Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Becoming evidence-guided | Itamar Gilad (Gmail, YouTube, Microsoft)

Sep 21, 2023

Itamar Gilad, a product coach and author with a rich background at Google and Microsoft, dives deep into the concept of being 'evidence-guided' in product management. He discusses innovative testing methods like fake doors and smoke tests that shift the focus from opinion-based to evidence-backed decision-making. Gilad also introduces the GIST model for effective roadmapping and the idea of metric trees to align organizational goals. He emphasizes the importance of using actual customer data over gut feelings, which resonates with product managers aiming for impactful outcomes.

01:12:51

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Itamar Gilad

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Quick takeaways

Setting clear goals and metrics using the JIST model helps align the entire organization and drive growth and success.

Validating ideas through testing and evidence gathering methods like assessments and usability tests leads to more informed decision-making and efficient resource usage.

Involving developers in the discovery process and using a JIST board facilitates communication, synchronization, and problem-solving in the execution stage of product development.

Deep dives

Setting Clear Goals and Metrics

The JIST model emphasizes the importance of setting clear goals and metrics. This includes defining the North Star metric, which measures the value created for users, as well as the top business metric. It is recommended to use metric trees to break down these goals and metrics. Aligning the entire organization around these goals helps drive growth and success.

Simplified heuristics for estimating impact and confidence

01:04

Difference Between North Star Metric and Top KPI

01:03

The Importance of Balancing Human Judgment and Evidence in Successful Product Companies

00:47

Becoming evidence-based starts with identifying the biggest internal problem:

01:13

Intro

5min

Navigating Product Development: Lessons from Google Plus

20min

Aligning Organizational Goals

6min

Navigating Metrics and Ideas for Organizational Success

5min

Estimating Impact Through Evidence

19min

Bridging the Gap: GIST Boards in Product Management

11min

Essential Reads and New Media Discoveries

2min

Creativity, AI, and Meaningful Connections

5min

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Itamar Gilad is a product coach, author, and speaker with over two decades of experience in senior product roles at Google, Microsoft, and various startups. He is also the author of Evidence-Guided: Creating High-Impact Products in the Face of Uncertainty and publishes a popular product management newsletter. In today’s episode, we discuss:

• What it means to be “evidence-guided”

• How to think about your KPIs as metric trees

• How to prioritize ideas using the “confidence meter”

• The GIST model for roadmapping

• Common mistakes with ICE

• Advice for using evidence to challenge gut-driven founders

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/becoming-evidence-guided-itamar-gilad

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Where to find Itamar Gilad:

• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ItamarGilad

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itamargilad/