A colleague recently voiced frustration that their divisional strategy is far from clear, yet they are accountable for following it and delivering results against it.  Does this problem sound familiar?  Here are a few good ways to cope: 1. Look for “breadcrumb trails” – Find a presentation from the last divisional or company meeting, or a recent email ...

I recently had the honor of participating on a panel for Woods Creek Consulting’s Sales Executive Peer Group.  The topic of discussion:  Building a Lengendary Relationship with Product Management.  There were several good points brought up in the conversation (more in future posts), but here’s a key point that Sales needs from us:   prioritization!    Anyone out there ...

Welcome to 2010!  For most of us, January brings a flurry of activity preparing for the annual Sales Kickoff.  Your Sales team is an important “window” into what’s going on in your market place.  Here are three of our favorite ways to make sure the window stays open and the right information flows both ways. 

A regularly scheduled product retrospective is an important part of the product manager’s job. As we close out the calendar year, it’s a good time to complete this work. What’s the best way to to it?  Some take a “rear-view-only” pragmatic approach: report on release delivery, revenue and units sold. Here are our best tips for a more ...

In case you haven’t figured it out, I read Fortune magazine regularly. This issue includes the “Best Advice I Ever Got” feature, with an interview of Wilbur Ross (of International Steel fame). He quotes a mentor as saying “You’re better off backing a mediocre idea that’s brilliantly implemented than a brilliant idea that’s ...

One of the things we teach in our 2-day Product Management Intensive workshop is how to get out of the trenches and get a 30,000 foot view once in awhile. Working with clients and coaching our students just reinforces for me how important this is, and how hard.  After all, one of the things that many ...

Agile’s changes ripple through the organization beyond the Development group.  Chief among the big questions that arise: can the Product Manager be the Product Owner?  The dual role has its challenges!  Here are the two key challenges you’ll face, and some hard-won tips on navigating a dual role in your organization. Challenge #1: The new collaborative ...

Thanks to Jeff Lash for the opportunity to answer this question on his “Ask A Good Product Manager” blog.  You can see the question and the reply here.

Annual planning and budgeting is in full swing.  If you want to ensure that your 2010 business case is approved, keep in mind these three immutable facts…  1. Your business case can be “torpedoed” without your ever knowing why.  We’ve seen this happen a bunch of times.  Here’s one key to reducing your chance of getting the “Mystery ‘No’”: ...

How long has it been since you shook your head in dismay at an executive decision that seemed to ignore the facts? Research shows there are two key ways that the brain interferes with good decision-making. Find out what they are, and how product managers can combat their effects.