The People of Product Management

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Concept Series Part I: Strategy – A Warm Blanket or a Restrictive Straitjacket?

The People of Product Management

How do you feel about strategy? I am not referring here to any particular strategy, just the general concept of strategy. This may seem like an odd question, but the answer has an important impact on how successfully a strategy can be implemented. To some a strategy is a warm blanket protecting them, making them feel safe. To others strategy is a straitjacket, tight and confining.

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Introduction to the Concept Series: What Concepts Influence the People of Product Management?

The People of Product Management

The People of Product Management is a blog focused on exploring the human side of Product Management. In the first series of this new blog, the Relationship Series , I explored the relationship between the product manager and other role-players in the product development environment. I would now like to introduce you to the second series in the blog, the Concept Series.

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Summary of the Relationship Series: When the Wind is Fair

The People of Product Management

As a surfer, I am at the mercy of the wind. The basic natural phenomenon of wind strength and direction has a direct impact on my life. At a practical level, the wind governs if I surf or not and how much I spend on petrol to get to various surf locations. At a deeper level, the wind influences my mood and thus my relationships with those closest to me.

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Relationship Series Part IV: The Product Manager – Strength in Our Diversity

The People of Product Management

No one grows up saying they want to be a product manager (at least not in the time and place I grew up). Yet, despite this, the product managers, with whom I have worked, have been some of my most passionate colleagues. We all seem to have come from different career backgrounds, but like the proverbial roads leading to Rome our paths have intersected in a spaghetti junction of features and functions and user stories and releases.

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Introduction to the Relationship Series: Who are the people of Product Management?

The People of Product Management

The relationship series is a set of blogs that explores the relationship between the Product Manager and other role-players in the product development environment. Each relationship plays an integral role in the overall Product Management function. These relationships are what get us out of bed in the morning and give us restless nights. They are at the core of what we do as Product Managers.

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Relationship Series Part I: The Visionary Leader - A Potentially Beautiful Partnership

The People of Product Management

Have you ever experienced a leader articulate their product vision with such clarity that you felt you could almost reach out and touch this, yet to be developed product? You hung on their every word as your brain tried to fathom how this vision could be made a reality. You were exhilarated by the opportunity to deliver this product but at the same time terrified at the underlying complexity, which the visionary leader expertly hid behind the simplicity of the idea.

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Relationship Series Part II: The Software Engineer – Our Solution Partner

The People of Product Management

I have a soft spot for most software engineers. I think they are wonderful. They are our modern-day alchemists, turning dull bits of ones and zeros into shiny product gold (which has real value, unlike traditional alchemists). Some of my best experiences as a product manager have been those problem-solving sessions with a team of engineers. We are knee deep in a problem, wading through the various technological options and coming out with an elegant solution.