#martycagan

[hotoop]

一般社団法人日本CPO協会（代表理事：ケンワカマツ、以下日本CPO協会）は、最新のプロダクトマネジメント知識を共有する「Product Leaders Week 2024」を2024年10月22日（火）から10月24日（木）まで開催いたします。

[5mincolumns]

+ One Question

for Marty Cagan

Martin: In Inspired and Empowered you’ve amplified the role of ethics in software product development and leadership.

Working at Google was considered a dream job twenty years ago. Working in the 21st century big tech is like working in a 20-century tobacco company now. Kari Paul from Guardian wrote that these companies do not take enough responsibility for their platforms and their impact on society: “The result is less innovation, fewer choices for consumers, and a weakened democracy.”

You pointed out on Twitter the case of Sophie Zhang, a former data analyst at Facebook, with a hint of bittery: “So many in our industry like to talk how important ethics is, yet consider how many product people are willing to work for this company, or respect their leaders…” I am very curious to hear your opinion about what happened with these companies, what are the roots of change from revolutionary product disruptors to aggressive predators?

Marty: First, I do not consider working at most “big-tech” companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon, Netflix or the like today as anything like a tobacco company. No company is perfect, but it is not fair or accurate to put them into the same category as Facebook, for example. And even Facebook I would not characterize as an “aggressive predator.”

I suspect the root of unethical companies is the same as it has always been: greed. When you combine that with a government that provides very little policy to protect consumers, you have a recipe for abuse.

[schmanguss]

#reading #professionaldevelopment #growth #productmanagement #productleadership #svpg #siliconvalleyproductgroup #martycagan #martycaganbooks #sequeltoinspired #tech #product #development #lessons #productteams #innovation https://www.instagram.com/p/CKbiy9lDmnx/?igshid=vq6xmnw5hz19

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#martycagan on the tragedy of committing to product dates too early… -- So, what to do? The key is to understand that the root cause of all this grief about commitments is when these commitments are made. They are made too early. They are made before we know whether we can deliver on this obligation, and even more important, whether what we deliver will solve the problem for the customer. In the continuous discovery and delivery model, the discovery work is all about answering these questions before we spend the time and money to build production‐quality products. So, the way we manage commitments is with a little bit of give and take. We ask the executives and our other stakeholders to give us a little time in product discovery to investigate the necessary solution. We need the time to validate that solution with customers to ensure it has the necessary value and usability, with engineers to ensure its feasibility, and with our stakeholders to ensure it is viable for our business. Once we have come up with a solution that works for our business, we now can make an informed and high‐integrity commitment about when we can deliver and what business results we can expect. -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

[jugnubakshi]

Mid-week reading for product managers, designers, developers and business-folks. Highly recommended!

[5mincolumns]

5min books review #9

Marty Cagan with Chris Jones: Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products

Value for money

7/10

Year, Price, Pages, Cover design

2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; EUR 26,99; 416 pages (The content itself 395 pages; Acknowledgements 2 pages, About the Authors 2 pages; Index 16 pages); Hardcover

Cover design by Paul McCarthy, Author photos by Jill Warburton, Top-quality paper, the exquisite reading experience

5 sentences about the book

Compendium of knowledge and “how to’s” that should stand on the desk (not the shelf!), at every product people/line managers fingertips. At the same time it’s a very frustrating reading, but I mean it in a good sense: “The best science fiction of 2020: Like a Utopia, we all are trying to reach but still miles away from being there” (Daniil Lanovyi, Goodreads). Authors the authors touch upon topics such as coaching, staffing, product vision and principles, team topology, product strategy, team objectives and company transformation.

What did I learn?

Product strategy. The way Cagan/Jones explain product strategy is stunning and a must-read for every product manager. Focus, Insight, Action are three pillars that set product strategy in place. Authors describe their meaning very well — it’s very useful to change your daily approach.

Coaching. Lissa Adkins put coaching in the centre of attention in working with agile teams ten years ago, but this book was written for the specific role of an Agile Coach. Cagan/Jones put coaching in the very centre of line management as such and so re-define the role and purpose of people management/line management. Coaching is not secondary, it is not a spare time activity anymore, but “It is the most important responsibility of every people manager to develop the skill of their people”. Cagan/Jones provide steps, tools and essential guidance on how should coaching look like in modern 21. century company.

The Written Narrative. It’s a completely new tool for me — I really didn’t hear about it before! I wrote the written narrative about my current product(s) then and I have to admit that it is bloody hard work. You have to slow down. It teaches you humility and simplicity. It is like looking in the mirror: every buzzword is visible like a gas oil stain on the snow. Soon it will help you to identify gaps so you are able to prepare a checklist for your next learning and homework.

