If you are interested in becoming a problem thinker and solution finder then keep on watching this presentation by NFL Product Manager.

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How to Be a Problem Thinking PM by
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8. Christian Salem
TONIGHT’S SPEAKER

9. About me
• Born and raised in Santa Monica
• Played football at Northwestern 2012-2016
• Graduated with Econ degree
• Got a job in Product at InviteManager
• Aug 2018 started as Product Manager at the NFL
for Clubs Web products

10. NFL Clubs Web Products

11. What I’d like to offer...
• A framework for thinking about software
problems
• Not revolutionary
• Not complex
• Not the only way of getting things done
• The best framework I’ve found for solving
problems in my career and in my life

12. What is the problem you are
trying to solve?

13. “If I had an hour to solve a problem
and my life depended on the solution,
I would spend the first 55 minutes
determining the proper question to
ask, for once I know the proper
question, I could solve the problem in
less than five minutes.”

14. Einstein!
“If I had an hour to solve a problem
and my life depended on the solution,
I would spend the first 55 minutes
determining the proper question to
ask, for once I know the proper
question, I could solve the problem in
less than five minutes.”

15. Defining the Problem
Why?
• The best way to make sure your solution is optimal is to
clearly define the problem.
• Eliminates wasted time and resources.
• When a problem is clearly defined, the best solution often
reveals itself to you.
• Solutions can be tested against a well defined problem.
• If you rush problem definition, or you will arrive at a rushed
solution.

16. Product Management is
Problem Management

17. Quick Book Recommendation
Lean Product Playbook by Dan
Olsen
He discusses the difference
between the “Problem Space”
and the “Solution Space”

18. NASA Example
• NASA needed a way for astronauts to write in Space
• Pens require gravity for ink to get to paper
• In 1965, they spent $1 million to create a gravity-less pen

19. NASA Example
• NASA needed a way for astronauts to write in Space
• Pens require gravity for ink to get to paper
• In 1965, they spent $1 million to create a gravity-less pen
The Soviets gave their astronauts pencils

20. Poorly Defined Problem
Problem 1: We need a pen to work in zero gravity.
Poor Solution: Waste money

21. Well Defined Problem
Problem 2: We need a method of taking notes that
does not require electricity, and is cost effective.
Optimal Solution: Pencil

22. What was the difference?
2 characteristics of a well defined problem:
1. Broad Goal
2. Narrow Constraints

23. What was the difference?
2 characteristics of a well defined problem:
1. Broad Goal: A method of taking notes
2. Narrow Constraints:

24. What was the difference?
2 characteristics of a well defined problem:
1. Broad Goal: A method of taking notes
2. Narrow Constraints:
a. Does not require electricity
b. Does not cost a lot of money

25. What was the difference?
2 characteristics of a well defined problem:
1. Broad Goal
2. Narrow Constraints
This allows your engineers to be simultaneously
creative and focused

26. How do we apply this thinking to
various Product Manager tasks?

27. Writing a User Story
User Story: 1st person perspective of the user
Acceptance Criteria: The criteria the feature will
have to meet to be accepted by the Product owner

28. Writing a User Story
User Story: Broad Goal
Acceptance Criteria: Narrow Constraints

29. User Story Example

30. User Story Example
Clubs came to us with poorly defined problem:
Add different media types (images, videos, etc.) to
the WYSIWYG text editor that powers the Player
Bios.
This is a solution, not a problem.

