Archives for the 'Personal' Category
Solving a Latent Need: Nike+iPod
As Product Managers, we know that what makes a product really powerful is when it solves a clear problem for the customer. We discover these problems through research and living in customers shoes as much as possible. If we do it right, it’s not hard to discover new features, product line extensions, and [...]
Biotech Product Management
I, as well as most of my readers, are in high tech: audio/video, networking, personal computing, etc. I don’t know any Product Managers in the biotech industry (yet). I would be very interested in meeting one, and find out how PM is different in biotech vs. high tech. For one it’s just [...]
A quick thought
Last night I left work earlier than normal (6pm) and got to drive home when it was still light outside. That felt really strange, but also made the commute home much more interesting. I already don’t have a radio in my truck, so when it’s dark out the drive home is a time for reflection [...]
The Most Important Trait a Product Manager Needs
Over at Michael on Product Management and Marketing, he’s running an interesting story about the seven traits that make a successful Product Manager. In summary, he identifies:
Communications Skills
Leading without Authority
Learning Skills
Business Acumen
Love for Products
Eye for Details
Routing Product Management Skills
Some of these I’ve covered in other posts (Communications Skills and Leading without Authority, How Product [...]
Happy Holidays from Product Beautiful
I’ve been too busy to write much recently but have a few posts queued up over the next couple of days. First I wanted to wish my few readers a happy holiday and New Year. May your products be successful in 2007!
Jargon = Buzzkill
Do you ever see a marketing message that makes you cringe? I just got this invite to a webinar in my email. Title: Effectively Leveraging your Workforce Resources with Pervasive Business Intelligence Best Practices.
Business intelligence is evolving from traditional business intelligence to pervasive business intelligence, which empowers everyone in the organization, at all [...]
The Perils of Over Engineering
Up late and unable to sleep, I’m doing one of my favorite veg-out activities - watching one of the endless Military Channel documentaries about WWII. I am fascinated by WWII; in hindsight there were so many decisions made by the Axis powers that were strategically and tactically wrong, that I shudder to think what [...]
Software, Product, and Services: The High Tech Trio
Most high technology Product Management revolves around one of three models: Software, Product, or Services. As a Product Manager, I believe it is essential to have experience managing all three. I have personally managed several services, and am currently managing a growing portfolio of products. Software has been a component of both [...]
Burnout in Product Management
My wife is a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). For her trouble of a four year undergraduate degree in psychology plus three additional years of graduate level study, she works with the most difficult children the school system has to offer - the severely emotionally disturbed and mentally retarded. She is paid [...]
How Product Management is like … StarCraft?
I anticipate that this post will bring out the PM old-guard. This may come as a shock to those of you over 30, but many of the skills necessary to be a successful Product Manager can be learned by playing video games. Lots of games could be applied to this analogy, but [...]