Imposter Syndrome. I’ve had discussions about imposter syndrome with my colleagues but only Cagan/Jones told me what it really means and how to approach it. The written narrative is the perfect tool to overcome imposter syndrome.

What was missing?

I would like to emphasize that these are very minor issues:

Case study. I didn’t understand what’s the purpose of this chapter. Maybe it is my fault that I lost focus at the end of the book, maybe the authors insufficiently explained the context. Simply, I didn’t get it and I missed the punch line.

Transformed/Loved. These are the next SVPG books written by Lea Kickmann and Martina Lauchengco that will be published soon. Although I understand the sense of making marketing teasers in Empowered I had a feeling that it is unnecessary.

Favorite quotes

“If you’re running a process like SAFe, then this is, unfortunately, you, and truthfully, I have no idea why you would want to read this book since what I describe here is polar opposite both philosophically and practically” 10

“When an organization has 20, 30 or even 50 “high-priority” objectives, initiatives, or projects all going on at once, we have the same problem, only much worse […] If the leaders are not willing or able to make these choices, then the product strategy is doomed from the start” 250

“In every single case I know of, including every instance where I was able to contribute to the product strategy myself, this never happens without real preparation.

You might have an epiphany in the shower, but that’s only after you’ve spent hours studying your data, your customer, the enabling technologies, and your industry” 252

“Hopefully, this is obvious at this point in the book, but a strong tech-powered product company would no sooner outsource their engineers than they would outsource their CEO” 390

[5mincolumns]

5min books review #1

Marty Cagan: Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love 

Value for money

7/10

Year, Price, Pages, Cover design

2018 by Wiley; EUR 20,41; 326 pages; Hardcover 

Very nice cover image by John Lawson. I would definitely expect a paper of better quality (quite disappointing). The is a bizarre and significant difference between nice hardcover design with gold type and grey, light and thin (cheap) paper 

5 sentences about the book

It is the second edition of the book originally released 10 years ago. Inspired is a structured compendium of product knowledge that includes well-defined roles and processes. It is the handbook that should become handy in your daily routine. Chapter 6 "The root causes of failed product effort" is a stunning, depressing and condensed list of pitfalls which define the toxic work environment. The second part of the book shortly describes and enumerates many discovery techniques and inspires for further searching in other resources. I am excited for the next book called Empowered which should be released by the end of  2020. 

What did I learn? 

I learned I am not alone (Chapter 6)

As a Product Manager, I should take a programming class and business accounting/finance class

Condense overview of roles ("The right people"), artefacts ("The right product"), discovery ("The right processes") and relationships ("The right culture") 

Product management at a glance: A handy compendium of knowledge that should lay on my desk for daily use

What was missing?

Nothing.

Favorite quotes:

"It doesn't matter how good your engineering team is if they are not given something worthwhile to build" 2

"The honest truth is that the product manager needs to be among the strongest talent in the company. If the product manager doesn't have the technology sophistication, doesn't have the business savvy, doesn't have the credibility with the key executives, doesn't have the deep customer knowledge, doesn't have the passion for the product, or doesn't have the respect of their product team, then it's a sure recipe for failure." 42

Ed Catmull: Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration 

Value for money

9/10

Year, Price, Pages, Cover design

2014 by Bantam Press; EUR 22,19; 326 pages; Hardcover 

Exceptional cover design and cover image (Buzz from Toy Story as an orchestra conductor). Top-quality paper with Sabon Type, the exquisite reading experience 

5 sentences about the book

I was reading this book in kindle edition several years ago and I’ve decided to buy the hardcover version to my library. What I like foremost is Cadmull's storytelling, how warm he depicts Pixar's beginnings though circumstances. I was not focusing on advises how to build creative work culture, I rather focused on an amazing story of developing a culture of candor. 

What did I learn?

How great storytelling looks like. I will for sure return to this book again. 

Well described creativity process at Pixar (Braintrust, Notes day, etc.) and Disney

A great product is not a matter a spark idea of one genius but hard, repetitive, collaborative work of the team

What was missing?

Nothing.