31. What is the problem you are trying to solve?
User Story: As a Club Editor, I want to post different kinds of
media to the Player Detail Page, because I want to tell the story
of my player’s career.
Acceptance Criteria:
GIVEN I am a Club Editor
WHEN I view the Player object
THEN I see existing media uploaded to my site
AND I am able to post this media to the Player Detail Page

32. What was the solution?

33. What was the solution?

34. Using Data to Identify the Problem
• A user or stakeholder may present you a
problem
• You can use data to determine if this is a poorly
defined or well defined problem

35. Using Data to Identify the Problem
• Ticket sales are down
• Hypothesized problem: Ticket links are not
prominent enough on Club sites
• When we looked at the data, we found that
more users were clicking these links than ever
before.
• Actual problem: conversion

36. What metrics should I be focused on?
What is the problem you are trying to solve?
• You can always start with your Business Goals
• Let’s say your primary Business Goal is Revenue
• The Club Sites earn Revenue through display ads
and video pre-roll ads.
• Display ad impressions increase with pageviews
• Video pre-roll ads increase with video-begins

37. What metrics should I be focused on?
Poorly defined problem: We need to increase
revenue.
Well defined problem: We need to increase
pageviews and video-begins while maintaining a
quality UX.

38. Prioritizing a Roadmap: A problem-
oriented approach
What is the problem you are trying to solve... right
now?
• It may be a Business Goal
• Revenue-related
• Tech debt
• UX
• Or it may be more practical...

39. Prioritizing a Roadmap Example
• I was struggling to come up with my 2019 Q1
roadmap proposal.
• I asked one of my coworkers what he thought
was most important to be worked on right now.
• He said, “If Jerry Jones Jr. calls our bosses during
the playoffs, we’re f---ed.”

40. Prioritizing a Roadmap Example
• What is the problem you are trying to solve?
– Client satisfaction!
• Q1 Roadmap will focus on
– Club requests!

41. User Research
“If I had asked my
customers what they
wanted they would have
said a faster horse”

42. User Research
“If I had asked my
customers what they
wanted they would have
said a faster horse”
-Henry Ford

43. User Research
• It’s not that you shouldn’t ask users about
problems.
• It’s that they are far more likely to provide you
solutions than problems.
• The key to good user research is going that extra
step to identify the problem.
• When customers offer an answer, ask why

44. User Research Example
Chargers game research:
• One of the site editors proposed a solution:
change the page preview time from 10 minutes
to 1 hour.
• When asked why, she explained that getting a
new page approved (ex: 2019 Season Tickets)
takes more than 10 minutes.

45. User Research Example
Problem if I had not asked why: Page preview time is only 10
minutes and not 1 hour.
Problem after asking why: Page preview time does not account
for a variety of approval workflows before a page can be
published.
Additional constraints unknown to user: We must still support
short preview times due to security reasons.

46. User Research Example
Broad goal: Support a variety of approval workflows for
page publishing.
Narrow Constraints: Preview time must be at least 1
hour for some approval use cases and less than 10
minutes for other high security use cases.
Optimal Solution: Configurable preview time.

47. When not to use problem-oriented approach?
• Solution options are extremely limited (1-2)
• Impossible to know the root problem, and you
must select a “best-guess” solution
• Someone else has already solved this problem in
a sufficient way.
• Time crunch
• Anything else?

48. Everyday life problems
You can take this problem-oriented thinking
strategy outside of the tech office and into your
life.
Just ask yourself, what is the problem you are
trying to solve?

49. Job Search: Solution Approach
• Browse LinkedIn for open positions.
• Apply to all jobs you are qualified for.
• Land on whatever job offers you first.

50. Job Search: Problem Approach
Broad Goal: I want to work for a tech company with
a product I am passionate about.
Narrow Constraints:
• Position cannot require significant engineering
experience
• Location must be commutable
• Salary must pay $X

51. Birthday Party Example
• 3 of my best friends and I have birthdays within
a week.
• Every year, we combine for a huge birthday
party to consolidate resources, people, etc.
• It was a few days before the party, and we did
not have a venue, transportation, food, drinks,
or music planned.

52. Birthday Party Example
• I was very stressed out and I asked myself, what
is the problem you are trying to solve… right
now?
• Venue.
• We allocated all efforts towards finding a
suitable venue, and everything else worked out
alright

53. W.I.N.

54. What’s important now?
What is the problem you are
trying to solve?

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