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Three Core Characteristics of Great Product Teams
There are many characteristics of great product teams. But when I think about what the very best teams have in common, there are a few common core elements that I think tend to lead naturally to many other great attributes. Characteristics like high levels of trust and motivation, proactive attitude, open communication and knowledge sharing…
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A simple framework to triage and prioritise new ideas
For any product startup, prioritisation is everything. Spend time working on the wrong things, and you’ll waste both time and money – two things you have in very limited supply as a startup. Lots has been written about prioritisation in product teams, and it’s often cited as one of the biggest challenges facing startups and…
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The value of talking to customers
I spent about 4 hours last week conducting usability tests. No matter how often I do this, it always amazes me how incredibly valuable it is. Every test reveals something new about the product. As a coincidence just this week I also came across this article talking about how many Product Managers lament that they…
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Great PMs don’t work alone
Sometimes there’s a perception of Product Managers that the best ones are product geniuses who always and immediately have the right answers for every product problem: PMs whose product instincts are so sharp they can arrive at the best solution at a moment’s glance; who can look within themselves and find the solution deep down…
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On copying well: apply with caution
The Exponent podcast this week on the history of messaging apps talked a lot about copying. They referenced a previous piece from Ben called “The Audacity of Copying Well”, where he talked about Snapchat stories, and how this was so obviously and shamelessly copied by Instagram to make Instagram Stories. They argued that in business,…
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The danger of copying
It’s normal when building and optimising a product to take a look at how others have solved similar problems in the past. In fact, this is a critical part of the design and product research phase. But be careful with assumptions like “Company XYZ does it this way, and they know their shit: they wouldn’t…
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Good Speed: 6 ways to build product faster
I recently wrote about why Speed is not the same as Velocity. Speed is just moving fast, whereas velocity is moving fast in the right direction. Fred Wilson also posted this week on Urgency, and how in his role as a board member and advisor he presses startups to foster a healthy Sense of Urgency…
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How great Product Managers look forward
There is a lot of day-to-day grind as a PM. Tickets to write, bugs to triage, meetings to facilitate. Maybe the QA team needs help. Maybe the marketing manager is sick and you need to help run an acquisition campaign. There is always something urgent that needs your attention, your time and your focus. Indeed,…
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Why Speed is not the same as Velocity
There is a big difference between speed and velocity. Good speed increases velocity. Bad speed decreases velocity. Remember first year physics? Speed is a measure of distance over time. Velocity is a measure of displacement over time. Velocity is a vector: it has direction. We all know the sensation of running really fast (having high…
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What would you say… you do here?
I interviewed a candidate for a Product Manager position the other day. I like to ask a really simple question at the start of a PM interview: “What is your main responsibility as a Product Manager?” The answer I got from this candidate was one that I’ve heard many times before: “My primary responsibility as…