The Product Science Podcast

Andrew Breen, CEO of Prints of Love and Partner at Buy Build Fund, a seasoned entrepreneur and educator, believes in the power of observing user interactions to uncover the subconscious value people place on products, thereby driving strategic decisions beyond mere spreadsheet analysis. His experience reflects advocacy for addressing often-overlooked value risk and emphasizes the necessity of understanding both emotional and social values in product management. By challenging assumptions and focusing on customer needs, he highlights the importance of understanding both functional and emotional aspects of products, demonstrating how emotional benefits can strongly appeal to consumers and influence behavior. Resources Visit Buy Build Fund where Andy partners with investors and business owners Explore Prints of Love, where he serves as Board Member & CEO Connect with Andrew Breen on LinkedIn Follow Andy Breen on X  Follow Holly on LinkedIn Visit the Product Science Group website Explore Product Science Workshops and Courses Quotes from Andy Breen:  (00:05:57) "It's not about the technology. Just because you build it, they will not come. And you really do need to be solving problems for people and offering them something that changes them and their life and their abilities." - Andy Breen (00:08:57) "...these days especially every product gets about 30 seconds of consideration, you know, at the top. And so you have to have a clear value proposition." - Andy Breen (00:26:19) "There are a lot of stay-at-home moms or like people like engineers doing little SAS side projects and stuff that were turning into real businesses, real revenue, real profits, you know, something that's not often talked about in the venture world." - Andy Breen Lab Notes Lab Note 606.1: Too many product managers underestimate the importance of assessing value risk. Lab Note 606.2: Conducting value research often means holding uncomfortable tensions. Lab Note 606.3: When qualitative and quantitative are telling you the same thing, you’re on your way to product market fit. Lab Note 606.4: Continuous Product Discovery has been useful since the 90’s, even if it looks different today.  Lab Note 606.5: Deciding which customer use cases to replace with AI requires evidence-based product strategy. View the transcript and the full episode description on the Product Science Podcast website here.  Podcast video editing & management provided by podcastabundance.com

Ha Nguyen, a seasoned Silicon Valley product leader, then co-founding partner at Spero Ventures, Chief Experiences Officer at Swimply, and now Managing Partner at NextStep, a fractional & advisory COO consulting firm, shares her perspective, lessons learned, and journey through the ranks with us today.  Ha's journey underscores the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and leveraging networks in navigating a product management career. She highlights the significance of being proactive, driving outcomes, and having the courage to ask for opportunities and support from leadership. Ha's experience showcases how excelling in one's function, seeking opportunities for growth and expansion, and being ready to pivot when necessary can lead to transformative career shifts, such as her transition from a VP of Product role to venture capital. Continuous product discovery is proven critical through Ha’s story, even as companies scale, emphasizing the need to maintain customer contact and understanding throughout growth phases. Ha Nguyen's advice on driving impact, seeking expanded responsibilities, and being willing to walk away when opportunities for growth are limited resonates with the team at Product Science Group. By prioritizing personal growth, seeking supportive environments, and proactively shaping their career paths, product developers and leaders can make strategic decisions that propel their careers and products forward. Resource Links: Follow Ha Nguyen on LinkedIn Visit NextStepFwd, Ha’s Consulting website Join the NextStep Substack Follow Holly on LinkedIn Visit the Product Science Group website Explore Product Science Workshops and Courses Quotes from Ha Nguyen: (00:05:45) "I felt like I was ready to sort of increase my scope and my impact, albeit at a smaller company. However, I really wanted to have more influence over the direction of the company, not just the direction of our products." - Ha Nguyen (00:09:39) "Be incredibly good at what you do. Startups give you the opportunity to have expanded scope, work for a great boss who's supportive of your career. Don't be afraid to ask. And then finally, if. If they're not going to support you and what you need, then you might need to make the decision to walk." - Ha Nguyen (00:28:47) "When you build the network and people have seen that you have been putting the hours in to build what I call the labor of love projects, it, it's just easier because when you need to reach out to folks for anything they want to help you, they'll pick up the phone and they'll help you." - Ha Nguyen Lab Notes:  Lab Note 605.1: As a company grows, you must intentionally create structure for continuous product discovery. (00:31:46) Lab Note 605.2: Raise your hand to access new opportunities. (00:33:03) Lab Note 605.3: There are varied perspectives on work-life balance and startup life. (00:34:07) Lab Note 605.4: Fractional product work is a great fit for creative people who thrive in ambiguity, but it’s not accessible or right for everyone. (00:36:38) Lab Note 605.5: Invest in your network throughout your career and it will pay dividends. (00:40:27) View the transcript and the ⁠full episode description on the Product Science Podcast website here.⁠Podcast video editing & management provided by podcastabundance.com

