Presenter: Christine Ferrusi Ross Case studies tend to focus a lot on what went right. I'm not too proud -- I'll admit I made (and make) mistakes all the time. This session will talk about some of them and then we'll have a group discussion on how to avoid those mistakes and how to fix them if you couldn't avoid them. Christine has created tech-oriented products and services for midsized and small companies, and led product strategy for a SaaS product. She loves to solve customer problems and build stuff.

1. Everything I Did Wrong
As A Product Manager
And How You Can
Avoid/Fix The Same
Mistakes
Christine Ferrusi Ross

2. Session Structure
• I’ll describe my top 3 mistakes. What happened and why.
• For each mistake, we’ll brainstorm ways to avoid or fix the mistake
• Then we’ll brainstorm metrics or other indicators we can use to know
that we really did fix or avoid the mistake
• We’ll collect notes from participants in the room and then distribute
the collated session notes through ProductCamp

3. First, Let’s Put All Of This In Context…
• Everyone makes mistakes, big ones and small ones
• Making mistakes doesn’t mean you aren’t a good (or fantastic!)
product manager
• But you owe it to yourself, your organization, and your product to
learn from your mistakes and constantly become better
Let’s get started!

4. Mistake 1: Not Managing Up
Situation: I got a new boss, and he had some rules he set up front: don’t
email unless absolutely necessary, don’t set up meetings unless absolutely
necessary, and to bring only problems I couldn’t solve on my own.
The mistake: I listened to him! So he started getting frustrated that he didn’t
know what was going on, and that he had to ask me whenever he wanted to
know status. It also led to a lot of arguments about why things weren’t done
(when they in fact were done.)
As a product manager I made the huge mistake of doing what he said, but
not what he wanted. I didn’t dig further into why he might be saying this, nor
did I gut check myself to ask if in fact it was a good idea to not have at least
occasional meetings and weekly emails. People don’t always know what they
want, nor can they communicate their desires effectively. I should have
known better and done more to keep him informed and comfortable with
where the product work was going.

5. What Could We Do To Avoid Or Fix This
Mistake?
• Start by asking for success metrics – how will your management decide you’re doing a good job? What does
management expect to know on an ongoing basis about what you’re doing? Often metrics will tell you if
you’re in alignment strategically. (Example: if your product management metrics are all about increased
product sales, you’ll have a tough time.)
• Distinguish between what people ask for and what they need.
• Get good at diagnostics, by asking better questions. Get beyond their stated wants to unstated (not wanting
to be disturbed doesn’t automatically translate into “don’t tell me anything,” for example)
• Keep asking what and why questions until you know what management NEEDS, not just what they want.
• Do you know management’s goals? Keep filtering and feeding back to them.
• Work more proactively with adjacent teams and manage out, so you have advocates and you don’t have to
rely only on direct communications with management.
• Logistically, create a tracker for your progress (easier if you use a tool to track, but you can use a spreadsheet
or word file.) Either email the tracker out weekly or put it on a shared drive and email the link weekly.
Remember to highlight what you want management to know, don’t just throw the spreadsheet at them.

6. How Will We Know We Fixed It?
• We get fewer status requests
• Management asks for advice, brings suggestions (not orders), and is
more receptive to your ideas generally
• Other teams will become more collaborative
• Meetings with management will be less contentious; less about status
reporting and more about idea generation and forward momentum

7. Mistake 1: Getting Buy-In Only Once, At The
Beginning Of An Initiative
Situation: I pitched a new product that everyone in my company loved.
They saw that clients wanted it, would be willing to pay for it, and that
it fit strategically with the rest of our portfolio. But as I kept working on
developing the idea, it went nowhere. Funding never happened and
the product never got built.
The mistake: I got buy-in from all the key stakeholders but didn’t keep
asking and following up. As a result, I missed some key red flags that I
could have used to either get continued buy-in or drop development
faster and move to another product.

