The Product Experience

In this discussion, Moshe Mikanovsky, a product coach and educator, shares his journey from engineering to product management, emphasizing the importance of understanding the role deeply. He tackles the challenges of selecting the right tools for your team, underlining a structured approach that considers user needs and the organizational landscape. The conversation also highlights the evolving nature of product management tools, the role of AI, and how to align tools with team capabilities while measuring ROI effectively.

Jen Swanson, CEO of Tuckpoint Advisory Group, specializes in helping organizations adopt product-led operating models. In this conversation, she unveils why many transformations fail, emphasizing the need for intentionality and genuine leadership involvement. Swanson warns against 'transformation theater' and stresses the necessity of honest self-assessment. She also highlights the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment for team members to learn and adapt, ensuring that transformation is a sustainable journey rather than a temporary fix.

Oji Udezue and Ezinne Udezue, product management experts and co-authors of 'Building Rocketships,' share insights on navigating the evolving tech landscape. They discuss how AI is transforming collaboration without replacing product managers. The duo emphasizes the necessity of ambition, clarity, and disciplined execution in building world-class products. They also highlight the shift from writing specs to orchestrating systems for better customer outcomes, and the importance of mastering the entire product development arc.

Join Todd Green, the President of King, best known for Candy Crush, as he shares fascinating insights into crafting successful games. He emphasizes that true fun is about feelings, not just metrics, and discusses how understanding player motivations is vital. Todd reveals the importance of managing legacy products and the ethical responsibility to prioritize player well-being. He also highlights the challenge of recruiting talent in gaming and stresses the critical role of developing great managers to sustain company culture.

Jody Bailey, CPTO at Stack Overflow, shares her insights on navigating AI's influence in developer resources. She discusses how large language models are reshaping search and the importance of maintaining trust and quality in community contributions. The conversation covers ethical data usage, the need for proper attribution, and how AI is creating new demands in engineering skills. Jody emphasizes that community engagement remains vital, even as Stack Overflow adapts to an AI-driven landscape and explores innovative revenue models.

Paul Adams, CPO of Intercom and a veteran of the tech world, discusses the company's groundbreaking shift in response to AI's rapid evolution. He reveals how they abandoned traditional roadmaps just days after the launch of ChatGPT, moving to an outcome-based pricing model that charges per resolution instead of per user. Adams emphasizes the importance of maintaining core product principles amidst chaos and shares his thoughts on the challenges of leading during such transformation. He candidly reflects on his own learning journey in adapting to the new AI landscape.

Joca Torres, a product consultant recognized in Marty Cagan’s book, shares his expertise in building product culture during digital transformations. He discusses four core principles: deliver early and often, focus on the problem, deliver results, and adopt an ecosystem mindset. Joca warns against the pitfalls of discovery theatre, emphasizing that true transformation is behavioral, not just technical. He highlights the necessity of executive support and the importance of understanding diverse customer needs for successful product development.

Charlotte King, Lead Product Manager at eBay, shares her expertise on navigating the challenges faced by product teams during rapid growth. She discusses the critical balance between speed and structure, emphasizing the importance of clear goals and communication. Key tools like Wardley Mapping enhance team understanding and decision-making. Charlotte introduces the DHM model to prioritize value and foster delightful user experiences. She also highlights the role of multidisciplinary collaboration and celebrating achievements to enhance team morale and combat imposter syndrome.

In this episode on The Product Experience, we welcome back Matt LeMay—author, consultant, and champion of no-nonsense product thinking. We dig deep into the ideas behind his new book Impact First Product Teams and explore how teams can focus on what really matters: delivering business impact.Featured Links: Follow Matt on LinkedIn and his website | Buy Matt's new book 'Impact-first Product Teams' | Sudden Compass | Randeep Sidhu's episode on The Product Experience: 'Lessons from building the UK's test and trace app'Chapters00:00 – The Myth of Rational Business01:03 – Matt’s Accidental Journey into Product02:20 – What Are “Impact-First” Teams, Really?04:50 – Why OKRs Are Often Just Theatre07:12 – Best Practices ≠ Business Value10:00 – Who’s on the Product Team, and Why It Matters12:30 – Dealing With Cross-Team Goal Conflicts15:00 – Culture Change via Strategic Goal Alignment17:00 – Proactive Conversations About Impact20:00 – Commercial Awareness for Product Teams24:00 – Platform Teams & Measuring Amplified Impact27:00 – What Do Good Impact-First Teams Look Like?31:00 – Customer-Centricity vs. Business Impact34:00 – Discovery, Metrics & Mission-Critical Goals36:00 – Culture, Strategy & Individual Leverage41:00 – BAU vs. Innovation: Set Clear Expectations44:00 – The Ego Trap in Product Work46:00 – Matt’s Final Zinger on Capital and FeelingsOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She’s currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She’s worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury’s. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group’s Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He’s the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager’s Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon’s music stores in the US & UK.

Roni Ben Aharon, CPO and co-founder of Craft.io, shares his expertise in product management, having worked with industry giants like Booking.com and Wix. He discusses the delicate art of sunsetting features, using the retirement of Craft.io’s visual spec tool as a case study. Roni emphasizes the hidden costs of underused features and the importance of user empathy. He warns against hasty decisions and highlights collaboration between teams as crucial for successful transitions. Listeners gain insight into the challenges of managing legacy features and ensuring effective communication during change.