Product Digest is where I will share findings on product management I found on journey to become a remote product manager.
Before diving into the various findings, I just want to share a product I made recently using no-code tools called Support By Human. It is a directory of customer support channels to help ecommerce entrepreneurs get customer support easily. I might write a detailed account on this one day. Meanwhile, check it out at SupportbyHuman.com
1. Product discovery at Apple
Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) is a product management gem I recently found. In one of the older posts, they discussed about the product discovery process at Apple based on the book Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs, by Ken Kocienda, who has spent 15 years at Apple and worked on the keyboard design of the iPhone.
Apple creates some of the most iconic and best products in our era. However, not much is known on how they designed, discover, manage or build products. The article serves more of an intro / review to the book — some of the most interesting insights are definitely how they run the product discovery process when no one knows iPhone would be a thing, and everyone is still obsessed with having a physical keyboard like the BlackBerry’s.
Unfortunately the book (hardcopy) isn’t available anywhere outside of US at the time of writing. So I can only do with this at the moment.
2. What’s your anti-product roadmap?
Every product manager knows their key priority is to prioritize things on the roadmap. It sounds like roadmap is an ever-growing document, but this article argues the idea of an anti-product roadmap: which focuses on using the roadmap to remove existing feature(s), instead of adding more.
I am definitely in favour of this, especially if you are building a rather complex product. Product management is larger than the roadmap, and anything that makes the user experience more delightful while reducing technical complexity is good. You might just really want to consider this.
3. What to do in your first 30 days as product manager?
I think it’s normal for newly joined product manager to get nervous over the KPIs and goals set for them, and end up trying to implement big change in their first 30 days.
I love this article for its simplicity, clarity and necessity as a reminder for myself and every product manager that the things that matter will always be the team, the users, the product and the bosses — in this order.
4. r/ProductManagement — Seeking advice: How to ‘product manage’ a legacy system
Not two product managers face the same set of challenge, and the r/productmanagement on Reddit is just the great place to learn how everyone is dealing with these different challenges.
Here is one of the more insightful and memorable discussions I found:
5. Do you need a product manager?
Nick Francis of HelpScout writes about their product process and why they don’t need a product manager in this process. To be fair, Nick doesn’t undermine the role of product manager but simply stating HelpScout doesn’t need one in their process right now.
As a product manager, this is something worth thinking and asking. I truly believe in the discipline of product management on it helps to build a better product and better team sustainably, but I am definitely torn at times on how it could be applied most effectively in different organization, whether with or without product manager, or even formalized product processes.
I wouldn’t say HelpScout is at the opposite end of product management, but it does provide some perspective and thinking space for product management as a discipline.
UPDATE: Further comment from Nick.
6. Course: Micro acquisition
I recently took and completed the Micro Acquisition course by Ryan Kulp. This is obviously not a product management course and not targeting at product managers, but I have learned so much fundamentals in the course and found its content helpful to those transitioning into a PM role.
The course covered quite a bit of ground, personally I found the deal flow, negotiation, financing and various skills in quantitative and qualitative analysis to be useful. For anyone who has no prior experience with developers and designers, there is also a modules dedicated to this.
Check it out below:
Micro Acquisition by Ryan Kulp
Disclosure: Affiliate Link — I will be paid a small sum when you signed up, at no additional cost to you.
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