Публикация участника Tim Ukharev

Is there a connection between traveling and product management? I believe there is, and it lies in awareness. Awareness is a critical quality for a product manager: understanding how business processes work within your industry and adjacent industries, sensing the differences and commonalities with your product. Traveling greatly enhances this skill. Even if you just take a day trip to another city, you will encounter different types of services, things done differently due to local specifics. Not to mention traveling to another country – there, things are usually done quite differently compared to home. Take, for example, taxis and the Uber app. In Dubai, for instance, using Uber, you never know the final cost of your trip; the service only gives you an estimate - this really triggers me. Because in Russia, you know exactly how much the trip costs before you start and can plan your budget accordingly. And so it goes with many things. You begin to rediscover seemingly services on daily basis, experience new UX. And that's great. Travel and use any opportunity to increase your awareness!

🔧 Addressing Technical Debt: A Product Manager's Perspective 🔧 Technical debt - a term that often sends shivers down the spine of product managers worldwide. Picture this: you're on track to deliver groundbreaking functionality, only to be halted by the revelation of accumulated technical debt from your tech team. It's a scenario we're all too familiar with, but fear not, effective solutions do exist. First and foremost, let's establish a protocol for managing technical debt. Regularly formalize it into stories and slot them into your backlog, distinctly labeled as "technical stories". It's crucial to groom and estimate these stories, providing transparency into the depth of the debt and the resources required for resolution. Armed with this data, product managers can make informed decisions about prioritization. Furthermore, consider implementing a policy to address technical debt in every sprint. At our company, we've allocated 20% of our sprint capacity to tackle this looming challenge. By integrating debt resolution into our regular workflow, we mitigate the risk of it snowballing into a project-stalling obstacle. But what if these precautions aren't in place, and a decision needs to be made on the spot? In such cases, ask yourself two pivotal questions: 1️. Will neglecting technical debt impact our SLA negatively if another sprint passes without addressing it? 2️. Are we risking a slowdown in our product's velocity? If the answer to either question is yes, it's imperative to prioritize technical rework immediately. However, if neither scenario poses a significant threat, you can proceed with addressing the debt through your regular cadence. In conclusion, by proactively managing technical debt and integrating it into our workflow, we empower ourselves to navigate these challenges effectively, ensuring the sustained success of our products. Let's tackle technical debt head-on and pave the way for innovation without constraints.

I've been asked for a long time about a template for 1-1 meetings. I'm posting here - https://lnkd.in/eBTY76NK. Special thanks to Andrei Litvinenko This is a fictional example (all coincidences are random) of two 1-1 meetings between a product lead and a product owner. I give a couple of comments. There are two tabs in the table: weekly (weekly meetings) meetings and PDP (personal development plan). Weekly meetings: 1. The key here is to separate the questions you ask and the questions your interviewee asks. It is very helpful to do a regular review of the questions once a quarter to see what is bothering the employee on a regular basis. 2. The post-meeting activity is also split between yourself and the employee. This is done intentionally so that you can see at the end what each person in the meeting still needs to do 3. Feel free to show the activity that you take on yourself 4. Be sure to recap the next steps for each party at the end of the meeting. 5. By the way, the meeting period can be completely different, it doesn't change the concept itself PDP: 1. I took the core competencies from the competency matrix (here's a post about it - https://lnkd.in/ekPmzB9j) and then build a development plan based on the employee's desire to develop skills. Here it is appropriate to highlight both planned activities and achievements. 2. On this tab pull up all the results of Perfomance Review of the employee to clearly see the strengths and areas of growth 3. It is desirable to enter the activities right next to the skill that the employee wants to pump, then his actions become transparent, and motivation to pump the skill increases

🌟 Excited to share a recent case study on remote collaboration! 🌟 As an advocate for remote work, I've been exploring its nuances, including the challenges and successes. Today, I want to share a valuable experience that shed light on effective communication in distributed teams. We recently encountered a typical scenario in remote work: the development of a complex product with multiple teams involved. Our project, "Unified Schedule," aimed at streamlining construction work management across various development cycles. While the concept was clear, communication gaps slowed down progress. The absence of face-to-face interaction often led to misunderstandings and delays. Despite kick-off meetings, ongoing queries hindered both discovery and development phases. It became evident that a different approach was necessary to ensure everyone grasped the project's intricacies. Thanks to the proactive efforts of our Scrum Master and some of Product Owners, we organized a strategic session. Instead of a traditional Q&A, we opted for a collaborative workshop where each team member visualized their part in the system. Through this exercise, clarity emerged, and we crafted a finalized BPMN process diagram. This experience reinforced the importance of proactive communication strategies in remote settings. Despite the challenges, our team's dedication and adaptability turned obstacles into opportunities for growth and innovation. Stay tuned for more insights on remote work dynamics and strategies! Let's continue to embrace the possibilities of remote collaboration. 💼💡 #RemoteWork #Collaboration #Communication #CaseStudy #Innovation

it was enlightening!

The criteria of a good product manager - what are they? In the realm of product management, effectiveness reigns supreme. Here's a checklist to ensure your product manager is not just good, but truly effective: 1️⃣ Up-to-date Product Strategy: Relevance is key. No more outdated presentations gathering dust. An effective product manager keeps the strategy current and aligned with the evolving landscape. 2️⃣ Fully Developed Backlog: Stay ahead of the game with a backlog ready for action. An effective manager plans for at least 2 sprints ahead, ensuring smooth sailing for the development team. 3️⃣ Alignment of Metrics: Business metrics and product metrics should march to the same beat. An effective manager not only ensures alignment but also keeps a keen eye on how these metrics evolve over time. 4️⃣ Comprehensive User Journey Mapping (CJM): Every process within the realm of responsibility should have a user journey map. Bonus points if there's a detailed description of the business process itself. An effective manager leaves no stone unturned in understanding the user's perspective. 5️⃣ Regular User Feedback: Keep your finger on the pulse of user satisfaction. Effective managers conduct qualitative interviews at least once every 6 weeks, tailoring the frequency to suit the product's needs. 6️⃣ Swift Time-to-Market: In the fast-paced world of product development, speed matters. Complex enhancements should hit the market within 3 months, while simpler ones should take no more than 1.5 months. An effective manager ensures that innovation doesn't languish in the pipeline. In the pursuit of excellence, effectiveness is not just a trait—it's a necessity. Elevate your product management game with these essential criteria.

Do you know the situation when customer requirements do not match the product strategy? What should the product manager do? Well, it is a tricky situation, the main thing is to strike a delicate balance. Here are steps that could be taken: 1. Understand the request: Sometimes the customer's needs aren't immediately obvious, or they may have insights that weren't considered when formulating the product strategy. 2. Evaluate the impact: Consider how the customer's request aligns with long-term goals and vision 3. Explore alternatives: Look for alternative solutions that meet the customer's needs without deviating from the product strategy. This may involve finding common ground or compromising on certain aspects while ensuring alignment with the overall vision. 4. Make a decision: If the request has merit but does not fit the current strategy, prioritise it appropriately within the backlog. Consider factors such as customer importance, market impact, strategic value and resource availability. 5. Be transparent: Inform the CPO and stakeholders of the decision, get buy-in from all sides. 6. Document and review: Document the decision-making process and the rationale for prioritising certain features or requests over others. 7. Stay agile: Use agile methodologies to respond quickly to changing requirements and market dynamics. This flexibility allows adjustments to be made while maintaining focus on the overall product strategy.