8. What Could We Do To Avoid Or Fix This
Mistake?
• Get tough on yourself – understand your own biases and make sure you’re not either
influencing people’s feedback or only hearing what you want to hear. Ask open ended
questions, look for every objection and obstacle, be honest about whether those
obstacles can be addressed.
• Ask contextual questions, not just product questions. For example, in my case everyone
loved the product, but the funding was the problem. It was only when the Strategy VP
said, “the product is too expensive to fund from our existing resources and not expensive
enough that we’d just go out and acquire.” Make sure you understand the overall
business situation the product fits into. Ask about funding, resources, business direction,
and other contextual questions.
• Ask tradeoff questions. Would people advocate for this product over another one? Is this
product a better investment than other ways management could spend their money?
Remember that just because a product is a great idea, it isn’t automatically going to fit
with the strategy, finances, or customer fit of your organization.
• Keep asking questions throughout! Buy-in fades without constant attention.

9. How Will We Know We Fixed It?
• We have a 360-degree view of how we’ll make the product happen. We
know how it’s being funded, we know what resources have been allocated,
and we know where the product is prioritized among other corporate
initiatives
• When we see our product being talked about in context of overall company
plans
• When other teams want to work with us and collaborate because they see
where it fits with their own projects
• Reminder: sometimes the answer is no, the product is not happening or
getting cut. Clarity is always a win. Look at this as a chance to move on to
some other cool product. Learn what to do differently to get buy-in the
next time

10. Mistake 1: The BIG Mistake – Cutting Corners And
Bringing Your Work Down In Response To A Poor
Environment
Situation: I led product and worked in a tiny company. No one could
help with real feedback or other advice. So when it was time to build
the roadmap, I made a quick-and-dirty one that was really just a
schedule of product features for the development team to use.
The Mistake: No one knew the difference in the roadmap quality, since
no one knew what to expect – except me! I let myself get frustrated
and dragged down, so I created a subpar deliverable instead of trying
to educate my coworkers more and getting more external advice. Just
because no one in my company noticed, doesn’t mean this was ok. I let
myself down because I started to plateau and didn’t keep improving my
skills, like I should have.

11. What Could We Do To Avoid Or Fix This
Mistake?
• Focus some time in all meetings on education. You want to bring your colleagues up, not go down to their level of
product management expertise. Make sure you’re constantly highlighting best practices. For example, you can say
things like “our roadmap, which is based off of the best practice, takes this approach…”
• Keep up with the latest in product management. Read blogs and books, and keep up with best practices. Even if
your organization doesn’t notice on a daily basis, you will. And honestly, you’ll be creating a better overall product.
That’s what matters.
• Go outside more often. Especially in small companies where you might be the only product management, finding
collaborators and critics can be difficult. Network, meet other product managers, and find peers who are willing to
give you advice. NOTE: Of course, don’t share anything proprietary with people outside your company!!
• Have an absolutely laser focus on customer insights. If your company has a weak sales team, they may tell
management it’s a product problem. It might be, but of course, it might not be. Don’t cut corners on talking to
customers whenever you can. And make sure you bring this customer perspective to all management meetings.
• Learn to distinguish between real weaknesses/flaws and insecurities. For example, you might get criticized for
something like not being technical enough. But if it’s not really affecting your performance, then it’s not a
weakness, it’s just something leaders are saying to justify their own views
• Find a better opportunity. If you just can’t get motivated, or if your best efforts aren’t paying off, move to another
organization. Better to leave a product you love than to get stuck in a rut too long and become mediocre.

12. How Will We Know We Fixed It?
• We’ll have credibility with other teams and management
• They’ll ask for our opinions more often
• We’ll be able to answer every challenge of “why do it this way instead
of that way?” and “how do we know this is the best approach?”
• If management goes outside for another opinion, perhaps to hire
another product manager as the company expands, the feedback
from the consultant or new employee will be that your work is really
good and follows best practices

13. Thank You to everyone who participated. And
special thanks to Ned, Deb and Nicholas for
sharing their notes!
Christine Ferrusi Ross
cfr626@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/christine-ferrusi-ross-02ab1