Why Product Management is Important to Create Better, More Useful Software

1. Product Management
Kristen Womack
March 24, 2014

4. What’s your <x>?

6. Product Management:
What is it?

7. Marty Cagan describes
the job of the product manager as
“to discover a product that is valuable,
usable and feasible”.

12. Product Management:
Why does it matter?

21. What do Product Managers
actually do?

22. ➔ Set the vision
➔ Pitch for funding
➔ Spread the word, evangelize
➔ Build a plan & roadmap
➔ Iterate
➔ Pour over data
➔ Repeat

25. ● Break down problems.
● Deal well with ambiguity.
● Adapt as necessary.
● Be proactive.
● Communicate well.
● Collaborate well.
● Build relationships.
● Motivate others.
● Refuse to suck.
● Are willing to make trade
offs (but not suck).
● Think creatively.
● Take ownership.
● Care.
adapted from Matt Khoury
Your job: get things done

29. By saying NO.

30. ➔ It’s just a small feature

31. http://insideintercom.io/product-strategy-means-saying-no/

32. ➔ Everyone is asking for it

33. http://insideintercom.io/product-strategy-means-saying-no/

34. ➔ It won’t take that long

35. http://insideintercom.io/product-strategy-means-saying-no/

36. ➔ We have nothing else to do

37. http://insideintercom.io/product-strategy-means-saying-no/

38. Apple

39. Apple