Ralph Black Ferguson

If you're passionate about product management, you've likely thought about what makes a product-centric organization successful. Spoiler alert: it starts with empowered product teams! 💪✨ But what exactly defines a strong product team? According to Marty Cagan in his foundational book, Inspired, empowered product teams are cross-functional, agile, and operate with clear purpose. However, how a company structures its product team often depends on its scale, goals, and how central Product is to its vision. A strong product team typically includes: ● A product manager, product designer, and a handful of engineers (from two to twelve). ● Additional roles like product marketing, user research, data analysis, and QA may vary, but ideally, they work closely with the core team. ● In Cagan’s view, durable product teams—those that aren't constantly reshuffled—hold onto their knowledge and become deeply invested in their product’s success. These teams become product missionaries, focused on delivering outcomes, not just outputs. There's no single formula for every organization, and iterating on team structure is just as important as iterating on the product itself! For those who want to dive deeper, you can pick up Inspired in the first comment. To speak at our ProductTank Birmingham events, hold a workshop or any other formats you think would be useful for our audience, reach out to our co-organisers. Janice Feighery | Nohit Arora | Matt Vercauteren | Mahdi Barkhordari

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✨ 5x types of product vision ✨ Product visions are hugely effective at two things: 1. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - making it clear what you're building 2. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - making everyone care about what you're building But how do you actually do that? "Product vision" is one of the most ambiguous terms in product management... Right up there with "roadmap" and "product strategy" 😜 We've found 5x ways people use the term: 1. 𝗔 𝟭-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 This crisply sums up the future you want to build ✅ Memorable and stable 🚨 Very ambiguous and easily confused with a mission statement. 2. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 3-4 bullet points describing key benefits and features you want to offer ✅ Fast to create and clear what the customer benefits are 🚨 Hard to envisage what we're talking about 3. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 Roman Pichler's famous business canvas ✅ Triangulates on vision from both customer and business perspective 🚨 Not at all inspiring 4. 𝗣𝗥 / 𝗙𝗔𝗤𝘀 Amazon's thorough process for drafting a press release and FAQs up front ✅ Holistic appraisal of the merit of a new idea 🚨 Significant effort to do well, still not visual 5. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 Vision in a prototype. A series of mockups, often with a storyboard narrative ✅ Vivid and inspiring illustration of what you're building 🚨 Can be lots of work to create We're a big fan of vision types, but which one is right for you? What are the right trade offs for you to make? Full article here: https://lnkd.in/drGGcC4x

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Most people hate writing or reading product documentation, and to be honest, excessive documentation can be a waste of time. Yet, a 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐒𝐑𝐒) doc is thought of as the foundation for all other documents and can shape further development work ⚙️📄 An SRS is the type of document that you take the effort to create once early in the product development life cycle and then use for a very long time. Such product specs get everyone who's involved in the product's development on the same page. Its main aim is to describe the product in focus, blueprinting the work ahead along with the deliverables and expectations. The wording is usually simple and helps both techie and non-techie minds avoid confusion. For many, it's the go-to document for cross-checking quality and making decisions. We've lined out everything you need to know about 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 🟡  what a software requirements specification is 🟡  in which cases it's not a must-have document 🟡  what to include in an SRS document 🟡  a sample SRS structure outline 🟡  step-by-step instructions on how to write one 🟡  and more! Keep reading to find additional tips on making an SRS as well as learn which common mistakes to avoid ⤵ https://lnkd.in/dvzQFH4m #ProductDevelopment #SRS #TechRequirements #startups

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Three product management definitions: "Product management is the intersection between business, technology, and the user experience." - Martin Eriksson "The job of a product manager is to discover a product that is valuable, usable, and feasible." - Marty Cagan. "Product manager is the CEO of the product." - Ben Horowitz Add yours in the comments ⬇️ 

