Hi Reader, You know that feeling of “you don’t know what you don’t know”? You get it always when you start building a new system or a complex feature. And you’re just thinking: how are we supposed to know how to build this if we’ve never built it before? As someone who likes to control things (yes, that’s me), I tried my best to find an answer. Of course, very predictably, there is no answer. We can’t predict many of the technical issues that will come our way. But that doesn’t mean we should...
5 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Have you ever heard of the Jobs-to-be-Done framework? You probably did. And like you, I have heard of the interpretations of it, and I thought I got it. It's an easy concept. But with the new small internal tool I am building, I have decided to actually implement it, and see if it could help me organize messy requirements into a clear picture. So if you are currently managing a product, and need some ability to actually map out what it's meant for, this newsletter is for you! P.S....
12 days ago • 6 min read
Hi Reader, Have you ever felt lost while asking your engineers if they have already pulled, pushed, or merged their code? I have 🙋🏻♀️ What if I tell you that learning this once and for all will take you only 20 mins? And much more confidence going forward. If you like that, today's issue is for you. Today in 20 minutes you will: Why code repositories matter to PMs (even if you never write code) What Git and GitHub are (and why they're not the same thing) The 9 words your developers use every...
19 days ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, Building apps has never been easier. I can prove it. I built a working app for the hands-on API workshop I held two weeks ago. Took me 3 hours, spread across 4 rounds of getting it right. If you've ever wanted to do a quick, scrappy first build and actually put it in front of other people, this one's for you. Today in 10 minutes you will: See why I built my own app instead of grabbing something off the shelf Get the process I actually followed, from idea to a public link See the...
25 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Every week someone tells me AI is “changing everything” about building software. Cool. But changing what, exactly? And how do I use it? That's a question I am asking myself a few times per week, and I am sure you do too. That's why you may want to read this issue, to get yourself up to date on the latest capabilities and tools AI is bringing into the product development lifecycle. Today in 10 minutes you will: Get a quick recap of the product development lifecycle See what AI can...
about 1 month ago • 8 min read
Hi Reader, How do you react when something unexpectedly bad happens? Ignore it, panic, or stay unfazed? Great PMs don't just keep themselves calm. They help their team stay calm too, build a plan, and execute to fix the disaster. Today's newsletter covers exactly that: what to do when disaster hits, and how to not lose your mind while doing it. Today in 10 minutes you will: •Learn the science behind why stress helps up to a point, then wrecks your thinking Get short-term tools to calm down in...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
Hi Reader, Have you ever had a developer tell you they deployed something, you went to check, and it wasn't there? Turned out it was somewhere else entirely. If so, you've met the reality of having multiple environments. Today we're breaking down environments: what they are, why you need more than one, and what it takes to keep them from drifting apart. Today in 10 minutes you will: Understand what dev, staging, and production actually are, and why you need all three See where sandbox, SIT,...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, I bet sometimes you feel like your real job looks nothing like a textbook product management job. Let's be honest, internal product management is different. And today we are going to talk about these differences, embrace them, review them, and see how we can action them. So if you ever felt like your internal PM job is "off," this issue is for you. Today in 10 minutes you will: 7 honest disconnects, no sugarcoating Should vs. reality, side by side Concrete steps to close the gap,...
2 months ago • 7 min read
Hi Reader, If you've ever wondered what a healthy change management process looks like, today's issue is for you. Same if you're on one of the extremes: pushing anything to prod, or screaming out loud because the change management board is driving you crazy (yes, I've been there). Healthy change management ensures that you get more good changes out of the door, quicker and more securely :) Want to see it for yourself? Let's get into it. Today in 10 minutes you will: Get straight answers on...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, Did you know that alignment meetings are actually not about creating alignment? They are about validating and solidifying alignment that already exists. So if you walk into that meeting without doing the pre-work, chances are it goes a way you did not expect. But let's not let that happen. Today we talk about how you can effectively have a pre-meeting, and why you even need one in the first place. Today in 10 minutes you will: See what the meeting before the meeting actually looks...
2 months ago • 6 min read