The document discusses the role of a product manager and how it differs from traditional project management. A product manager focuses on continuously delivering value to users by solving problems, while project managers focus on delivering something within a fixed time and budget. Product managers own defining the user problem and value, prioritize work, and ensure communication. They empower developers to focus on possibilities rather than just development. Success is measured by ongoing delivery of user value rather than just completing a project. The document advocates for a product mindset of balanced, cross-functional teams focused on understanding user needs.

1. 1
wtf is
product?
Emma Mulholland
Product Manager @ShopKeep
Co-founder @ProductTank Belfast
Previously: Allstate NI, Marks&Spencer.com,
Tesco.com

2. Covering:
● What exactly does a Product Manager do?
● The old project world (and why we don’t like that)
● What is ‘product?’ (why does this help?)
● Balanced teams
● Success in product
@_emulholland

3. https://youtu.be/hNuu9CpdjIo
I have goddamn people skills!
@_emulholland

4. I want something shiny,
in x time & for y money
Old (project) world
What would
you like?
@_emulholland

5. Something
SHINY please!
Old (project) world
Sure thing!
@_emulholland

6. A product
Delivers user and business
value by solving a problem
@_emulholland
Product mindset
Outcome based product
development; using a durable,
passionate, cross functional,
co-located team.
https://svpg.com/establishing-a-true-product-culture/
https://svpg.com/product-vs-it-mindset/

7. Here be the magic (aka
product)
@_emulholland
You are
here!
User
(usable)
Technology
(feasible)
Business
(viable)

8. Balanced teams
@_emulholland
● Product Manager/Owner
● Developers
● Product Designer
● Tester
● Business SME

9. Make assumptions. Validate.
Repeat.
@_emulholland
Product
User
Problem
Value
Proposed
solution
Research
Experiments
Measures

10. Product Lifecycle
Alignment
Project
Goals
Problem
Discovery
Solution
Framing
Roadmap
Planning
Design
Development
Testing
Measure
& React
Grow, Pivot
or Kill
@_emulholland
Mind the Product, Product Management 101 and 102 training course

11. A Product Manager:
● Owns the ‘why’ (user problem)
● Drives the ‘what’ (business/user value)
● Makes (fast) decisions
● Prioritizes work based on value
● Communicates. Communicates. Communicates.

12. Product Managers empower
developers to:
@_emulholland
● Focus on new possibilities with the technology
● Own the ‘how’
● Input to the ‘what’ of the product
● Make technology decisions
● Manage tech debt

13. Success?
Project
vs
Product

14. Project Productvs
Ongoing prioritisation and
iteration
KPIs, team morale, user
value delivered
Limited
Informal demos, regular
agile ceremonies
Well defined in initial, early
phase and fixed
Deployment of something
on time and budget
Comprehensive
Formal meetings and status
reporting

15. Main takeaways
● The Product Manager is your friend!
● One team - not engineering delivering to product
● Devs don’t just ‘dev’
● Fall in love with the problem
● Understand value
@_emulholland

16. We all have goddamn
people skills

17. Still interested?
@_emulholland