Hit the Ground Running in just 20 days!

A framework for success for any product team.

By: Gilbert Bouzeid (Senior Technical Product Manager)

On March 18, 2024, I officially joined the Product Management Cloud Platform team at Guidewire Software! This marks my sixth adventure in the ever-evolving world of Cloud and AI technology. Leveraging 25 years of experience across diverse organizations, I’m thrilled to be here. From industry giants like eBay and Autodesk to a dynamic mobile startup, Mellon Financial, and even co-founding Orbeon, my journey has been rich and rewarding. Now, I’m excited to tackle new and exciting challenges at Guidewire!

Secret Sauce for Speed? Let’s break down the recipe for hitting the ground running in just 20 days at Guidewire.

• New hire orientation: This session is packed with everything you need to feel like a full-fledged rockstar. And the welcome email was loaded with resources, app information, and access to conquer any challenge.
• A step-by-step recipe for product mastery: These resources provided me with a solid grasp of the product, our customers, their needs (present and future), and the areas where our engineering team could create the biggest positive impact.
• The welcoming team: The best part was meeting my new team! My manager, the PMs, engineers, architects, and the broader management team — everyone has been incredibly helpful and welcoming, and they also possess impressive knowledge and technical expertise. I’m feeling right at home with this bunch already!

Guidewire Software Inc.

Guidewire isn’t your average software company. They’re on a mission to revolutionize the insurance industry with their cloud-based platform. Imagine happy policyholders, efficient claims processing, and brilliant developers building the future of insurance all under one roof (or should we say, cloud?).

Guidewire prides itself on three core values:

• Integrity: Building honest and transparent relationships, both internally and with customers and industry partners.
• Rationality: Facts and data are their best friends. Every decision is backed by clear thinking and a healthy dose of “let’s make sure this works!”
• Collegiality: Intentionally working together as professional equals to achieve greatness.

Week 1: The kick-off

The first week was all about getting settled in, meeting my amazing colleagues, and getting prepped with the knowledge and tools I needed to hit the ground running. It was straightforward and informative.

• Welcome to Guidewire: The New Hire Orientation was a fantastic way to kick things off. It equipped me with everything I needed to settle in smoothly. Session 1 dove into Workday, onboarding documents, and all the fantastic benefits (wellness programs, global mobility programs, and more). Session 2 took a deep dive into US-specific benefits (health insurance, time off, etc). In addition to the orientation sessions, the warm welcome I received from my manager and my team was a highlight. My manager provided a wealth of important information to get me started and answered all the initial questions I had. This personal touch made a big difference in helping me feel comfortable and prepared for my first week.
• Fueling Up & Fun: What better way to dive right in than with a team lunch! It was the perfect chance to bond with my new colleagues over delicious food and laughter.
• Tech Time: The amazing and helpful IT team got my computer and phone set up and ready to go. Huge thanks!
• Potential Unlocking: The BizTech team was always just a click away on our internal helpdesk Slack channel to answer any questions that popped up. And GWiz, the Guidewire “resident” AI whiz, helped me find the tools I needed and helped request access through ServiceNow.
• Course Charting: I received a comprehensive resource toolkit that got me up to speed fast! This included the Guidewire Cloud Platform Nomenclature, our PM team page on Confluence, a personalized onboarding plan, and many other essential documents I needed for my onboarding journey!
• First Mission: After thoroughly reviewing the product documentation, I took a customer-centric approach by completing the product setup process and running a full end-to-end use case to experience its capabilities firsthand.

Eager to learn more? Keep reading!

Team lunch!

Week 2: The Take Off

This week was all about taking flight and diving deeper into the world of Guidewire to equip me with the knowledge and context I needed to become a valuable contributor. Here’s what I focused on during this week:

Navigating the Roadmap:

• I reviewed the Company’s FY2024 VPMOM (Vision, Principles, Methods, and Objectives). This gave me a clear picture of our overall goals and how my work contributes to the bigger picture.
• I also prepared for liftoff by exploring the existing Q2 Product Roadmap in Confluence. This gave me a bird’s-eye view of the team’s current commitments and the features we’re aiming to deliver.

Customer Connection:

• I joined the main product Slack channel to dive right into customer conversations. Analyzing customer questions and requests provided a goldmine of insights!
• I started to identify recurring themes which lead to me on a treasure hunt. I wanted to discover: Are there any knowledge gaps in our documentation? Are there common customer pain points we can address? The intel I collected during this process proved to be crucial as I continued to ramp up.
• Time to meet the crew! Based on my analysis of the Slack channel, I began setting up customer discussions and meetups. This allowed me to connect with real customers, understand their needs directly, and build valuable relationships.