Favourite quotes: 

"Having a finite list of problems is much better than having an illogical feeling that everything is wrong" 151

"If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better". 74

""You can't manage what you can't measure" is a maxim that is taught and believed by many in both the business and education sectors. But in fact, the phrase is ridiculous - something said by people who are unaware of how much is hidden. A large portion of what we manage can't be measured, and not realizing this has unintended consequences. The problem comes when people think that data paints a full picture, leading them to ignore what they can't see. Here's my approach: Measure what you can, evaluate what you measure, and appreciate that you cannot measure the vast majority of what you do. And at least every once a while, make time to take a step back and think about what you are doing. 219

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#martycagan on the mechanics of discovering the shape of the product people will actually use/buy… -- Weak teams just plod through the roadmap they've been assigned, month after month. And, when something doesn't work — which is often — first they blame it on the stakeholder that requested/demanded the feature and then they try to schedule another iteration on the roadmap, or they suggest a redesign or a different set of features that this time they hope will solve the problem. If they have enough time and money, they can eventually get there so long as management doesn't run out of patience first (a big if). In contrast, strong product teams understand these truths and embrace them rather than deny them. They are very good at quickly tackling the risks (no matter where that idea originated) and are fast at iterating to an effective solution. This is what product discovery is all about, and it is why I view product discovery as the most important core competency of a product organization. If we can prototype and test ideas with users, customers, engineers, and business stakeholders in hours and days—rather than in weeks and months — it changes the dynamics, and most important, the results. -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan on how great UX product designers #AlwaysBeTesting… #ABT -- Good product designers are constantly testing their ideas with real users and customers. They don't just test when a prototype or idea is ready; they build testing into their weekly cadence, so they're able to constantly validate and refine ideas as well as collect new insights they might not have been looking for. It also means that they aren't as likely to become too attached to ideas before they come in contact with objective, outside opinions. User testing is broader than usability testing. Product designers and their product teams utilize the opportunity to assess the value of their ideas. Will customers use or buy the product and, if not, why not? -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan on the questions great UX product designers drive with their product managers, engineers, and stakeholder… -- Good product designers think about the customer's journey over time as they interact with the product and with the company as a whole. Depending on the product, the list of touch points could be very long, considering questions as: How will customers first learn about the product? How will we onboard a first‐time user and (perhaps gradually) reveal new functionality? How might users interact at different times during their day? What other things are competing for the user's attention? How might things be different for a one‐month‐old customer versus a one‐year‐old customer? How will we motivate a user to a higher level of commitment to the product? How will we create moments of gratification? How will a user share his experience with others? How will customers receive an offline service? What is the perceived responsiveness of the product? -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan on the intense product+design+enginneering collaborative to discover which ideas are worth building… #longLiveTheRAT #RiskiestAssumptionTest -- Product discovery is very much about the intense collaboration of product management, user experience design, and engineering. In discovery, we are tackling the various risks before we write even one line of production software. The purpose of product discovery is to quickly separate the good ideas from the bad. The output of product discovery is a validated product backlog. Specifically, this means getting answers to four critical questions: Will the user buy this (or choose to use it)? Can the user figure out how to use this? Can our engineers build this? Can our stakeholders support this? -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan on testing your riskiest assumptions before you build a damned thing… #longLiveTheRAT #RiskiestAssumptionTest -- 1) Risks are tackled up front, rather than at the end. In modern teams, we tackle these risks prior to deciding to build anything. These risks include - Value risk (whether customers will buy it)… Usability risk (whether users can figure out how to use it)… Feasibility risk (whether our engineers can build what we need with the time, skills, and technology we have)… and… Business viability risk (whether this solution also works for the various aspects of our business—sales, marketing, finance, legal, etc.). -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan on never pouring ourselves into making unwanted products again… -- I promised myself that never again would I work so hard on a product unless I knew the product would be something that users and customers wanted. -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan asks "Who decides what products we should build?" and "How do they know?"… -- …soon we began to ask ourselves some very important questions: Who decides what products we should build? How do they decide? How do they know that what we build will be useful? Our young team learned something very profound — something many teams have discovered the hard way: It doesn't matter how good your engineering team is if they are not given something worthwhile to build -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Queen Anne, Seattle)

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#martycagan on the misleading nature of a product "roadmap"… -- …anytime you put a list of ideas on a document entitled “roadmap,” no matter how many disclaimers you put on it, people across the company will interpret the items as a commitment. And that's the crux of the problem, because now you're committed to building and delivering this thing, even when it doesn't solve the underlying problem. -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)

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#martycagan on freedoms and costraints in togethering big things forward… #togetheringBigThings -- In general, most teams would probably agree that there are some things that are wide open for the team to do as they think best and other areas that are part of the common foundation that all teams share. As an example of the latter, it would be unusual for each team to select its own software configuration management tool. If the engineering team has standardized on GitHub, then that is usually considered part of the foundation. Even if one team had a strong preference for a different tool, the total cost to the organization of allowing its use would likely far outweigh any benefits. While this might be a straightforward example, there are many others that are not so clear. For example — Should each team be able to approach test automation in its own way? Should teams be able to select the programming languages they wish to use? What about user interface frameworks? What about browser compatibility? How about expensive features like offline support? How about the flavor of Agile they wish to use? And does every team really need to support several company‐wide product initiatives? -- Marty Cagan, Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd Edition), 2017 (at Seattle, Washington)