This webinar discusses how to influence stakeholders using data as a product manager. It recommends assessing customer problems by defining measurable goals and success metrics, gathering both quantitative and qualitative customer data, prioritizing features into small milestones, documenting plans in specification documents to share internally and vision documents to share more broadly, implementing features starting small and measuring impact through iteration, and documenting and publicizing results while continuing to use customer data. The webinar also provides tips for navigating new roles and links to helpful product management resources.

1. www.productschool.com
Webinar: How to Influence Using Data
by Microsoft 365 Product Manager

2. CERTIFICATES
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3. Corporate
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Management skills

4. Free Product Management Resources
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bit.ly/product_resources
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6. How to
influence with
data
Sana Sareshwala
Product Manager @ Microsoft
Former PM @ Amazon

7. Background
Education
B.A.s in Economics and Political
Science from UC Davis
Masters in Data Science,
Columbia University
Business Analytics
Amazon Benchmarking
Amazon Fresh
Product Management
Amazon Marketplace
Amzon Alexa Shopping
Microsoft Office 365

8. Overview of
product
lifecycle
using data
Assess the customer problem
Define success metrics
Problem roadmap
Getting approval
Implementation
Feedback and Iteration
Documenting and publicizing

9. Who is your audience?
Amazon Fresh
and Prime Now
• PM team,
internal
stakeholders
Amazon
Marketplace
• 3rd
party
sellers
• Policy teams
Alexa
Shopping
• Amazon
customers
Office 365
• Agents /
advocates
providing
technical
support end
users
You can have multiple “customers”.

10. Assess the customer problem
◈ Work backward from the customer
Identify measurable goals (end goal: I want customers to be delighted, I want to increase
customer coverage, I want to increase feature usage)
Identify success metrics (end goal: increase clicks by 20%, reduce customer friction by 15%
by end of year)
◈ Be the pulse of your customer
Create an ideal experience mockup. In a resource free world, what would the customer
experience be? (figma.com)
Document tribal knowledge
Practice emotional intelligence / empathy with your customer
Your customer is evolving, so should you.

11. Gather customer metrics
◈ Get outside perspective (white glove experience, user testing, AB testing)
If survey, mix quantitative questions and free text so you get a balance of open
ended and definitive answers to measure impact
Gain tribal knowledge / historical background from peers / partner teams
◈ Become familiar with pulling your own data (https://www.kaggle.com/,
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/, https://www.w3schools.com/sql/)
Quantitative Anecdotal
- Customer data, survey, usability testing,
AB tests
- White glove experience, focus group
discussions

12. Getting approval
◈ Prioritize your features into small milestones
◈ Lean on your dev team for open questions
PM
What?
Why?
Engineerin
g
How?
When
?

13. Specification documents vs vision
documents
Specification
docs
Specific feature
Detailed science
and engineering
plan
1-2 pages
Shared with
team and
relevant
stakeholders
Vision docs
Larger product,
several features
in a single doc
Open ended
questions
regarding
prioritization
6-10 pages
Shared with
broader
audience (e.g.
org)

14. Specification documents vs vision
documents
Specification
docs
Specific feature
Detailed science
and engineering
plan
1-2 pages
Shared with
team and
relevant
stakeholders
Vision docs
Larger product,
several features
in a single doc
Open ended
questions
regarding
prioritization
6-10 pages
Shared with
broader
audience (e.g.
org)
Throw in a powerpoint
that summarizes the
doc for rest of audience!

15. Implementation
Start
small
Measure
impact
Iterate

16. Documenting and publicizing
◈ Send action items / meeting notes
◈ Send product launch announcements
◈ Send Flash / Dashboard / Heatmap to stakeholders
◈ Continue to use customer data as your north star, even as you roll out larger
features
◈ Assess impact

17. Navigating a new role – when data isn’t
enough
◈ New PM Imposter syndrome
◈ Simulate “hallway conversations” by putting 15 minute syncs on coworkers’
calendars to gain tribal knowledge
◈ Document the tribal knowledge – your team will thank you
◈ Lean on engineers to understand infrastructure

18. Helpful links
◈ Helpful Product Management books:
HBR Guide to Better Business Writing:
https://www.amazon.com/HBR-Guide-Better-Business-Writing/dp/142218403X/ref=sr_1_3?crid=G3LF359M3QMG&dchil
d=1&keywords=business+writing&qid=1605748989&sprefix=business+writing%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-3
INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1WEEUAZAV
3MN3&dchild=1&keywords=product+management&qid=1605749029&sprefix=product+m%2Caps%2C224&sr=8-7
The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and
Rapid Customer Feedback
https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1WEEUAZAV3MN3&dc
hild=1&keywords=product+management&qid=1605749029&sprefix=product+m%2Caps%2C224&sr=8-7

19. Thank you
Would love to hear your PM journey. Please feel free to reach me on my Linkedin
(Sana Sareshwala)!

20. www.productschool.com
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and
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