There are many reasons for an idea to not work out. Most commonly, customers just aren’t as excited about the idea as we are, so they choose not to use it (value risk). Sometimes it’s too complicated, or it’s more trouble than it’s worth (usability...

Although less common, you can run a successful product org without the specific Product Management function. > [!question]- Unanswered questions > > 5-person startups probably don’t need PMs. 5,000-person scaled orgs probably benefit from them (counterp...

Product Management is the responsibility of understanding the _value_ and _viability_ of what is to be built. Alternatives to Product Managers Product Managers are core members of effective product teams, but they don’t have any people leadership there...

Representative problems are simple, often small problems that uncover deeper issues. It’s not always obvious when a problem is representative of a deeper or more widespread issue. But there are some qualities that suggest there’s more to the problem t...

> [!quote] Marty Cagan > > 1. _value_ risk (whether customers will buy it or users will choose to use it) > 2. _usability_ risk (whether users can figure out how to use it) > 3. _feasibility_ risk (whether our engineers can build what we need with the t...

Missionaries, not mercenaries. _Mercenaries_ build what they’re told to build. _Missionaries_ are true believers in the vision and are committed to solving problems for their customers. Dedicated/durable teams within a company act and feel like a startu...

Projects are output, and Product is all about outcome. Without intentional effort to keep a company product-focused, a lazy org can slip into a project-based rhythm that measures output instead of prioritizing outcome. Symptoms include - PMs looking mor...