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We meet a lot of PMs who've been hired into early startups without PMF. Tough gig. Here's how I'd think about it. Product Market Fit is not a pure product problem. This is a whole business problem where you need to line up 5 core factors: 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 Who are you serving? What visible signals allow you to find them? 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 What do they want? What are their alternatives? 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 What will people pay to solve this problem? What budget are you going after? 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 What are the benefits you can offer that are exciting? How do you deliver these? 𝗚𝗼-𝗧𝗼-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 How do you tell people about your solution? Both initially for validation, and then in a scalable way (Content / WOM / Paid / Sales)? And PMF isn't a binary thing. It's something that you (hopefully) make stronger over time. The levels might look something like this: 1 - Can you find any customers? 2 - Can you make them stay? 3 - Can you make the pay? 4 - Do they come seek you out? What IS very much like a product problem is how you iterate up these levels. Because product management is often about managing the risks of innovation, and finding PMF is the ultimate example of this. Start by setting an "innovation budget". i.e. the amount of time / effort I wanted to look into this idea. And use something like Matt LeMay's survival / success metrics as goals for this period. • Above success metric: crack on, make next investment • Below success metric: pivot • Below survival metric: kill Within that time, be super focused on answering whatever was keeping me up at night, the really core assumptions or unknowns. That's across all 5 PMF dimensions, so might mean changing customer / problem / pricing / solution / GTM This isn't a sure fire way of finding PMF. It's is still something that's very difficult to do. But this is a way to maximise your odds. It's pretty much what we did for Hustle Badger: Oct '22: invest 1 month speaking to PMs to feel out learning needs and budget Nov '22: invest 4 months getting to 1k subscribers Feb '23: invest 10 months finding conversion rate to paid Dec '23: invest 12 months exploring growth levers ... so far, so good, but it's still early days. ❤️ Like this post? ❤️ Check out Hustle Badger for more practical advice for product leaders and get the support you deserve. Wiki + Courses + Community + Events https://lnkd.in/e9Kq3J_k

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How to make your product descriptions convert.  4 tips for compelling copy: 1. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲    Picture your target customer. Think about what motivates them and what their pain points are. Think about how they talk, how their friends describe them, and what fills their cup. Now write for 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.     2. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀    A list of features tells your customers what a product is, but not why they need it. Communicate what problem this product will solve or how it will enhance their life.     3. 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲    When customers can’t experience a product in person, use words that close the sensory gap. Soft, warm, aromatic, iridescent – tell your customers what they can expect from the product once they’ve got their hands on it.     4. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲    You've got a matter of seconds to get your key messages across. Use short sentences, with clear keywords and avoid chunky paragraphs.        Make important information like ingredients and specifications digestible with sub-headings and bullet points. Better still, make the sections collapsable, so they know where to find the information without being overwhelmed by it. Want some fresh eyes on your words? We've got a copywriter that can help with that. Get in touch for a copy audit. #conversion #copywriting  

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𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 "𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸" 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 We often hear product leaders hesitate to engage an external consultancy, thinking: "It's too risky." But what if we reframe this? What if, instead, we asked: "How can we leverage external expertise while minimizing risk?" Here's how: 1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹: Test the waters with a minor project before big commitments. 2. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀: Establish detailed milestones and expectations upfront. 3. 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿: Make learning from the agency part of the deal. 4. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀: Address issues early with frequent touchpoints. When managed well, external partners can: • Bring fresh perspectives • Provide specialized skills • Accelerate time-to-market When working with us, you can start small: confidently tap into our external expertise, driving innovation without compromising security. #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #RiskMitigation

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Expanding your knowledge through reading can elevate your product management skills 5 Product Management books on Product Development 📚'Play Bigger' by Christopher Lochhead 📚'Inspired' by Marty Cagan 📚'Crossing the Chasm' by Geoffrey A. Moore 📚'The Lean Startup' by Eric Ries 📚'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' by Ben Horowitz Share your favourite book with us in the comments! #productmanagement #product #productschool #enoverlab #productmanagement #productmanagement #career #tech