How do CPOs balance keep teams engaged in meaningful work while building a product strategy from scratch? Stephanie Leue, Chief Product Officer at Doodle at the time of this recording, shares how she integrates customer feedback, collaboration with internal teams, and data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions, underscoring the value of communication and using various artifacts to convey the product strategy effectively across the organization. By engaging in discovery while leveraging foundational work, teams can build trust and demonstrate progress to stakeholders. Stephanie’s experience as a seasoned product leader in B2B SaaS, along with her focus on leadership coaching and diversity and inclusion, underscores the critical role of experienced product leaders in making the craft of product management appear seamless.  Overall, her approach emphasizes the iterative nature of product strategy development, de-risking bets with data and discovery, and fostering collaboration and trust within teams to drive meaningful progress and innovation in product development. Resource Links Visit Stephanie’s webpage Follow Stephanie Leue’s Substack Follow Stephanie Leue on LinkedIn Visit the Doodle website Follow Holly on LinkedIn Visit the Product Science Group website Explore Product Science Workshops and Courses Quotes from Stephanie Leue:"We just don't want to build one feature after another. We want to have kind of a bigger picture in mind and we want to achieve that bigger version of what we are today, right?" “If you show them 1 minute 20 about the future of a product, they immediately have 20,000 things that will never work out. And they have 20,000 questions and like tons of ideas why things will take way longer than expected. But to be honest, that's exactly the discussion you want to have, right?”  “We needed to train ourselves to ask the right questions. We needed to get answers to these questions. We needed to understand the data we got. We needed to compose a picture out of that data. So that takes a while because that's like a team effort.” Lab Notes Lab Note 604.1: Experienced product leaders make the craft of product management look easy Lab Note 604.2: Strategy is a series of bets that can make even the CPO uncomfortable Lab Note 604.3: Use different communication approaches for different audiences of your product strategyLab Note 604.4: Find foundational alignment and begin executing while you are developing your bigger product strategy Ready to elevate your product leadership game? Dive deep into practical solutions for real-world product challenges. Register now: https://www.productsciencegroup.com/services View the transcript and the ⁠full episode description on the Product Science Podcast website here.⁠Podcast video editing & management provided by podcastabundance.com

Product management is a complex and multifaceted role that requires a delicate balance of strategy, organization, and communication. In order to effectively manage products from ideation to launch and beyond, product managers need the right tools at their disposal. This is where product management tools come into play.  Hubert Palan, the founder and CEO of Productboard, is a key figure in the evolution of product management tools, drawing from his extensive background as an engineer turned product manager. He recognized the pressing need for a dedicated platform that addresses the unique challenges faced by product managers, emphasizing customer-centricity and segmentation, a perspective shaped by his studies under Steve Blank at UC Berkeley.  Traditional tools like Jira and Asana, according to Palan, often fall short in catering to the nuanced needs of product management, prompting the creation of Productboard to fill this gap, which now serves over 6,000 clients including major players like Zoom and JPMorgan Chase. By leveraging visual communication tools and focusing on customer segmentation, Palan believes product managers can better understand and cater to their target audience, ultimately driving product success and organizational growth.  Resource Links Follow Hubert Palan on LinkedIn Follow Hubert Palan on X (formerly Twitter) Explore Productboard Learn about Steve Blank’s Lean Startup philosophy Follow Holly on LinkedIn Visit the Product Science Group website Explore Product Science Workshops    Quotes from Hubert Palan: “Because at the end of the day you have to make a decision. Do I add another use case? Do I satisfy a new need, Do I expand the set of capabilities that my product has or do I double down on what the use case that I already have, but make them better or improve the usability? And that's every day.” Hubert Palan (18:06) “Frequently Personas are more like a design user Personas as opposed to Persona representing the business market segments that product managers need to think about. Because at the end of the day it needs to be a viable business, not just a product that satisfies needs of a specific user.” - Hubert Palan (21:16) “It's challenging and there's no shortcut, unfortunately. I mean, you have to do the workshops, you have to communicate frequently. You need to do the AMA sessions, you need to have the big 10-page document and then a summary of it. And it's constant communication, constant coordination.” - Hubert Palan (31:54)  Lab Notes Lab Note 603.1: Roadmaps are a conversation, not a one-way document.  Lab Note 603.2: Tools like roadmaps, customer interview snapshots, ideal customer profiles, competitive landscapes, and journey maps help leaders share context and set direction.  Lab Note 603.3: For more valuable personas, enrich them with data and an understanding of both behavior and business opportunities.  Lab Note 603.4: Find simple questions to identify who is best suited to get value from your product.  Ready to elevate your product leadership game? Dive deep into practical solutions for real-world product challenges. Register now: productsciencegroup.com/services View the transcript and the ⁠full episode description on the Product Science Podcast website here.⁠Podcast video editing & management provided by podcastabundance.com