Teamwork:

• I was immediately integrated into the daily rhythm of the team. This included attending standup meetings, sprint planning sessions, and retrospectives. These sessions continue to be vital for staying aligned, discussing progress, and learning from past experiences.

Taking Control:

• After gaining a good understanding of the roadmap and customer needs, it was time to tackle the backlog. The backlog holds features and bug fixes to propel us forward. I worked with my team to evaluate these items and initiate an effective process for prioritization.

Insights:

• I showcased my analysis from the customer Slack channel, highlighting key data points, observations, and recommendations. This was a fantastic opportunity to share my newfound knowledge and propose solutions for customer concerns.

It was an exciting week filled with learning, collaboration, and customer focus!

Week 3: Gaining “Altitude”

This week was all about reaching new heights with the product! Let’s take a look at the key activities that helped me gain a deeper understanding and elevate our customer focus:

• Charting the Course: I created a comprehensive product roadmap for the calendar year within Aha! This roadmap utilized a Master Feature structure, linking to individual features, which in turn referenced Jira Epics. This work helped to establish a clear picture of our vision, broken down into actionable steps.
• Product Champion: To showcase the product’s capabilities, I developed a presentation for our PM team. It covered an introduction, an end-to-end demo, user personas, key features, and the product roadmap.
• Closing the Feedback Loop: Following through on insights gleaned from the previous week’s product Slack channel analysis, I actively addressed action items raised by our customers. I found tremendous value in demonstrating responsiveness and a commitment to customer needs.
• Closer to the Customer: Collaborating with the team, I became the dedicated point of contact for the product Slack channel. This close interaction and accountability gave me a real-time understanding of customer needs and concerns.
• Voice of the Customer: To capture in-depth customer feedback, I created an online survey titled “Your Feedback Matters.” This survey explored aspects like product satisfaction, support model effectiveness, customer pain points, and feature priorities — both current and future. The survey was widely distributed via the product Slack channel and personalized email blasts.
• Customer Interviews: These in-depth conversations provided valuable insights that complemented the information gathered through the online survey.

By proactively engaging with these initiatives during my third week, I gained significant altitude in my understanding of the product and its users. This customer-centric approach will be instrumental in shaping the product’s future success.

Week 4: Cruising through the “Clouds”

This week was all about navigating the valuable insights gleaned from our customer outreach! Let’s take a flight through the key activities that helped us unlock customer needs and refine our product strategy.

• Decoding the Feedback: A flood of responses poured in from our product survey! After meticulously cleaning and analyzing the data, I transformed it into a clear presentation to showcase what’s top of mind for our customers. This presentation unpacked key findings such as top customer concerns, feature requests, and overall sentiment. The insights were shared and presented to the engineering team, ensuring everyone was aligned with customer priorities.
• Charting the Course with the Team: Building upon customer feedback and in close collaboration with the engineering team, we tackled product backlog refinement and participated in the product sprint planning session. This collaborative approach ensured our development efforts were tightly aligned with customer priorities.
• Shifting Gears to Community Focus: We identified the power of a community-driven approach! This week, we explored transitioning the interruption-based support channel to a more collaborative model.
• Building Strong Alliances: Following insightful customer interviews, discussions, and meetups, I delved deeper into engagement with key partners. This included fostering a close collaboration model with the InfoSec team. By establishing these strong relationships, we ensure a smooth and comprehensive product experience for all stakeholders.

By diligently processing customer feedback, working closely with the team, and building strong partner relationships, I’ve effectively navigated the “clouds” of customer needs. This week’s efforts provided us with the necessary fuel to propel the product forward!

What’s Next

Here’s a glimpse of the What’s Next:

• Product Tech Talk: I am collaborating with the team to prepare a comprehensive tech talk for our customers. This presentation will showcase the product’s current and upcoming features, along with a captivating demo, a deep dive into the product architecture, and the product roadmap.
• Shape the Future: I’ll be gearing up for the quarterly planning sessions where we’ll prioritize and define product outcomes with a keen eye on ROI. Those sessions promise an engaging exploration of product strategy, capabilities, and investment opportunities.
• Customer Success Champion: In my ongoing pursuit of elevated customer success, I am exploring innovative solutions. This includes collaborating with key members on our Cloud Platform Team to investigate the potential of Generative AI for automating and expediting customer needs.
• Continuous Growth: Delving into my “Personal Statement and Goal Setting” page, charting out a personalized roadmap.

My journey at Guidewire has been incredibly rewarding. I’m energized by the prospect of tackling new product challenges alongside my current Product and amazing team. I strongly believe the same steps and procedures outlined above provide a framework for success on any product. I can’t wait to see the impact it will make!

Ready to join us and take flight? Explore your future at Guidewire today! https://careers.guidewire.com/

Check out our previous Blog Post for more information on A Day in the Life of a Cloud Common Services Engineer.