10 DYSFUNCTIONS OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ~ Sakshi Gupta AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT Product management often feels paradoxical Consider the following questions: 1 2 3 Does product management deliver outcomes for the business or the customer? Does product management succeed by setting the right priorities or by planning farther ahead? Should product managers be held fully accountable for results, or do they lack the necessary authority?

THE HAMSTER WHEEL Continuing to run even if you are not getting anywhere Product teams are almost entirely focused on output — hitting deadlines — with little regard for the outcome Solution: Escape the hamster wheel - focus on outcomes, not output. Question this: Did that feature deliver value to customers and grow revenue?

THE COUNTING HOUSE Focus is entirely on internal metrics with no regard for customer success Focused on internal metrics like revenue growth, monthly active user and customer retention which may not directly reflect products impact Solution: How can we effectively deliver greater value to our customer?

THE IVORY TOWER Product team starts thinking that they know the customers better than the customers know themselves. Lack of customer research - risk building a project no one wants Lead to mistrust between project management and other departments Solution: Stay on ground with your customers

THE SCIENCE LAB Focus on highly measurable yet superficial improvements to their product Optimizations can not take place of real evaluation Solution: Sometimes you need new solutions, not optimization

THE FEATURE FACTORY When is a feature factory done building features? - Never That’s the problem with being a feature factory: There’s always the next feature to build Solution: Break the cycle of building features

THE BUSINESS SCHOOL Product teams get wrapped up in over- analyzing everything that they avoid making tough but essential judgment calls Solution: Consider the customers and the larger business strategy, not just mathematically calculated ROIs. Product managers focused on ROI to decide which features to pursue

THE ROLLER COASTER All about fast thrills and wild, whip-lashing movements Immediate results are often expected, leading to potential abrupt pivots by investors and executives, creating roller- coaster whip-lash Solution: Be patient and provide sufficient opportunities for success

THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE Over-engineering a product, trying to account for future needs that aren’t relevant — and may never be. Keep building but there is no end result Solution: Focus on the current needs, in the future you can always adjust

THE NEGOTIATING TABLE Believe that success means keeping all of their stakeholders happy Product manager tries to give everyone what they want Leads to wanting more than practically deliverable Solution: Give customers what they want but prioritize the right things for them - you help the team

THE THRONE ROOM Sometimes, the founder or CEO just can’t let go, and they morph from CEO to king or queen in a throne room No one really understands what they are doing, they are doing it just beacuse the CEO wants it. Prevents the scaling of the company beyond a single decision-maker Solution: The product team needs the ability to call their own shots

THANK YOU Any Questions?