John

Global Digital CPO: 0-20M 3x, Led $1B plus in ARR. Ex Startup, Fortune 100 Product Leader & Consultant PwC / Strategy&

[John @prodlabio]

Ever wonder what sets an exceptional product manager apart from an average one?

It's not technical skills, knowledge of frameworks, or mastery of tools. It's soft skills.

After interviewing and working with hundreds of product managers, I thought I'd share my perspective.

[Annabelle Utz (2027) @annabelleu2027]

THIS SEASONS SCHEDULE IS OUT‼️So excited to start this season this weekend with my team!
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@DomMartelli @ECNLgirls @CoachBrittaNCSA #weareafu #soccerschedule #soccer

[John @prodlabio]

@TimDOES @aelluswamy @Tesla_AI It’s a major improvement! I drove 8 hours using it yesterday on the highway and was impressed. Also seems better in the rain than before

[John @prodlabio]

https://t.co/rwpBdauYjq

[John @prodlabio]

2024 is coming to a close. Are you ready to retire some old, unused product features?

If so, here are six steps to take.

1 - Talk with the team

Prepare them for what is coming. Get them onboard and supportive. Let them know that some of them will be working to throw a retirement plan for features that need to be sunset. Create a contest to find the most impactful items to delete.

2 - Establish a framework

Define clear criteria for identifying what you will retire and how you will prioritize features for retirement — for example, low usage, high maintenance costs, out-of-line with the strategy, etc.

Make sure the framework includes steps to identify, measure, execute, and reverse deletion if needed.

3 - Catalog all features

You can’t decide what to delete if you don’t know what you have. While it’s best practice to have a master inventory, I often find these go out of date for old features — especially the metadata like usage metrics, costs, customer feedback, integrations, dependencies, etc.

4 - Develop the reverse roadmap

Decide how much capacity you will dedicate. Prioritize the features for deletion based on the business case, efficiency gains, experience, and extra space they can create.

Assign an outcome and a metric to each to ensure you capture the value. Create a budget and an efficiency plan tied to the business case, and then ask finance to help you manage it.

5 - Communicate the plan

This may be obvious, but you need to let leaders, stakeholders, and customers know. Never keep it a secret. I’d suggest publishing a version of the reverse roadmap.

Transparency is critical to prevent suspicion, negativity, and overreaction. Keep it up to date and communicate early and often.

6 - Measure the value... learn and iterate

Just as you would for a new feature, measure and publish the value of the features you delete. Learn from the process and iterate. In some ways, it may feel like learning in reverse, but the better you get at deletion, the more space you will create for new outcome-driven features in the future.

[John @prodlabio]

@shreyas Yes and you have to work with stakeholders before you start writing to get input and achieve some alignment.

Writing helps clarify the thinking you've done but you need to think before you write.

[John @prodlabio]

"If you're not adding things back in at least 10% of the time, you're clearly not deleting enough." - Elon Musk

Why has SpaceX succeeded at building products where so many have failed? Simplification.

They have a relentless focus on removing parts of the product, not only adding new capabilities.

So, the question is… Have you ever wondered how to simplify your product and whether it's worth it?

And if you are going to delete obsolete features, how to go about it?

If so, this video is for you.

#productmanagement #SpaceX

[John @prodlabio]

For more, check out this post:
https://t.co/rwpBdauYjq

[John @prodlabio]

As product teams, why do we leave old features in rather than trimming the product- holding onto them like that comfortably worn, cherished old sweater?

We don’t plan for simplification. We don’t plan to delete, delete, delete once we release.

But why?

We have a roadmap that is largely, if not entirely, focused on releasing new stuff while maintaining what we have. But for some reason, we don’t have a roadmap focused on decluttering and simplifying the product.

How do we solve this problem?

A reverse roadmap. A roadmap focused on eliminating parts of the product, making the product less complex, deleting, and streamlining.

What would this roadmap look like?

Nothing all that different from a traditional roadmap. Same format, same inputs, same need for outcomes, metrics, learning loops — you get the point.

With one primary difference — success is determined by what you eliminate, from the reduction in cost or improvement in other metrics, not the value directly generated by the feature.

[John @prodlabio]

@ant_murphy Product discovery, as with almost every activity in product, works best when the team is engaged and collaborating.

Handoffs in product management are a huge productivity killer.

[John @prodlabio]

@ant_murphy Product discovery, as with almost every activity in product, works best when the team is engaged and collaborating.

Handoffs in product management are a huge productivity killer.

[John @prodlabio]

For more, check out this post:

https://t.co/rwpBdauYjq

[John @prodlabio]

“If you’re not adding things back in at least 10% of the time, you’re clearly not deleting enough.” — Elon Musk

For products, simplicity drives success.

Unfortunately, most product teams don't know where to start or, worse yet, get stuck.

How do we solve this problem?

A reverse roadmap. A roadmap focused on eliminating parts of the product, making the product less complex, deleting, and streamlining.

Rather than a roadmap focused solely on building the future, have one focused on undoing the dumb or unused features of the past.

A reverse roadmap, a means of revisiting the past, a reason and excuse to take another look at parts of the product no longer delivering value.

[John @prodlabio]

@thedankoe The hardest part is simply starting. Getting past thinking and into doing.

[John @prodlabio]

Hard pill to swallow:

Product/market fit is not achieved when someone shows interest in or uses your product.

Product/market fit is achieved when you can convince someone to part with enough of their hard-earned money that you can generate a profit and sustain a business.

[John @prodlabio]

@Eric_Partaker Large meetings are ineffective as they become about reading out information and not about solving problems and creating value.

The more people the less value

[John @prodlabio]

@parkerworth Stories help us make sense of and interpret the world while building and retaining knowledge

[John @prodlabio]

@makesomemoiz You can’t win if you quit. It’s that simple

[John @prodlabio]

@shaneparrish The only thing you can change is the ending

[John @prodlabio]

@IAmAaronWill Most forget social media is about community.

If you aren’t engaging with the community you’re missing out.

[John @prodlabio]

@petergyang Agile somehow went from a short manifesto with clear impact to an unbelievably complicated process no one understands, and everyone hates.

Value does not come from process.

Value comes from efficient execution that produces meaningful outcomes for paying customers.