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"We want to strengthen our product organization" "We've gone too far without proper product processes" "The relationship between product and engineering isn’t working well" These are just some of the things I hear from potential clients. So what does it take to change the product culture in your company? You need to look at it holistically, from several angles. I always like to start from the top - with product strategy. If you ask me, this is the place that will make the most impact with the least effort. It’s not that there's no effort here, but the impact of a correct strategic process is immediate and easily implemented. It's also one of the areas with the most untreated gaps that must be closed in order to move forward. Strategy comes along with strengthening product leadership - whoever leads the product in your organization (usually one of the founders or VP of Product). By strengthening I mean bringing strategic product thinking into management decisions, along with a shift in the language you use - from features and deliverables to the problems you want to solve and desired outcomes. Next usually comes a strategic roadmap and proper goals, which are connected to the company's business objectives and not just dealing with the product deliverables. When all of these are done properly, suddenly there is a noticeable gap between product leadership and product management levels in the company. In the end, product managers are swamped with execution-related tasks, and it’s not always easy to do anything else. To apply the mindset change to the product managers’ level, again several angles are needed: The strategy itself - needs to be communicated and clear to everyone. Even if product managers don't define the strategy, they must understand it in depth and use it as a context for everything they do. Motivation for change - what I usually see is that product managers want to grow and better connect to strategy and business, and once you start involving them, motivation rises. I still remember what it felt like to be part of important decision-making as a product manager. But this is not always simple, because sometimes product managers don't have the skills needed to succeed. Not because they did something wrong, but because they never learned how to manage a product from the top and not just deal with features. There are various ways to strengthen them in this area - for example through my coaching or participating in the Product Leadership Launchpad. And only at the very end, do we get to deal with the processes - those that brought us here to begin with. It's not that processes don't change along the way, but they change naturally. Finalizing a formal process can only happen after we already know they work for everyone. So what about you? Do you have all the components needed for change? Where are you in the process? If you want my help with this complex transformation, let’s talk >>>> https://bit.ly/3Hbn1es

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Worthy Read: Product vs. Feature Teams by Marty Cagan This thought-provoking post by Marty Cagan has already generated a lot of response within the product community. Marty distinguishes between empowered "product teams" that focus on outcomes and roadmap-driven "feature teams" that focus on outputs. Definitely give this one a read! Check it out here: https://buff.ly/2UbYGf2 ❓ Based on Marty Cagan's article, how do you think transitioning from a feature team to an empowered product team can impact your team's overall effectiveness and innovation? Have you experienced this transition, and what challenges or benefits did you notice? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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From Product Talk: Leading the Change: How Ellen Juhlin Introduced Discovery Habits at Orion Labs If you’re a product leader, you might be wondering how you can introduce continuous discovery habits in a way that will make the maximum impact but still manage to avoid confusing or disrupting your team unnecessarily. I sat down with fellow Product Talk instructor Ellen Juhlin to learn how she approached this challenge at Orion Labs. Tune in for an honest take on what org transformation looks like in action. Read more: https://buff.ly/3L9b9M4 ❓ When introducing continuous discovery habits to your team, what has been the most effective first step? How did you get your team engaged? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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“We’re talking about product teams here. They don’t know what experimentation is. They don’t know a thing about A/B testing. They don’t have statistics. How do you take a team from that to 1 experiment? Do things as fast as possible. Break stuff along the way and catch up. “We broke this, let’s learn why.” We’ve done this 12+ times. After a time, you hone this, and today we have a process that’s almost a blueprint. A step-by-step, paint-by-numbers onboarding process. It’s a high-level process that includes: - What’s experimentation? - Why is it important for our company? - What value does experimentation bring? - How do we operate as a Center of Excellence? When you’re teaching other teams, people get a bit defensive. “Yeah, thanks for helping me, but are you trying to take away my stuff? Take away my product?” Yes, you’re helping, but you need to position this in the right way — you’re helping others achieve their goals and roadmaps. Our onboarding process includes a sort of agreement between us and the product teams. It speaks of things like: - Here are the top priorities for your squad. - Here are the KPIs you’ll use to gauge success. - Here are strategies you can use to reach those KPIs. If you don’t have things like these, everything can fall apart. Because there’s no agreement. You won’t be clear on goals, KPIs, responsibilities, and accountabilities.” By Stewart Ehoff, Testing Insights: Talks on experimentation team structures, episode 1 Link for the whole blog post in the comments!

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