On My Shelf with Melissa Perri — Product Management Leader, Executive Product Coach, Author, and Speaker (New York)
About
I grow future product leaders, so they can create great products. I wrote “Escaping the Build Trap”, teach Product Management at Harvard Business School, and founded Produx Labs & Product Institute to make that happen.
On my shelf
Testing Business Ideas
by David J. Bland & Alexander Osterwalder
My opinion
First the problem was getting buy in for product managers to experiment around product ideas. Now the question is, how do we conduct experiments well, and which ones should we run? David’s book is a field guide for experimentation, giving you lots of options and explaining why certain ones are best. He breaks down how to choose the right experiment and how to run it.
368 pages, Wiley 2019
Get this book (amazon.com, amazon.de)
Obviously Awesome
How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It
by April Dunford
My opinion
Typically, companies have seen product positioning as product marketing’s job, but it’s a necessary skill for crafting a great product strategy. April breaks down how to position your product in the market so that it appeals to the right customers. Tie that together with other factors of product strategy, and you’ve got a winning product.
202 pages, Ambient Press 2019
Get this book (amazon.com, amazon.de)
Rolling Rocks Downhill
If You Want To Learn Agile, Why Not Make It Fun?
by Clark Ching
My opinion
This book follows the fictitious story of a company learning to scope down a project and experiment through an MVP. The language in the book follows more standard Lean Manufacturing terms — like Theory of Constraints- but the lessons are the same as what we’d do in software product management. It’s a really fun read as well, as Clark writes it as a fiction book and develops all the characters.
320 pages, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2014
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Unlearn
Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results
by Barry O’Reilly
My opinion
One of the biggest blockers I’ve seen in organizations, is leaders relying too much on their past successes to change the way they work. You’ve been successful this far, but to reach the next level, you have to learn new ways of working. Barry breaks down how to do this. It’s a great book for anyone looking to grow.
228 pages, McGraw-Hill Education 2010
Get this book (amazon.com, amazon.de)
