Amy Mitchell’s Post

I've been watching 6 trends in Product management. Here is the status: 1. Blurring of Product Management and Product Marketing    --> Product managers with marketing skills are valuable   2. Product Managers need to know how their products are sold    --> Product-Led or Sales-Led need product managers to help with low-friction sales   3. Product Managers becoming general managers    --> Increasing calls for Super IC Product Managers and Full-Stack Product Managers   4. Product Managers are key to transformation projects    --> Platform engineering going strong - transformation projects are decreasing   5. Ethics questions land with Product Managers    --> Embedded AI in products is bringing ethics questions to product managers   6. Merging of Product Management and technology     --> More Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) openings than Chief Product Officer (CPO) openings   This week's newsletter covers recent news on these trends. Link: https://lnkd.in/gFSD8e7N Any other trends in product management? #productmanagment #productdevelopment #product

I am happy to share that I’ve reached 10,000 followers on LinkedIn! Over the past 20 years, LinkedIn has been my go-to place for learning, and connection.   A special shoutout to the last 7,000 followers who have joined me in just the past 2 years, ever since I started posting regularly. This rapid growth has brought a lot of shared knowledge and experience.   I’m grateful for the insights, connections, and opportunities that have come from meeting you here on LinkedIn. This milestone is not just a number - it comes from meaningful connections.   Thank you to each one of you for connecting. Your support, engagement, and encouragement mean the world to me.   Here’s to many more years of connection, collaboration, and continued learning!

"This is a corner case."   When I hear this phrase, it usually means:   This issue isn't worth handling   When I hear "corner case" about: - A security issue - A performance or scalability concern - A poor user experience   I worry there could be a lurking product issue. Here is what to do: 1. Don't debate whether it is a "corner case"       --> Evaluate the risk to customers   2. Look for the safety net      --> Decide if there is enough protection   3. If there is business, brand, or service risk then       --> Ensure the affected teams understand the risk   This week's newsletter provides techniques to handle "corner cases" on your product. Link: https://lnkd.in/gDZi8jeH #productmanagement #productdevelopment #product

Weekend reading: How to prepare for your next strategy presentation. It's ok if you haven't followed the latest strategy framework! Simon Waldman discusses principles for getting support on the future direction of your product:   1. Do the hard work outside the room          --> Review your key points in advance 2. Context is everything           --> Be aware of what is going on outside your world that is on your audience's mind 3. Answer the question you've been asked            --> Not the one you hope you were asked   In the real world, your strategy adapts as you make these presentations. Simon Waldman has more principles to help in the article. https://lnkd.in/guCT3ZhD #productleadership #productstrategy #productmanagement

Scaling from early adopters to a new customer segment is an exciting time for your product.  How do you select a customer segment for expansion? Taking these steps with time limits on the analysis gets the whole team aligned on the expansion: 1. Evaluate the segment's growth potential        --> Today and in the future 2. Leverage sales relationships         --> Strong connections with potential customers 3. Assess product needs          --> Estimate the impacts of the gaps 4. Collaborate and strategize           --> Finalize the expansion strategy   This week's newsletter is a case study on taking these steps. Many thanks to Annett Eckert and Gregg Dessen for suggesting this topic! Link: https://lnkd.in/gzHJa27D

Weekend Reading: Fixing ownership issues with the Captains model. Molly Graham outlines a simple model: There is only one Captain on a ship   --> a single clear owner   Captains communicate what success looks like  --> make sure the project is finished   Captains ask for what they need to be successful  --> get the support you need to steer to completion   Captains escalate quickly  --> Captains don't let things get stuck   Captains communicate progress regularly  --> share progress with relevant teams   Molly Graham discusses other benefits of having a Captain mindset in your organization.  Link: https://lnkd.in/gEm7a8wt #productmanagement #leadership #productleadership

Is a new product ready for a wider set of customers if the early adopter customers are happy?   Maybe not…   There are 2 issues to tackle before a broader product launch: 1. Cross-functional agreement that the product is ready for scale           ➡ Product is stable           ➡ Support team has hands-on experience   2. Coordinated sales enablement             ➡ Product training for all customer-facing teams             ➡ Rapid response sales support             ➡ Error-free new customer onboarding   Taking these steps avoids confusion in transitioning from early adopter mode to product growth mode.   This week's newsletter covers the steps to lift sales restrictions and open the growth of a new product. Link: https://lnkd.in/gD4AMBs2 #productmanagement #productdevelopment #productleadership

Weekend Reading: How does your inner dialog relate to traffic lights? Jeff Matlow discusses how you control the color of your traffic light.   Some insights for product people: 🟩 Green light - growing and learning   🟨 Yellow light - afraid to press harder on the accelerator 🟥 Red light - waiting for a change   We have a chance at all of these colors of the lights. Jeff reminds us that we are the person we want to be. #productmanagement #leadership #productleadership https://lnkd.in/gR62V45N