Martin Cagan book Empowered ISBN:111969129X

Notes from Q&A Dec17'2020

notes

• with co-author Chris Jones
  • Chris was at agency that Netscape worked with
• imposter syndrome
  • write position docs even if you don't share, just for yourself
• Transformation
  • has to start from the CEO
  • the Stakeholders are often the barrier (e.g. VP Marketing)
    • need CEO to push them to accept
  • what to do if this hasn't been set up
    • invest in the precursors
      • systems reliability
      • research, no-code experiments (for low-cost discovery/validation)
• Roadmap alternatives
  • what's its purpose? Is there another way to accomplish that?
    • internal
      • coordinate commitments
      • convince bosses we're working on the most important things (Prioritize)
    • external
      • sales (B2B)
        • alternative: Product Vision
  • see book
    • Product Strategy; Strategic Context
  • reframe Projects as Candidates or Opportunities
    • though readers will probably ignore this
• Covid/wartime
  • is it increasing command-and-control override?
    • we're not seeing this
    • might be more of an Excuse for really not Seeing the Results
      • don't spend too much time on Discovery without Delivering Outcomes
  • layoffs make Strategy even more important
• OKR top-down vs bottom-up
  • problems come top-down
    • "onboarding new clients takes too long: 2months"
    • metric: avg onboarding time
    • KR: "you have to get it down to an hour"
      • that's too prescriptive
      • mgmt should clarify Ambition level of target/goal
        • "we need you to be really ambitious even if it's riskier"
    • follow-up
      • what if that's not the most important metric/KR?
      • Strategy should provide the context/driver for this
      • also note it's ok for multiple teams to share a target
  • team decides how to solve the problem (team agency)
• coaching/empowerment vs making decisions
  • senior makes Strategic decisions for Context
  • dialogue around lower level decisions but don't push for your Answer
• how get Leaders to Read/Change?
  • many thousands read Inspired (Cagan Inspired)
    • (really?)
  • give them your copy
  • (reading club?)
  • need to have relationship with the CEO
• "B2B discovery is hard"
  • Marty
    • see esp Inspired
    • this isn't true, it's actually easier in B2B!
    • challenge is that most B2B products are terrible
      • because they're not doing this discovery
• PM-vs-design tension/conflict?
  • PM = value
  • designer = usability
  • need lots of collaborative time
    • not "PM write vision, designer disappears for a week"
    • daily 30min review of prototype that's always shifting
  • meta
    • need rich/loose conversations
      • esp now/remote
• how deal with dependencies, other-team motivation
  • "autonomy" is key framing
  • design Team Topology for empowerment (cf Team Topologies)
    • vs too many silos
      • often a symptom of tech-debt
    • though Topology is hard to change
  • spread Strategic Context for coordination/motivation
• OKRs require empowerment (agency)
  • most companies who try OKRs get no value
  • it doesn't help drive Transformation
    • just creates overhead/conflict
  • but if you're driving that Transformation
    • then these help a lot
  • note you will always have some High Integrity Commitments as KRs
    • esp Platform team
    • but shouldn't have too many
    • they should develop over time
  • even before OKR you can nudge goals-setting from Outputs to Outcomes
• Product Manager vs ProductOwner
  • don't split PM into 2 roles
  • the PO skills (handed down from Scrum) aren't that important
  • Marty used to not care what you called it
    • now he thinks more important to call it PM
      • nobody should have the PO title
• everyone under 1 leadership
  • beware creating "Business Unit" silos
  • at team level
    • very rare
      • Amazon
    • Chris
      • not a fan
      • too brittle a topology
      • people want to report to someone in their field
    • Marty agrees
      • coaching is hard
      • but it can work
    • I disagree, prefer Product Team Members Report To The Team Leader
• PMs who aren't tech or design?
  • Chris
    • yes can come from other areas
      • MBA
      • liberal arts
    • but can't be tech-phobic
  • Marty
    • yes, but post-college roles/learning should be tech-product already
      • not finance->PM in 1 jump
  • need credibility/trust
• buy-vs-build
  • see esp Inspired
  • feasibility
    • does it really work?
  • viability
    • data access/control
    • price
  • Chris
    • how core to biz model
      • beware IT mentality of over-buying because it seems cheaper
• writing process for the book
  • a lot like product work
  • book is like device: can't upgrade once deployed
  • concept organization is like information architecture
  • blogging provides feedback which drives future posts and books
• how get coaching
• getting-started 30/60/90
  • worst role is sustain-perceived-success
    • see Michael Watkins
• Radical Candor
  • most PMs need to up their game
  • usually not too hard to get ok to try experiment for a quarter
    • get prepared
    • have to earn trust