Here’s what makes solutions-driven product management such a challenge. The vast majority of product companies are a mishmash of products brought together through mergers and/or acquisitions. Each one throws another silo into the fire that further fragments strategies, product plans, R&D, marketing and sales. The $64,000 question is, “how do you transform multiple disparate products into business solutions to achieve a whole that’s more valuable than the sum of the parts?” MORE

At many of the meetups I attend around New York City, I meet aspiring product people, people in other functions that want to break into product management. I get asked how to become a product manager all the time. Product management is an important role and many people want to transition to it. MORE

A few months ago, one of our proposals got rejected because of our pricing. It was on the higher side for this client that was based in Asia. We had proposed a lump-sum payment (aka as perpetual pricing in the Product Management lingo!) for our product license. MORE

Typically you’ll see a product manager doing product feasibility. A product manager’s primary job is to define the business opportunity, then guide the development and delivery of the product to the market. Product feasibility occurs in the DEFINE phase of product management. MORE

When I started this newsletter I aimed to maintain a few-times-monthly pace, and I did quite well through the first year and a half. Alas, vacations, work, millennial thinkpieces, and the horror of national and global catastrophes took their toll and I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus. MORE

Throughout my career as both a product manager and startup founder, there’s been one severely underrated skill I credit for much of my success—and that’s reading. Trust me, when I say I’m an avid reader. Just take a look at my Goodread list !). MORE

Planning Horizons and Planning Model. Bring me that horizon,” says Jack Sparrow at the end of the movie The Curse of the Black Pearl while steering his pirate ship into the open waters. MORE

One of the biggest problems for e-commerce, demonstrated by about 74% of users worldwide, is cart abandonment. It means three out of every four shoppers in your online store walk away AFTER they’ve put their items in the cart. MORE

The ideas of Agile are great. It’s the way it has been codified into rituals and certifications, and rolled out mindlessly that misses the point. MORE

Theranos is in bad shape, but they have introduced a new product Image Credit: Wikipedia. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably heard about a company called Theranos. They are a Silicon Valley startup that attracted a lot of attention. They claimed that they had invented a product that with just a minute amount of blood from an individual could run a large number of health tests. This blood testing device was called Edison. MORE

Each week I scour articles, wading through the dogs, and bringing you the best insights to help product managers and innovators be heroes. Top 4 missteps during a product manager interview – aka, how not to get the job. (1) MORE

Savvy product managers use platforms. This episode focuses on platforms — a topic I haven’t discussed yet on this podcast. An effective platform strategy is important for growing organizations as well as those that are starting. MORE

The next big leap for the B2B product management profession will be a complete shift away from “market problems” to a focus on “customer goals.” This will be the turning point that finally takes B2B product management to the level of influence and leadership it has always aspired to in the organization. Here are the three biggest reasons. 1. Customer Value is All But Guaranteed. MORE

What are some things product management can do to exert more influence and demonstrate stronger leadership? Most product management professionals readily admit they spend too much time in the weeds on tasks that, at the end of the day, don’t contribute much to the overall mission of the organization. MORE

Most B2B organizations get started the same way. They identify a niche problem and develop a solution. Then they do it again, and again. This formula might work for years. But eventually products commoditize, markets shift and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. The ideal time to re-route your growth strategy is before your growth starts to taper off. Here are seven things to consider to keep your growth in high gear. 1. Go Vertical . MORE

In one of the keynotes of this year’s MTP Engage Hamburg, Johanna Kollmann reviews established system thinking concepts and applies them to the world of today’s product management. MORE

The Parable. On June 26, 2017, English football team Crystal Palace enthusiastically announced the appointment of the great Dutch defender Frank de Boer as its new manager. MORE

Guest post by Dave Crenshaw Think back to when you were a kid in about third grade. You’ve been in the classroom the better part of the day and a draining feeling would start to occur. Before long, that tell-tale … Continue reading → Purpose example health productivity recess well-being MORE

In this closing keynote from Mind the Product San Francisco, Josh Seiden and Jeff Gothelf, the authors of Sense & Respond and Lean UX , shared a story about wheat farming as a parable for understanding our customers and how to respond to our their needs and technological change. MORE

If you haven’t read it already, the Product Management Survey results from Alpha are well worth the read. You can download a copy of the Product Management Survey here. It has some great insights about the state of Product Management so that you can compare yourself or your team to others. MORE

These are some of the books we mention in our workshops and coaching sessions. On Products and Product Management. In Turn Ideas into Products , author Steve Johnson introduces a nimble idea-to-market process with strong emphasis on personal experience with customers. MORE