Market Leadership Takes a Village
Over my twenty-five years working with businesses, and product management in particular, there are certain discussions that seem to be on an infinite loop. One of those is, “who owns strategy?” I group this along with, “who’s responsible for P&L?” and “who’s the one throat to choke?” There are a myriad of ways to approach […]
Feature Requests: Friend or Foe?
Feature requests are a constant companion of most product managers. It seems like no matter where you go, someone has an idea — AKA a feature request — for your product. Some people hail these feature requests, proclaiming them the silver bullet of product evolution. Other product professionals view these constant requests as the bane […]
Product Management is like Internet Connectivity
By Stacey Weber A few weeks ago, we were on a roadtrip – heading home from Arizona to Wisconsin. It was already dark when we reached Colorado, driving north near the eastern border of the state on some highway that shall remain unnamed. It looked desolate, and then the music stopped as Pandora lost signal. […]
Multiple Perspectives Drive a Solid Strategy
You know you need a strategy; you’ve seen the magic that happens when everyone is rowing in the same direction. Creating that vision and direction seems so much harder when you’re at the helm; everyone wants the best plan, but oftentimes, their ideas and convictions don’t appear to mesh well. A strong strategy gives guidance […]
You Can’t Please Everyone
By Stacey Weber Uncertainty is the nature of product management. After all, we are constantly predicting what the market will buy and forecasting what products and features will delight our users. That uncertainty can be hard to handle, and you’re surrounded by people who aren’t afraid to be vocal about their beliefs and opinions. It […]
Pre-commitment: The Mistake that Keeps on Giving
By Stacey Weber The fictional product manager – we’ll call him Pete – starts work early one Monday, eager to find out how the team is progressing with requirements analysis, design, and (his real goal) scheduling. Pete knows that most of the team isn’t in the office yet – but he gets an email from […]
Keep Your Eyes Open
By Stacey Weber One of the most difficult things about being a product manager is that you’re confronted with every failure, real or imagined. If development falls behind schedule, they’ll (hopefully) come to you with the information. When an executive makes a promise to a large customer, you’ll be the one expected to deliver. If […]
The Product Manager – Translator Extraordinaire
By Stacey Weber Whenever I travel outside the U.S., I am struck by the number of people who speak multiple languages fluently. On one particular trip, I was in the Brussels airport. The ticket counter agent was speaking at least 4 languages – and she knew them so well that she could quickly switch between […]
Time Management Tips for Product Managers
By Stacey Weber The world is busy, work is busy, and there are only so many hours in a day! It seems like we’re constantly being asked to do more with fewer resources. Without good time management skills, product managers carry a high risk of burn out. Here are my top 10 tips to manage […]
Creating Cross-Functional Magic
By Stacey Weber I’ve been contemplating the communication skills that product professionals (Product Managers, Product Owners, Product Marketing Managers, etc.) need to succeed. My last post touched on one of those skills – translating between the varied members of our team. Today, I’ve been thinking about the power that lies in your interactions with cross-functional […]