Product Management in the Time of a Pandemic
Ask any PM about their experience managing a crisis, and they will respond, “Crisis? We are experts in creating and managing them.” I can remember several occasions when I pushed the red “launch” button, and sh*t hit the fan.
I have always applied a 3-step rule for a crisis:
- Get car out of ditch.
- Fix car and ditch.
- Look for ditches next time (including finding out how you ended up there!?).
There are several ways to manage crises, but this pandemic is different. It’s a “crisis marathon,” a new normal. It hits the core of how we work — the “co-located 3-in-a-box” (3 IAB) agile product philosophy Google and Marissa Mayer pioneered so well that most companies adopted it, including PayPal, where I work.
Now, product managers and CPOs need a new approach to how we build and launch products. Here are my thoughts on the three critical things PMs need to change given the current pandemic.
1. The 3-IAB
That’s you holding a coffee mug and a marker 3 months back. Say goodbye to that 3-IAB world. So what to do instead? We have started to use Miro, a terrific collaboration tool for product, designers and engineers, alike. The desktop version on Mac is snappy. As PMs, we need to get really good at this type of collaboration. So skill up, and figure out the best practices for tools, such as Miro, to use for brainstorms, backlog grooming sessions, roadmap planning sessions, etc. Please share in the comments below what else you are using. (P.S. I am not associated with Miro in any way.)
2. Communication routing
Great PMs are great communicators. They seamlessly route information from customers, customer support, sales and marketing, to engineering and design, and vice-versa, effortlessly translating information and synthesizing into sound bites for execs. You did this with casual hallway conversations, stopping by a desk, pulling someone aside for a quick chat to talk about that killer WWDC announcement. Say goodbye to all that! So, what to do now? This one is tough. Here is one version that might work: 1:1 time on Zoom, Teams or Hangout — a bingo version with as many people in the org as possible — so you can stay connected. A co-worker at PayPal has built a Slack bot that helps choose/match a colleague to talk with based on their availability. The critical insight is you need to figure out a way to continue to route information well. Your company is relying on you to do it.
3. The online visionary
Great PMs guide engineers, designers, sales and marketing with a sense of purpose and direction for the product. How can you convey this purpose and passion when all they can see is you in a 2x2 Zoom box? The answer may have to be in multiple ways: through writing (long form), reading and listening well. There are no shortcuts here, as you have lost several arrows in your quiver. For example, one of my go-to ways when talking about vision with a large audience is do an interactive Q&A. This gets everyone thinking, engaged and talking. You need to be able to read the audience to get the message across. See this video of Steve Jobs’ marketing strategy; he pauses and waits for reactions. How do you do this online? Here are some ideas: Show your face on Zoom/Teams/Hangout. This automatically creates a safety zone for others to show themselves. Take the time to read people’s expressions, tone, hand gestures … that’s the best you can get. Repeat communications, and follow up with those on the call with 1:1s or n:1s. Ask them what they think of the vision. This is the only way you can be sure everyone gets it.
We are 3 months into the pandemic and, increasingly, realizing that building products is more difficult now. I hope these ideas help you in some small way. I would love to hear your secret weapons and what you are doing to be effective.
