Talk at Cork IE monthly technology cluster meeting. Focusing on skills rather than titles, how do we avoid product manager/owner failure modes for commercial software?

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Product Managers,
Agile Product Owners and
Building Great Products
Rich Mironov
IT@Cork
11 Feb 2014
1
©
Rich
Mironov,
2014

2. • Veteran product manager/executive
• 6 startups, including as CEO
• “The Art of Product Management”
• Founded Product Camp, chaired first
Agile conference product tracks
ABOUT RICH MIRONOV
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3. • “Product manager” is a job title
• Org charts, HR category, not necessarily agile
• Mostly in technology-as-revenue firms
• “Product owner” is an agile team role
• Part of self-organizing team within Engineering or Program Office
• Internal IT or technology-as-revenue
• Work has to get done, regardless of title
• Sprint-level stories, backlogs, priorities, acceptance…
• Engagement with users, buyers and corporate priorities
THE SET-UP
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market information, priorities,
requirements, roadmaps, epics,
user stories, backlogs,
personas, MRDs…
product
bits
strategy, forecasts,
commitments, roadmaps,
competitive intelligence
budgets, staff,
targets
Field input,
Market feedback
Segmentation, messages,
benefits/features, pricing,
qualification, demos…
Markets &
CustomersDevelopment
Marketing
& Sales
Executives
Product
Management
WHAT DOES A PRODUCT MANAGER DO?
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5. • “…represents the customer’s interest in backlog
prioritization and requirements questions... available to
the team at any time.”
• Provides intense sprint-level focus: stories, backlog,
prioritization, acceptance
• Gets lots of love from Development
• Feeds the hungry agile beast
WHAT DOES A PRODUCT OWNER DO?
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6. Steam engine
“firemen” need to
shovel coal
constantly, otherwise
the train will stop
FEEDING THE AGILE BEAST
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backlog, priorities,
epics, user stories,
personas, demo feedback
product
bits
Markets &
CustomersDevelopment
Marketing
& Sales
Executives
Product
Owner
‘small p’ PRODUCT OWNER
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showcase
customers
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8. • Engineering output
• Product features
• Order of delivery
• Whole product/business model
• Pricing
• Competitive positioning
• Partners and Channels
• Services and Support
• Fit with corporate strategy
• Product split, merge or EOL
PRODUCT MANAGER HAS MORE LEVERS
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Product
manager
Product
owner
A"er:
Greg
Cohen
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9. Analyzed 41 US tech product manager
job postings
• 76% want previous product manager
experience
• 93% want a BS (68% prefer CS/EE)
• 93% want excellent verbal and
written communication skills
• 32% want MBAs
• 88% want experience in that
company’s market segment
WHAT PM HIRING MANAGERS WANT
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10. • Naturally look for advanced users (SMEs)
• Huge premium on technical chops, story writing
• Rarely consider market-side experience
• Undervalue “deflection” skills
• Good match for IT project with strong champion
• Sucks for commercial (revenue) products
WHEN DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
CHOOSE THEIR PRODUCT OWNERS…
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11. • Most product management teams were already
understaffed
• Product ownership adds 40-60% more critical work
• One product manager can “do it all” for a single
agile team
• But typical Dev:PM ratio is
25:1, not 10:1
PROD MGMT: OVERSUBSCRIBED,
OVERCOMMITTED, BURNING OUT
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12. PRODUCT MANAGER FAILURE MODES
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Product Manager fails agile team when…
• Part-timer, not engaged with team
• Lack of detail on stories
• Stale backlog
• Best of intentions, but pulled in
too many directions
• “Build what I meant”

13. PRODUCT OWNER FAILURE MODES
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Product Owner fails the market when…
• Weak on market realities: pricing,
packaging, selling cycle, upgrades,
discounting, service models,
competitive dynamics
• Disconnected from Marketing, Sales, Support
• Trading off company strategy for product features
• Confusing showcase customers with broader market

14. • Delivering products that don’t sell
• Outdated plans
• Urgency to start coding
• Titles don’t create revenue
MARKET FAILURES
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MINIMAL PM/PO “ORGANIZATION”
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VP or Founders
more technical more market-focused
Heroic Single
Product Manager/Owner
“management”

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DYSFUNCTIONAL PO/PM ORGANIZATION
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VP Eng
Product
Owners
more technical more market-focused
VP Marketing
“management”
Product
Managers

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PM/PO ORGANIZATIONAL MAP:
MARKET MENTORING
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GM / VP Eng / VP Products / CPO
more technical more market-focused
Product
Owner
Senior Product
Manager
“management”

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PM/PO ORGANIZATIONAL MAP:
PRODUCT PEERS
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PM Director/
Product Strategist
GM / VP Eng / VP Products / CPO
more technical more market-focused
“management”

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CONTACT
Rich Mironov, CEO
Mironov Consulting
233 Franklin St, Suite #308
San Francisco, CA 94102
RichMironov
@RichMironov
Rich@Mironov.com
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