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29 Example Questions

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up vote 15 down vote

added by Al Biglan May 18 '11 at 4:14

One of the most difficult and common of product management questions, so I think it's a great on-topic example. You could also substitute "your CEO" for "your biggest customer." – Nils Davis Jun 9 '11 at 1:52

Often instructive to look at next year's revenue goal. If doubling the revenue from your biggest customer is (nearly) enough to hit the target, then humbly ask what it will take to close that deal. If the major customer is 8% of total revenue and you need to double product sales, you'd better be thinking about whole new segments and large numbers of new buyers... – Rich Mironov Nov 12 '11 at 17:51

Very tough. You want to keep your biggest customer happy, to prevent them from abandoning you. In a prior life it was a market segment that had out weight influence on the roadmap. Unfortunately, their requirements were so un-representative from our largest markets, and it really put us at a competitive disadvantage. Long battles with senior management (in our BU, and corporate) ensued. I lost. – Gander2112 Jan 4 at 20:52

up vote 13 down vote

added by Travis Jensen Jan 26 '11 at 2:52

You could do a lot worse than having the person read these two books: "Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love" by Marty Cagan and "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries. I had in-person training from Marty Cagan (who is great) but his book covers just about everything in his class. – BobertBK Jan 30 at 13:30

up vote 11 down vote

added by Alex Larikov May 6 '11 at 10:47

"If you can't measure it it isn't real". Measurement is critical to success. This question will bring to light some good practices. – Richard Tasker Nov 15 '11 at 17:58

up vote 10 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:45

I like this, but wondering if it can be made more specific? "What factors should I consider when I'm looking at (feature requests? roadmapping/planning data?) to help make the decision to argue for investing in a new product vs. an upgrade" Good question tho! – Al Biglan Jan 19 at 15:37

up vote 10 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:45

I think this is a great topic, and really one of the neglected responsibilities of product management. I bet a lot of people have zombie products in their portfolios (no or little forecast, no visibility, obsolete/unavailable components) that are a significant drain on the organization. – Gander2112 Jan 4 at 21:10

up vote 10 down vote

added by Alex Larikov, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:46

up vote 10 down vote

added by Al Biglan, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:45

This is a classic discussion/argument in Product Management. Many of the official groups divide this into inbound and outbound or product management vs. product marketing, but for most organizations, the role is a hybrid (combined in one person). That usually means that one side or the other is less covered. I think this is a good topic for the area – Gander2112 Jan 4 at 21:07

up vote 9 down vote

added by Travis Jensen, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:46

These types of questions are asked a lot on Project Management SE. See the Agile Tag – jmort253 Jun 7 '11 at 3:04

I'd say this one is right on the edge between on and off topic. Or rather that it belongs in both Product Mgmt and Project Mgmt SEs. – Nils Davis Jun 10 '11 at 1:48

Core challenge of PMs who follow the classic scrumproduct owner model, which tends to tie to their chairs in HQ most days. See, for instance, my old talk on PM/PO challenges, which highlights how easy it is to feel the internal agile beast and neglect live customer interactions outside the office. – Rich Mironov Nov 12 '11 at 19:22

Definitely a product management question. Agile evangelists are usually unfamiliar with the breadth of what Product Managers actually do - so they lean heavily on product owners' dev responsibilities. Great question! – John Peltier Jan 5 at 2:47

Absolutely a Product Management question. I struggle with this daily. Agile is demanding, customers require travel. – Jon White Jan 12 at 5:30

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up vote 9 down vote

added by Alex Larikov May 6 '11 at 10:36

"Inspired" by Marty Cagan and "Lean Startup" by Eric Reis – John Peltier Jan 5 at 2:44

up vote 5 down vote

added by Al Biglan, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:46

	Except that there is no "best way" this is a classic product management dilemma. I think this is a good representative question. – Gander2112 Jan 4 at 21:03
	Suggest a rewording? Happy to edit it to make it a better question. – Al Biglan Jan 19 at 18:41

up vote 4 down vote

added by Dan McGrath, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:46

up vote 3 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:47

Could you clarify the question a little? What kinds of products are you categorizing? – tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 18:27

up vote 3 down vote

added by Al Biglan, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:47

up vote 2 down vote

added by tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 18:32

up vote 2 down vote

added by THelper Dec 5 '11 at 13:44

up vote 2 down vote

added by Dan McGrath Jan 4 at 13:42

up vote 1 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:47

up vote 1 down vote

added by tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 17:01

	I think some consider them both under the aegis of product management, while others see them as separate. – tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 18:24
	Good question. This should be a community FAQ question when the site is launched! – THelper Mar 22 at 8:41

up vote 1 down vote

added by THelper, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:48

I like this question's topic area because it points to some real world issues, but can it be made more focused/specific? E.g. "How does product planning differ between software and other product types?" ot even more specific "How do I do versioning and revisions for my physical product when my existing customers are used to software patches?" – Al Biglan Jan 19 at 15:34

up vote 1 down vote

added by dturkenk Dec 9 '11 at 17:09

I think this is a good topic, as balancing these needs and setting the priorities is a critical part of guiding development. But can the question be a bit more specific, maybe asking how to prioritize when faced with a needed feature/task from each side, and asking about what information you need to make the assessment? – Holly Mar 31 at 23:28

up vote 1 down vote

added by CamelBlues Jan 11 at 1:43

up vote 0 down vote

added by Cornelius Jan 26 '11 at 5:21

up vote 0 down vote

added by Al Biglan May 18 '11 at 4:21

up vote 0 down vote

added by tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 18:29

up vote 0 down vote

added by Dan McGrath, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 at 17:48

up vote 0 down vote

added by tajmo Jan 18 at 17:23

up vote 0 down vote

added by THelper Mar 22 at 8:32

up vote 0 down vote

added by jmort253 May 13 at 2:02

up vote -5 down vote

added by Nils Davis Jun 9 '11 at 1:51

Consider alternatives? :-0 – Rich Mironov Nov 12 '11 at 19:23

This sounds like a project management question … although product managers are often called upon to do project management. – tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 18:24

This is not even Proj mgmnt. this is simple How to use a software. – Dipan Mehta Nov 27 '11 at 23:11