Main Takeaways: - Know what success looks like and how you intend to measure it upfront - Identify the key stakeholders and have a plan to manage them - Be a good storyteller and sell the positive case Target good enough, not perfect

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How to Thrive, Not Just Survive at
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6. MEGA
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HOW TO THRIVE (NOT JUST SURVIVE)
AT PRODUCT IN A BIG
ORGANISATION
BY
MIKE SKELTON LARGE ORG

7. THANK YOU

8. ABOUT ME

9. Getting your message across clearly is extremely
important as a Product Manager, so remember to:
1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them
2. Tell them
3. Then tell them what you’ve told them
TOP TIP #1

10. KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Know what success is for the project and
how to measure it upfront
2. Identify the key stakeholders and have a
plan to manage them
3. Be a good storyteller and able to sell the
positive case
4. Always aim for good enough, not perfect

11. 1. Know what success is for the project
and how to measure it upfront

12. Bespoke new
development
Existing bespoke
development
Third party software
or code
Technical or
proposition
migrations
+ Most freedom to
determine the direction
+ No legacy technology or
previous work to unpick
+ Already likely to be
accepted or integrated
into the wider organisation
+ Fundamentals of the
product already in place
+ Potentially quick route to
market
+ Experience of building
relationships and working
with external organisations
+ Proposition and user
base already exist
+ Data is usually abundant
to justify
decisions/approach
- Can be hard to start from
scratch
- May be broader
objectives to align with
- Hard to change goals and
objectives already set
- Need to understand the
landscape and history
- Likely to be fairly
inflexible in making
changes
- Role is more
integration-focussed
- Not the most interesting
to manage
- Mostly focussed on what
to drop, not enhancing the
offer
IDENTIFYING THE PRODUCT TYPE

13. IMPORTANCE OF DATA LITERACY
Data literacy is
crucial to be
successful as a
Product Manager
May need to use
proxies to infer
the behaviours
we want to
encourage
Identify the
variables and
constants that
could affect the
situation
Negative results
are not the
enemy – it is
inconclusive data

14. DE-RISKING ASSUMPTIONS
RISK
Validate any
assumptions or
hypotheses as early
and quickly as
possible
Using real users in
real circumstances is
the gold standard, but
isn’t always possible
Options to gain
confidence include
A/B tests, MVT, fake
doors, surveys,
research, user testing
Be aware of the
challenges and
different levels of data
credibility associated
with each

15. Keep a log or journal of all your relevant
experiences and achievements as they happen
They’re easily forgotten, so having a record of this
will help to remind you when completing an
application form or preparing for an interview
TOP TIP #2

16. 2. Identify the key stakeholders and have a
plan to manage them

17. GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Use your people skills to better
understand your stakeholders
Identify who they are as early as possible
Understand what their objectives are and
consider them wisely
Focus on establishing trust, so legitimate
concerns can be raised
Set expectations in advance, including
how they can help and what
communications they should receive

18. MAPPING STAKEHOLDERS
Keep satisfied
Monitor
Manage closely
Keep informed
Interest
Power
High
High
Low
Low

19. MANAGING APPROPRIATELY
Create a clear
communications
plan using your
stakeholder
map
Keep
stakeholders
close and
involved in your
decision making
process
Consider what
forums you
want to engage
them in and
how you want to
run them
effectively
Be open minded
about how you
manage with
your
stakeholders
and treat them
the way you
would want to
be treated

20. Create supporting materials which you can use to
present a consistent narrative to stakeholders
It will save time and effort!
A standard presentation deck is work crafting, which
explains:
• What the product is and any justifications
• What has been achieved so far
• Where it is headed
PREPARATION HELPS

21. 3. Be a good storyteller and able to sell the
positive case

22. WHY WIN PEOPLE OVER
1
Building the best products requires consulting
with others and building consensus
As a product manager, you will find you’ll be
more focussed on task management and
agenda setting, than line management
People will want to challenge the decisions and
you want them to feel as though they can
Ensure that your logic, data and rationale is as
strong as it can be

23. BE POSITIVE AND SELL WELL
Focus on the
positive outcomes,
rather than the
negative
Excite people by
showing the
positive difference
it is going to make
Tie into broader
strategic
objectives or
initiatives
Building trust
through delivering
and keeping to
your word

24. MAKE IT RELEVANT
R E L E V A N T
Consider about
how you can make
your message or
relevant to
stakeholders
How can you solve
problems or create
opportunities for
them?
Focus on what your
product actually can
or could do, either
now or in the future
Be cautious about
how much and
where you choose
to build flexibility

25. Plan how to use your prior experiences to answer
interview questions in the strongest possible way
Many interviewers focus on core Product
Management competencies, so match your
experiences to the appropriate areas before
interviews
TOP TIP #3

26. 4. Always aim for good enough, not perfect

27. BE RUTHLESS
Make the tough decisions that need to
be made for the best interests of your
product and its users
They might not make you popular
though, so be prepared for this
Be aware of the limitations that the
product has, better than anyone else
Be dispassionate and be level-headed
about your product, don’t let the fog of
attachment cloud your decision-making

28. FOCUS ON SPEED AND PRACTICAL
PROBLEMS
0
100
20
80
40 60
Speed is everything in building great
products, so validate assumptions fast
Ask of every piece of work - is truly
necessary? What would happen if we
didn’t do it?
Building out from real life use cases,
with a clear and well understood user
need
Be reactive to the environment that
your product is operating

29. DON’T FORGET WHAT YOU’RE THERE FOR
Many productmanagers focus onmaking big changesor releasing bigthings, hoping theywill make a big
impact
Use your creativity to
help solve problems
and leverage what
already has been built
to get the job done
A great product
manager is one that
measures their
achievements by the
difference they have
made to their users
and their organisation

30. Key takeaways recap

31. KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Know what success is for the project and how to
measure it upfront
2. Identify the key stakeholders and have a plan to
manage them
3. Be a good storyteller and able to sell the positive case
4. Always aim for good enough, not perfect

32. https://www.linkedin.com/
in/michael-skelton-a4aa9
32a/
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