10 things Product Managers should constantly ask themselves

No matter the stage you’re in, constantly asking questions and testing assumptions is an absolute MUST for all Product Managers. If you’re not doing this then your product is bound to get left behind its competitors.

Since everyone likes list I decided to put together a top 10 list of questions that PMs should constantly be asking themselves.

1. Is our product truly easy to use for our users? It’s one thing to assume you’ve created the best user experience but it’s another to validate this. Your end users might not approach a problem the same way as you and your team does. So it’s important to constantly test and validate that your usr experience solves the user’s problems as easy as possible.
2. Are we constantly testing? Fostering a culture of constant testing, experimenting, prototyping, measuring, and validating can lead to long term growth. Complacency and a lack of trying to constantly improve can result in an outdated product.
3. Have I setup a cadence for qualitative user feedback? Analyzing quantitative metrics, user behaviors, and whatnot is important. But don’t forget about doing consistent qualitative analysis as well. Bring in users to your office, host usability tests, interview cohorts, talk to your customer support team. Do what it takes to have a steady supply of feedback from real users.
4. Am I fostering a culture of collaboration and communication? Nobody (i think) wants to be told what to do. So when you’re creating your roadmap or figuring out what the team should do next, don’t go at this mammoth task alone. Involve your design and dev teams, go at this together.
5. Am I utilizing my time best? It’s so terribly easy to get bogged down with last minute requests, stakeholder meetings, and the like. You don’t need to Accept every invite. When a new task pops up, take a step back and reconsider if this aligns with your prioritizes as a PM.
6. Am I providing the most value to my team? Ask tough questions, seek feedback from your teammates, do whatever it takes to understand if you’re providing the value your team needs. Always strive for more.
7. Am I obsessed with getting better? As a PM you should never feel like you’re the best you can be or that you’ve learned enough. You want to constantly seek ways to improve. When I say “improve” I’m not only talking about improving oneself but also the team, the product, processes, and more. You should always be learning and looking for ways to get better.
8. Are we actually running agile? I hate buzzwords and this is definitely one you should pause before using. If you’re executing on a 6–12 month roadmap, without any room for improvement or change, then you are not agile. It’s good to have a roadmap but a roadmap is meant to be constantly changed as you come across new insights and validate previous assumptions.
9. Are we truly a data-driven team? “Data-driven” is another buzzword constantly thrown around. Don’t just talk the talk, actually be data-driven. Have an easy-to-use system in place where anybody on your team (yes,, even marketing) can quickly view metrics or quantify a potential solution. Whether you’re testing, analyzing, or trying to improve a feature, always quantify what success looks like.
10. Am I assessing new opportunity? A strong PM not only deals with building for the NOW, but they should also be thinking about what’s coming. You shouldn’t wait for a stakeholder or someone else to tell you about a potential new opportunity.

If you’re not already asking yourself these tough questions, it’s time to start. I hope these get you going and feel free to add more.

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