Key aspects of product development, such as recognizing a true market opportunity, structuring teams for new market pursuits, and proving ROI when launching a new product are unpacked in this episode with Inessa Lurye as Holly Hester-Reilly's guest.  Inessa Lurye, as the Senior Director of Product and head of Women's Health at Hinge Health, identified a substantial market gap and shares her journey of developing a virtual program that has now served over 30,000 women. She has held product leadership roles at venture-funded startups, government agencies, and large corporations, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPP from the Kennedy School, and a BA from Swarthmore.  During product development, Inessa and her team focused on fostering empathy and understanding among team members through direct customer interactions. This episode emphasizes the significance of collaboration, innovation, and customer-centric approaches in product management and development. The conversation also touches on strategies for dealing with difficult stakeholders and addressing their concerns proactively.   Resource Links Follow Inessa on LinkedIn Visit the Hinge Health website Celebrate Inessa’s 2023 Product Management Leader of the Year Award Follow Holly on Twitter Follow Holly on LinkedIn Visit the Product Science Group website Explore Product Science Workshops and Courses  Quotes from Inessa:"So initially we had a really focused, dedicated tiger team before any engineering was staffed... We were speaking [to] members or potential members, like really doing in-depth research to understand this space."  "We integrated the measurement of baseline data around pain and symptoms and specific patient reported outcomes... into our initial application to get a baseline and then into our app experience."  "We had our pelvic floor physical therapists and Hinge Health... a group of clinical specialists who are PTs that work with the product team to develop new products."  Lab Notes Lab Note 602.1: Great product leaders use all of the product science principles to succeed  (29:16) Lab Note 602.2: Include a subject matter expert on your cross-functional team for a tighter feedback loop (30:50) Lab Note 602.3: Evidence comes from customers, forums, and subject matter experts  (33:11) Lab Note 602.4: When your buyers aren’t your users, make it easy for buyers to see the outcome (34:11) Lab Note 602.5: Simple tools can incentivize customer touchpoints for an outsized impact (36:57) Lab Note: 602.6: Spend the most time on your biggest naysayers  (39:11) View the transcript and the full episode description on the Product Science Podcast website here.Ready to elevate your product leadership game? Dive deep into practical solutions for real-world product challenges. Register now: https://www.productsciencegroup.com/services Podcast video editing & management provided by podcastabundance.com

Join Melissa Perri, founder of Produx Labs and author, alongside Denise Tilles, an experienced product leader, as they delve into the power of product operations. They discuss the essential principles behind effective product decision-making and the impact of centralized data on enhancing user engagement. Their insights on the collaborative writing journey during the pandemic add a personal touch. Together, they highlight how robust product operations frameworks can streamline processes and empower product teams for greater success.

In this mini-episode of the podcast, Holly introduces team members Dina Levitan and Mark Enache, who share some stories about working with Product Science Group clients. Holly also tells us about changes coming for Season 6 of the Product Science Podcast - video, shorter episodes, and a new Lab Notes section.Subscribe for the full episode on Apple, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, and more. Love what you hear? Leave us a review, it means a lot. Fill out our course interest survey and get notified about upcoming courses on Maven here: www.productsciencegroup.com/maven And check out our new homes on the web: https://www.productsciencegroup.com https://www.instagram.com/productsciencegroup/ https://www.tiktok.com/@productsciencegroup https://www.linkedin.com/company/product-science-group https://www.youtube.com/@productsciencegroup

Holly Hester-Reilly is the Founder and CEO of H2R Product Science, a product management coaching and consulting firm that teaches the principles and practices of high-growth product development, and the host of the Product Science Podcast. Holly is a former Columbia University research scientist and has spent over 15 years leading product initiatives at startups, high-growth companies, and enterprises like FalconX, MediaMath, Shutterstock, The Lean Startup Co, Unilever, Capital One, and Weight Watchers. Holly also teaches at NYU Stern School of Business as well as public and private workshops and has spoken about building high-growth products for events such as Lean Startup Summit Europe, the Women in Product Annual Conference, ITX Product + Design Conf, Parsons School of Design, and INDUSTRY: The Product Conference. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we share Season 5 excerpts as we cover the product discovery loop, a tool to break down the components of achieving product market fit. Read the show notes to learn more: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/season-5-highlights-the-product-discovery-loop

Jeff Patton helps companies adopt a way of working that’s focused on building great products, not just building stuff faster. Jeff blends a mixture of Agile thinking, Lean and Lean Startup Thinking, and UX Design and Design Thinking to end up with a holistic product-centric way of working. Jeff is author of the bestselling O’Reilly book User Story Mapping which describes a simple holistic approach to using stories in Agile development without losing sight of the big picture. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover common challenges to product discovery, what tools and techniques Jeff teaches, which ones he’s changed over the years, and why. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-jeff-patton-hypothesis-successful-teams-focus-on-the-who-before-the-what

Christian is a partner at Silicon Valley Product Group. Christian has been a product leader for over 15 years, building teams and developing enterprise and consumer products that have shaped companies such as CareerBuilder and Merrill Corporation as well as clients such as Microsoft, Starbucks, and Squarespace. Christian teaches product management and innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. He also gives back to his local product community each year by supporting and advising two student-led startups from conceptualization to product delivery. In this episode of the Product Science Podcast, we cover the importance of humility in product management, the benefits of diverse thinking, and how a contest kick-started Christian’s career in product management. Read the show notes to learn more: URL: www.h2rproductscience.com/post/the-christian-idiodi-hypothesis-great-product-management-starts-with-admitting-i-dont-know