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

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Sep 21, 2023

Guest

Itamar Gilad

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.

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ANECDOTE

Gmail Tabbed Inbox Success

The Gmail tabbed inbox, unlike Google Plus, started small and was initially doubted.
Through rigorous testing and user research, it became a successful feature loved by passive email users, proving the power of evidence-guided development.

insights

INSIGHT

Founder Insight vs. Evidence

Founder insights are crucial, but shouldn't be blindly followed.
Even Steve Jobs, known for strong opinions, changed his mind based on evidence, demonstrating the importance of data-driven decisions.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Challenging Founder Opinions

Present data-backed counter-proposals to challenge founder opinions.
Be prepared for potential backlash or, more commonly, a positive surprise, as evidence can sway even the most stubborn minds.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Navigating Product Development: Lessons from Google Plus

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Aligning Organizational Goals

24:44 • 6min

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Navigating Metrics and Ideas for Organizational Success

31:11 • 5min

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Estimating Impact Through Evidence

36:04 • 19min

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Bridging the Gap: GIST Boards in Product Management

55:30 • 11min

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Essential Reads and New Media Discoveries

01:06:39 • 2min

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Creativity, AI, and Meaningful Connections

Creating High-Impact Products in the Face of Uncertainty

Itamar Gilad

In 'Evidence-Guided', Itamar Gilad presents a systematic approach to product development using the GIST model (Goals, Ideas, Steps, Tasks). This framework helps teams focus on clear objectives, generate and test ideas, and work efficiently. The book provides actionable tools and real-world examples to help organizations transition from opinion-based to evidence-guided development.

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The Lean Startup introduces a revolutionary approach to building and scaling businesses, emphasizing continuous innovation, customer feedback, and scientific experimentation. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. The book advocates for 'validated learning,' rapid experimentation, and the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop to shorten product development cycles and measure actual progress. It also stresses the importance of pivoting or persevering based on data and customer needs, making it an essential read for anyone involved in starting or growing a business.

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Inspired

How To Create Products Customers Love

Marty Cagan

In 'Inspired,' Marty Cagan provides a detailed and practical guide to product management. The book emphasizes the critical role of product managers in merging technology and design to address genuine customer needs while aligning with business objectives. Cagan discusses key concepts such as the importance of product vision, continuous discovery and delivery, and the need for a user-centric approach. He also highlights the differences between product management and other roles like product marketing, and stresses the importance of having a dedicated team for product development. The book is structured to help both junior and seasoned product managers understand and implement best practices in product management, drawing from Cagan's extensive experience in the tech industry.

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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/

• Website: https://itamargilad.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

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

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

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Itamar’s background

(04:35) How his time working on Gmail shaped his philosophy of “opinion-based” development

(08:35) Lessons from developing Gmail’s tabbed inbox

(13:40) A brief overview of Itamar’s book, Evidence-Guided

(14:30) Balancing founder creativity with an evidence-based approach

(17:32) Advice on how to push back against founders

(19:36) Signs you aren’t as evidence-guided as you may think

(21:13) Itamar’s GIST model for becoming more evidence-guided

(23:51) How to set overarching goals using his “value exchange loop”

(28:45) North star metrics vs. KPIs

(33:47) Using “ICE” to assess the value of ideas

(37:39) Itamar’s confidence meter

(44:28) Speed of delivery vs. speed of discovery

(46:14) How to apply Itamar’s frameworks based on company type and stage

(49:09) First steps in becoming more evidence-guided

(50:21) Next steps in testing

(55:41) The task layer in the GIST framework

(1:02:54) Thoughts on roadmapping

(1:04:56) How OKRs fit into the whole picture

(1:07:11) Lightning round

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Referenced:

• Itamar’s presentation slides: https://itamargilad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Podcast-Slides.pdf

• What differentiates the highest-performing product teams | John Cutler (Amplitude, The Beautiful Mess): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/what-differentiates-the-highest-performing-product-teams-john-cutler-amplitude-the-beautiful-mess/

• Evidence-Guided: Creating High-Impact Products in the Face of Uncertainty: https://itamargilad.com/book-evidence-guided/

• The co-founders of Google in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/profile/larry-page-and-sergey-brin

• Kanban: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/kanban

• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira

• The ultimate guide to OKRs | Christina Wodtke (Stanford): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-okrs-christina-wodtke-stanford/

• Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/

• The ultimate guide to A/B testing | Ronny Kohavi (Airbnb, Microsoft, Amazon): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-ab-testing-ronny-kohavi-airbnb-microsoft-amazon/

• ICE framework: https://growthmethod.com/ice-framework/

• Sean Ellis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanellis/

• RICE scoring model: https://www.productplan.com/glossary/rice-scoring-model/

• Idea Prioritization with ICE and the Confidence Meter: https://itamargilad.com/the-tool-that-will-help-you-choose-better-product-ideas/

• Assumptions Mapping: https://designsprintkit.withgoogle.com/methodology/phase2-define/assumptions-mapping

• What is Dog Fooding, Fish Fooding a Product?: https://matt-rickard.com/fishfooding-dogfooding-product

• SVPG books: https://www.svpg.com/books/

• The Lean series: https://theleanstartup.com/the-lean-series

• Dreaming Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/c/DreamingSpanish

• ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io/

• Lennybot: https://www.lennybot.com/

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

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