopted »
Orignally posted to Quora. Q: How should paternity leave be arranged for a gay man with an adopted child? Should he get paternity leave, which is usually shorter, or maternity leave? If he gets maternity leave, doesn't this suggest he is the 'mother' in the relationship, which is offensive to »
Sales people are known for having a short-attention span -- they are always focused on the needs of their in-progress deals. Many won't put in the time to learn all about the competition until they absolutely need to. So, you need a way to get them up-to-speed on the competition »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: What do MIT admissions interviewers look for? My Answer I used to interview applicants to MIT, and the biggest things I looked for were: Deep intellectual curiosity and a passion for learning that goes far beyond the norm. This was best demonstrated by »
What do you do when you have an important customer who is experiencing serious issues with your software -- issues so serious that they can't successfully use the product? I'm not talking about customers who need a little hand-holding and training. Customer Support can handle them. I'm talking about situations »
You Should Use Frameworks & Templates When Developing Your Product Strategy To develop a product strategy, most PMs use two or more strategic frameworks to make sure they’ve considered the business environment and potential futures from all angles. Many PMs also use product strategy templates and checklists.(See footnote »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: If you are an adoptive parent, do you celebrate your child's 'gotcha day'or 'homecoming day'? If yes, how do you do it? My Answer: We don't. The main reason is that, for both of my kids, this day would either be really close »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: What illnesses may disqualify someone from adopting a child internationally? If one of parents has a history of cancer and doctors said < 1% of its coming back, may the family apply to adopt a child? My Answer: This varies according to the »
A new, original cartoon for your enjoyment. Inspired by countless product roadmap presentations that I have slept through over the years. (TIP: Telling customers & prospects about features that are not for them or that they don't care about undermines their confidence in your product. They'll think you're not focused »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Is a product manager responsible for product documentation? My Answer: Product managers are typically responsible for the "whole product" -- which means the product itself, documentation, packaging, pricing, positioning and sometimes also the promotion of those products. But being responsible for documentation does »
Here's a visual of how Los Gatos's public elementary schools feed into the middle schools, and then how the middle schools feed into the high schools. The width of each stripe is roughly proportional to how many kids transition from one school to another in a given year. It's far »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Why would anyone want to be an employee and not an entrepreneur? One of the most difficult issues I've faced as an entrepreneur is looking smart people in the face and telling them to work for my company when I honestly have a »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Why should I remove features that are not popular? I've read many articles that suggest that product managers should be removing features that are not used by users. If the team has already invested resources into building a feature that is not that »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: How does the work-life balance of product managers compare to that of software engineers? I am trying to decide between a software engineering and a product manager position at Microsoft, and to me, work life balance is an important factor. How about Amazon? »
My answer to a question originally published on Quora. Q: Why does the American government stimulate the adoption of foreign children with disabilities? What's the use of these children for the country's welfare and future? My Answer: I'll start off by saying many (most?) Americans would regard your question on »
My answer, originally posted to Quora. Q: If there was one (or more) piece of advice you could give to prospective adoptive parents what would it be? We are thinking of adopting one or more children internationally (currently have zero). What are some key/crucial pieces of advice you could »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: From a purely financial standpoint is it more expensive to have twins? Or two single pregnancies 1-2 years apart? Keeping in mind maternity leave, nursery costs, furniture / equipment to buy and economies of scale? (I'm having twins so just curious about this.) My »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: What level of coding experience should a good product manager have? My Answer Caveat: I'm assuming we are talking about software products. In THEORY, actual coding experience should be irrelevant to the hiring decision of a product manager. As Steve said, a product »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Infertility: Do you think that using IVF, IUI, or other artificial forms of reproduction is selfish? Some people feel that infertile couples who turn to artificial methods of reproduction are selfish because there are numerous children without parents who could be adopted. Not »
Dear James (age 3.5), You are a very sweet young boy, and I am so touched by how much well you care for others and help them when they need you. Over the weekend, you and Kian were playing in the sprinklers while I tried to test them out »
Dear Kian, Thursday was the last day of 2nd grade for you, so we spent Friday together doing "special time." First, you played with James a little bit in the morning. Then we took him to daycare so he wouldn't miss "water play day." You and I came home and »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: What are your feelings towards your adopted child? My Answer Words fail to describe how deeply I love my two adopted children. While I have no biological children to compare them too, I honestly cannot imagine loving or caring for them any more »
What a goober! (James saw a photo of Kian at age 4 dressed up in this costume, and begged for me to look for it so he could dress up as Buzz Lightyear too....) »
Behold, a visual guide to the inside of a Sales Rep's brain! Or more specifically, an Enterprise Software Sales Droid's brain, as viewed from Product Management. Please do not show to any sales people unless you are sure they have senses of humor. (But you are probably OK, since most »
“My super powers are super hug powers, hot lava, corn, peas, and carrots.” -- James on 5/14/2014, age 3.10 »
Today is the first day (that I remember, anyway) when I realized how grownup Kian already is at age 7.5. I fondly remember when he was 4 or so, and we were so close: best buddies. I could do no wrong in his eyes and I could not feel »
Give me the world’s biggest hug. Bigger than Ironman, Superman, the Green Lantern, and Batman can fly. --James on 4/21/2014, age 3.9 »
A question from a reader: Q: Is an MBA necessary to advance in Product Management to the Senior level, Director level, or beyond? Or can one compensate for the lack of a Masters with strong analytics and high-level strategy and presentation skills? A: I'm originally from Boston, a city known »
I read too many blogs that say "ALL product managers should do X". Having worked with so many companies, I can usually think of plenty of cases where it makes sense to break the "rule." But despite my distaste for such posts, I'm just gonna do it. I'm going to »
*Question was originally posted to Quora on 2 Mar 2014. As a startup, if no ownership shares have been issued and no documents have been signed by any founder yet, but a lawyer has incorporated the business and drafted the legal documents for review, can the majority push founders out »
My answer, originally published on Quora. My Answer The most obvious answer: Fewer and fewer girls are studying math and computer science in college, and Of those women who do graduate in those fields, and who even become programmers, they are likely to leave the field after a few years. »
Don't know about you, but I'd read it.... »
Don't just look at your competition's website and read a few articles. For a fuller view, try these information sources: The competitor's website -- including hidden pages, all images, and any uploaded documents (PDF, DOC, XLS) Former & current customers of your competitor Win-Loss interviews with lost prospects & won »
Acting like a Requirements Monkey. Punting on strategy. Not focusing on a particular target market. Not meeting with enough customers often enough. Not meeting with prospects and non-customers (aka potentials) often enough. Not truly understanding the real problems faced by your target market. Hearing only what you want to hear. »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: How does it feel to adopt a child of a different race from you? What should you be aware of? I am young, gay and though not close to the decision whether to have kids, would like to have a family of my »
Ever wonder why so many startup entrepreneurs put out misguided and doomed products, even after attempting to take four steps toward an epiphany and reading the "Lean Startup"? *Face Palm* Alas, I have witnessed similar "attempts" at market validation too many times to count. Maybe a product manager could help »
Economics are a big deal when deciding whether to go with a NoSQL, NewSQL, MPP DBMS, or traditional RDBMS. Many of the products (in all four of these categories) claim that economics are on their side, because either… Their products are ultimately cheaper than the alternatives, or Their products produce »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Why do so few African-American children get adopted? My sister has been looking to adopt for a while now so we've been talking about adoption in general for some time. Over several conversations and research it became clear just how disproportionate the numbers »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Why is it so difficult (time, money, etc.) to adopt a child? It seems like there are plenty of people in the world that would like to adopt a child and plenty of children that need to be adopted. Why isn't the process »