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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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, 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 »
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 »
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 »
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. »
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 »
When I tell people I’m a Product Management Consultant, it sometimes throws them. “Product Management Consultant? I haven’t heard of that,” they say. Then, “how does one use a consultant to help with product management? Isn’t product management too strategic to not be in-house?” So first off, »
Most product managers and product marketers I know have a fear of — or at least a strong dislike of — selling. They find selling unpleasant and often think they are bad at it. Especially the closing the deal part. Alas, this fear/revulsion of selling is perhaps the biggest obstacle that’ »
A colleague asked me this the other day: *If a company is pursuing a “freemium” business model, how should they determine the optimal mix of features to offer in free vs. paid software? * It’s a good question. Freemium – where a product is made available in both a free and »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: What is the best way to visually present a product roadmap to executive stakeholders? What are some effectively ways to communicate a product roadmap to executives clearly and concisely? My Answer My facetious answer is to use powerpoint with lots of superfluous animation »
My answer, originally published on Quora. Q: Is there a market for fractional or part-time product management? Thesis: Early stage startups could use dedicated product managers, but often can't afford one or don't have the resources to support a full-time PM. From all the conversations I've had with early stage »
You've heard that old chestnut. You've seen it in a million articles. The big advice Sales Reps offer to Product Management is "Don't just talk about features. Tie the features to benefits." And whenever I see Yet Another Article offering this advice, I think, "Doesn't every product manager already know »
My answer, originally published on Quora. My Answer The Must-Read Books for Product Managers For product managers working on business-to-business high tech products and early technologies, the following are absolute must-reads: Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers, by Geoffrey Moore. This book was pivotal in »
My answer, originally published on Quora. My Answer I've worked with dozens of software / online service companies and helped them recruit product management candidates. None of them care about the PMI certification, and in fact it might be seen as a sign that an applicant does not understand that the »
We all know the supposed purpose of Beta testing programs: to get customers to actually use about-to-be-released software, in order to find and fix problems that would not have been found by internal-only testing. So why (why?!?!) do so many so-called Beta testing programs seem explicitly designed to PREVENT this »
In general, I advise against pre-announcing upcoming product features until you are so close to releasing it that you can practically taste it. But your circumstances might differ, so here are the The Cons: Reasons to NOT pre-announce upcoming features You could stall the sales process. Instead of buying what »
Product managers create business cases and business plans all the time. I've created and seen a bazillion of them in my day. Lots. But, alas, so many of them are weak. In particular, many use a device that is one of my pet peeves. It's the "one percent of the »
Almost every time I read about a new B2B startup or product, I get a sense of déjà vu. Alas, it's not a glitch in the Matrix. It's because pretty much every product pitch sounds exactly the same. Watered down, generic, and 100% free of taste. A grinder is at »
Below is an online Q&A from a presentation I gave on Agile Product Management. Just wanted to share…. Q: How do you deal with a management team that is entrenched in the Waterfall method and a development team that is Agile from a roadmap and planning perspective? Sue »
Today we have a guest post from Scott Sehlhorst, product management consultant extraordinaire and author of the tasty-good Tyner Blain blog. Although he is contributing this "Cranky Test for Agile Product Managers," Scott may be genetically incapable of true crankiness. One of his co-workers once accused him of having excess »
I received an email from a reader regarding this blog's recent guest post, The 7 Types of Engineers. To Whom I May Concern, I have attached a picture of the real Veteran Engineer that works with me. I saw your post, the description of Mike, and bought the mug for »
A few weeks ago, I went to the pharmacy to purchase the most womanly of accoutrements. Yep, maxipads. Now, before you click away, be assured this post does have something important to say about product management. Please sit tight and bear with me. Anyway, I walked into the store aisle »
I’ve had a lot of conversations lately with product managers who are wrestling with the appliance question: Should they create a software-only product, or should they deliver an integrated hardware-plus-software appliance that contains all the underlying hardware and software needed to run the product? It’s an important question »
In our coupious spare time, Product Management bloggers just LOVE writing haikus. Check it: here (Pivotal PM), and here (my previous post), and here (Product Management Meets Pop Culture), and here (Tyner Blain), and here (On Product Management). The fun just never ends. Anyway, here's some brand, spankin' new haiku. »
1. Don't visit customers. If customers want to talk to you, ask that instead they put their list of enhancement requests in an email or a spreadsheet. Take said list and cut/paste it into Jira. Don't bother to find out WHY the customer wants any of this stuff. If »
I had the pleasure of attending Business of Software 2010 last week. It was a fascinating conference, chock full of interesting speakers and lots of learning. Seth Godin was there. He's wicked awesome! The attendees were mostly technical founders of small software companies. Many were pre-venture financing, but many (most? »
I am a big fan of anything that will get quality, innovative, market-killing products out the door more quickly. Sincerely. I would even trade in my extensive work wardrobe of jeans for a pile of business suits if it would improve product quality. I would even stop swearing if it »
Oh goodness. This April Fool's send-up of technology analysts has been creeping around the Internet for some time. But this is the first time I've seen it. Please read. Very funny stuff. It's about Harvester Research's launch of ForceSales.com, the industry's first Analyst-as-a-Service (Aaas) offering. I especially like their »
I am on vacation, but posting in my stead is a WICKED AWESOME guest blogger: an extremely talented writer/product manager/mom with the nom de plume "Another PM." Her post is below, and it is so good and so TRUE... The Identification, Care and Feeding of Engineers on Your »
I have recently become obsessed with the TV Show Hoarding: Buried Alive. If you are unfamiliar, it is a reality show that profiles people who hoard stuff -- tons of worthless artifacts and even unsanitary crap (literally crap! think rotten food! old diapers! full cat boxes!) -- until the point »
Hey congrats! You landed a new product management job! But before you accept it, consider whether you really WANT this position. Here are some tell-tale warning signs that this new product management job is gonna suck. Warning Signs Product managers are not allowed to talk directly to customers. Sales people »
Dear Release Manager, I appreciate that you're trying to do this Agile Scrum thing by the book. And that it isn't easy. Because before this Scrum tsunami came crashing down, you mainly tracked the progression of different release documents (Is the PRD done? Check. Is the Functional Spec done? Check. »
Remember this? The Product Management Haikus (originally inspired by Pivotal PM)? I am inspired to once again dust off my quill pen and write some more poetry. Poetry that no one but you, a reader of a product management blog, could possibly understand. If you are similarly inspired, post your »
Inspired by the fine folks at Pivotal Product Management, here are some enthralling and inspirational haiku I whipped together. Join in the fun! Submit your own haiku in the comments. Only bad PMs Don't install or even use The products they own. Their go-to excuse: "Technically impossible," Code Boyz and »