THE PRODUCT MASTERY ROADMAP from Product Manager to Product Master
Copyright Copyright 2016 Product Innovation Educators and The Everyday Innovator All rights reserved worldwide. This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state, and local laws. Publisher: Product Innovation Educators, a research, education, and applications company organized in the state of Colorado in the United States. The information in this guide is distributed on an as is basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. 2
About the Author Chad McAllister, PhD I help product managers become product masters Host of The Everyday Innovator Podcast Recognized as a Product Management Top 40 Influencer Author of Turning Ideas into Market Winning Products 25+ years product management experience Electrical engineer, software developer, project manager Small and large company experience Executive team of 4 startups Founder of Product Innovation Educators Innovation management educator at several universities PhD in innovation (officially Organization and Management, but all research was innovation focused) Love my family, friends, country, and God 3
Product Mastery Roadmap 4 Levels to Mastery Average Competent Proficient Expert Master Not a Cog Get Started
4 Levels to Mastery The following pages will describe each level of the Product Mastery Roadmap and help you identify the level you are at as a product manager. Most product managers, as many as 98% according to one source, never pursue professional training to refine their skills. That means there is little competition for those that truly want to excel in product management and eventually rise to senior levels, extending their influence beyond products to the entire organization. 4. Master 3. Expert 2. Proficient 1. Competent Most product managers are here 5
Average Product Managers 1 in 10 Companies seldom share information about their failed products, so not surprising, it is challenging to determine the number of failures vs successes. Clayton Christensen shared 1 in 20 consumer products are successes. Numerous sources identify a 1 in 10 (about 10%) success rate. Other studies put the success rate at a much better 40%. The large variations are from type of product (incremental or radical innovation) and if products entering development vs launching to market are counted. The professional group PDMA has studied product success rates since 1990. Their important finding is that organizations with the best product management practices significantly outperform average organizations. As you move from product manager to product master, you can expect to create the right products, those that customers love, more often. products succeed 6
Right Products More Often develop Consequently, the key metric towards product mastery is the ability to develop the right products more often. Think of this as your product success rate, and many product managers prefer the term right products because they have had the painful experience of developing the wrong product a product that customers do not want. While time-to-market is important, getting the wrong product to market faster is not improving the effectiveness of product management. This is why right products more often is the key metric. Time-to-market is secondary. products customers want 7
Overwhelmed become Competent Level 1 Competent. Many product managers share the feeling of being overwhelmed, asking the question, What do I need to focus on now? Product managers are pulled in many directions, drowning in internal tasks while needing more time to work with external customers. You can gain control over your responsibilities and know where to focus at any given time by Building Your Base and moving from being a capable product manager to truly comprehending your work as a product manager. In the process you will 2X the number of right products vs wrong products. Then you can recognize what tasks must be done now while proactively planning for the next tasks. The next page provides details to Build Your Base. by Building your base 8
Build Your Base Level 1 Competent. Your foundation for product mastery is built on 4 pillars. Ideate is the managed front end of product management and is where ideas are generated in a manner that is aligned with organizational strategy. Develop is a structured product development process. Evolve is managing the product life cycle at and after launch. Accelerate are practices that improve the other three pillars of your foundation. Recognizing where you are on a project in the IDEA Framework enables you to be proactive and know what to do now. Most product managers are at Level 1 and need the IDEA Framework ecourse to build their base. IDEA framework 9
Frustrated become Proficient Level 2 Proficient. People become product managers for two key reasons: (1) they want to build products that customers want and love, and (2) they want influence in the organization to make the first reason possible. The frustration that occurs is not having the influence they need. To overcome this and move from being involved in product management to truly influencing the products launched to customers, Earn Professional Credibility. This is not easy, which is exactly the point. Few product managers set themselves apart from others and demonstrate their commitment to their profession with independent certification. The next page provides 2 respected options. by earning professional credibility 10
Earn Professional Credibility Level 2 Proficient. If you were a project manager, professional certification is a requirement for most jobs, with PMI being the frequent choice for independent certification. Product management has not matured to the same level but there are credible internationally recognized certifications. While I am watching others, I endorse certifications from both PDMA and AIPMM. These are independent professional organizations, not companies merely providing a certificate of completion for attending a workshop. I chose these as I have worked with each for several years and have testimonials from product managers who earned certifications. They attribute their new influence and success to the certification. independent professional certification 11
Constrained become Expert Level 3 Expert. As you become an expert in product management, you will encounter specific problems and opportunities that need your attention while leading others in the organization. These are wide ranging, such as implementing a new approach to innovation, coaching a junior product manager on ethnography, or conducting a pricing analysis for a product retiring next year. You need specific and focused training to help you quickly learn what you need as problems and opportunities arise. The solution is to Apply Just-in- Time Deep Dives that teach the actions to take and templates to use. The next page shows examples. by applying just-in-time deep dives 12
Apply Just-In-Time Deep Dives Level 3 Expert. Becoming an expert and leading others presents challenges in no particular order based on the situation, industry, and your previous experience. Applying targeted knowledge that addresses the specific problem at the time removes constraints and further increases your influence in the organization. I am compiling sources of training for the common as well as less common areas of knowledge that expert product managers will need. I ll have this information available in the future at Product Innovation Educators. targeted knowledge as it is needed 13
Driven become Master Level 4 Master. Unlike any other role in organizations, master product managers have unique experiences gained from the cross-functional work that is required. In the process, they have created business opportunities and solved business problems. The knowledge, skills, and abilities they developed can be leveraged to even higher levels of responsibility. Consequently, they are positioned to become organizational architects. As architects, they can design organizations that are more profitable, build places where people love to work, and receive the respect of their communities. To accomplish this goal, product masters Transform their organization. The next page describes this path to executive and C-suite positions. by transforming the organization design 14
Transform Organization Design leadership framework Level 4 Master. Architecting an organization for higher levels of performance on all dimensions profit, people, and planet to create a sustainable business requires unique training and coaching. You ll need help navigating the numerous issues and questions that arise in the process. It is a bit like driving a car on a highway while trying to change the tires at the same time pretty challenging to say the least! I am working with the world-class expert in architecting high-performing organizations. He has coached senior leaders, done the research, and written the books to create the frameworks you ll need. If you are at Level 4, see his free resources at Organization Design Studio. and coaching to design a high-performing organization 15
Not a Cog Instead of having the influence you expected as a product manager, you might feel like just another cog in the organization You would not be alone many product managers feel this way. The Product Mastery Roadmap is your way to stop being a cog and start being an influencer. real influence 16
Product Mastery Roadmap You now have a charted Roadmap from product manager to product master. The roadmap has been used and proven over and over by numerous product mangers and organizations. It will guide you to have dramatically more influence and create products customers want and love. Identify where you are on the Roadmap and plan your next step towards mastery. 4. Master 3. Expert 2. Proficient 1. Competent Most product managers are here 17
Get Started Your First Step. If you are like most product managers, you need to build your base and get grounded in the IDEA Framework. This is the first step towards mastery. Whether you are newly in your career as a product manager or have 10 years of experience, first build your base and become competent in the practices, tools, and concepts to 2X the right products created. Get started at IDEA Framework. build your base towards product mastery 18