Keynote from Product Camp LA 2014. Maps out good / better / best for various dimensions of tech product management and introduces lighthearted idea of "minimum viable product management." Mostly images and big ideas, rather than detailed checklists or how-to.

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Product Management:
Good, Better, Best
Rich Mironov
1 March 2014
1
©
Rich
Mironov,
2014

2. • Veteran product manager/executive
• 6 startups, including as CEO
• “The Art of Product Management”
• First Product Camp, first product tracks
at Agile conference
ABOUT RICH MIRONOV
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3. • Focus on deliverables
and processes
• Engineering and
Marketing notice
promptness before
quality
• But great product management >> deliverables
• We earn our pay by making hard decisions
HARD TO QUANTIFY PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
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4. REQUIRED SPORTS ANALOGY:
[1] LEARN THE BASICS
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5. [2] TECHNICAL MASTERY
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6. [3] BRILLIANCE >> TECHNIQUE
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7. • “Minimally viable product manager”
• Learn the tools, keep the product process flowing
• Technical mastery
• Best practices, efficient processes, successful products
• Strategist
• Creative solutions, competitive advantage,
seeing around corners
GOOD, BETTER, GREAT
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
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8. • Market insight
• Agile
• Pricing
• Organizational thinking
FOUR ASPECTS
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9. “Daddy said that
customers will
want this.”
MINIMALLY VIABLE MARKET INSIGHT
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10. TECHNICAL MASTERY: KNOWN
MARKETS, UNDERSTOOD NEEDS
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11. DEEPLY CHANNELING
CUSTOMER NEEDS
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12. • Choose a model
• Play your part
• Make some music
MINIMALLY VIABLE
AGILE PRODUCT OWNERSHIP
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13. • Teamwork
• Right-sized
stories
• Groomed
backlog
• Efficient
planning
• Harmony
TECHNICAL MASTERY OF
AGILE PRODUCT OWNERSHIP
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14. • Whole team contributes to market insights
• “Customer problems are we trying to solve” instead
of “what customers asked for”
TRANSCENDING TEXTBOOK PROCESSES
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15. We have a price
• Matches competition
• Doesn’t delay launch
MINIMALLY VIABLE PRICING
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B2B:
$20
per
month
per
user

16. Apply well-
known
models
correctly
TECHNICAL MASTERY OF PRICING
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Basic
Expanded
Advanced
Core
feature
#1
√
√
√
Core
feature
#2
√
√
√
Core
feature
#3
√
√
√
Baseline
support
(5*8,
email)
√
√
√
Baseline
capacity
√
√
√
Monthly
newsleFer
√
√
√
Major
upgrade
feature
√
√
Cool
feature
√
√
Extra
capacity
√
√
Expanded
service
hours
(6*12)
√
√
Professional
feature
√
Tons
of
capacity
√
Concierge
service
(24*7,
phone)
√
Golf
with
sales
rep
√
CEO
welcome
leFer
√

17. New pricing model changes basis of competition
STRATEGIC MARKETPLACE
DISRUPTION THROUGH PRICING
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19. • Plays well with others
• Sales is willing to invite
to customer meetings
MINIMALLY VIABLE
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
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20. • Knows what motivates
stakeholders and team
• Smoothly leads without
authority
• Understands org charts and
organizational structures
TECHNICAL MASTERY OF
ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS
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21. • Sorts roles from personalities,
anticipates behaviors
• Coaches across all levels
and functions
• Given our executive team,
how should we be structured?
STRATEGIC INSIGHT INTO
PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
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22. Deeply understands customer needs…
Can quantify the value of solutions…
Partners to get great product built…
Gently manages the organization…
Helps customers discover/appreciate/buy
SO A GREAT PRODUCT MANAGER…
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CONTACT
Rich Mironov
San Francisco, CA 94102
RichMironov
@RichMironov
Rich@Mironov.com
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