PRODUCTEA with Leah, Growth & Senior Leadership

69: Janna Bastow - The challenges and opportunities AI brings to Product Management.

Aug 4, 2024

Janna Bastow, CEO & Co-Founder of ProdPad and Co-Founder of Mind the Product, shares her insights on the evolving landscape of product management in the age of AI. She discusses how AI can be a valuable tool for synthesizing feedback and enhancing productivity, while emphasizing the necessity of human judgment. Janna highlights the importance of engaging directly with users and aligning product strategies with business goals. With a focus on fostering a culture of open communication and innovation, she urges product managers to master the art of inquiry and connection.

51:18

Episode guests

Janna Bastow

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

AI serves as a valuable tool to enhance the productivity of product managers, allowing for better synthesis of user feedback and informed decision-making.

The human element remains essential in product management, as real user interactions provide insights that AI cannot replicate, ensuring product relevance.

Mastering the art of inquiry is crucial for product managers to gather stakeholder insights and validate strategies, aligning their work with market demands.

Deep dives

The Evolving Role of Product Managers

Product managers are increasingly dedicating time to directly engage with customers, a shift that has arisen from their desire to better understand user needs and market demands. This change has resulted in product managers feeling overwhelmed by the volume of feedback they receive and seeking AI solutions to help synthesize this information effectively. The core of their role has transformed, emphasizing direct customer interaction rather than just creating specifications or documents. As a result, writing technical specifications has become a smaller part of their responsibilities, allowing for a greater focus on developing products that truly meet user needs.

Intro

2min

The Evolution of Product Management

4min

Navigating AI in Product Management

30min

Harnessing AI for Enhanced Product Management Insights

4min

AI and Data Quality: Transforming Product Management

5min

Mastering Product Management Through Inquiry

6min

What is the role of product managers in the age of AI and the potential impact of AI on roadmapping and expectation management?

Janna Bastow, CEO & Co-Founder ProdPad / Co-Founder of Mind the Product, shares her perspective on how AI is just another tool that can help product managers synthesize feedback and speed up certain aspects of their job.

Why AI should not replace the human element of product management, such as getting alignment from stakeholders and gathering feedback from real users and how we can think about evaluating roadmaps when they all look the same.

Why product managers being skilled in asking the right questions and validating their ideas with real customers is not optional anymore.

Takeaways

The value of a roadmap lies in the roadmapping process, not just the document itself.
AI can be used as a sense checker and sidekick to provide feedback and support decision-making, but human judgment is still crucial. Creating a company culture where employees feel comfortable challenging ideas is crucial for innovation and growth.
Product managers need to understand how their work connects to revenue and develop roadmaps that align with the company's strategy.

Sound Bites

"The job of a product manager is to get out of the building and understand what users and the market want. Especially with AI being around"
"Nobody's getting fired for using AI."
"Product managers who do not understand how their work connects to revenue will be in trouble in the future."

Chapters

00:00 The Role of Product Managers in the Age of AI

09:08 AI as a Tool for Feedback Synthesis and Speeding Up Product Management

23:17 Human Judgment and Decision-Making in Evaluating Roadmaps

25:34 Creating a Culture of Innovation and Openness

26:22 The Role of Product Managers in Driving Growth

27:41 The Impact of AI on Product Management

32:26 The Importance of Asking the Right Questions

35:19 Adapting to the Changing Landscape of Product Management

Send us a text

Leah on Linkedin / Twitter / Youtube

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