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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 can feel risky and stressful to make uncertain decisions, especially when the team seems ready...

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 engineer Ed and picks up the phone. Ed answers, also glad that someone else is...

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 Sales signs a contract for custom development, it’s your roadmap that might need to be...

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 them. She’d get someone checked in using French, then turn around and answer a quick...

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 your time more effectively! 1) Every hour you spend in the field will save you...

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 teams. First off, you should have a cross-functional team for your product. This group can provide valuable...

By Rich Nutinsky How often are you asked to describe your product? How much time do you spend re-thinking the product story each time? A big time-saver is to be prepared ahead of time – create it once, and re-use it as and where needed. I spent almost 20 years teaching product professionals the ins and outs of planning, building, launching, pricing, and marketing their products. Tens of thousands of...

By Stacey Weber Getting your message to the right people, motivating them to investigate further or to purchase your product, is key to meeting your product’s goals. Most Product Marketing Managers will have to make difficult decisions as they decide where to spend their limited budgets. Do not despair! Marketing can be done on a shoestring budget. 1) Check your strategy. New versions of products are released frequently – but...

By Stacey Weber You would think that bit of wisdom – “The only constant is change” – was penned by someone who really understands technology product management and marketing. It wasn’t. People have been dealing with constant change forever – and the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, author of the quote, knew it about 2,500 years ago! When we’re envisioning, creating, and launching products, we are predicting what the buyers...