Area 51 » Technology

129

followers

Announcements

At 2+ years in Area 51 we have to close this proposal. Keep this proposal alive by restarting it. See discuss.area51.stackexchange.com/q/5798. – Robert Cartaino♦ Apr 11 at 21:41

closed as not a viable proposal by Robert Cartaino♦ Apr 11 at 21:40

This proposal will not result in a useful, productive, or viable Q&A site.

43 Example Questions (1 closed)

active oldest votes

up vote 17 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

<comments removed> Please do not use comments to answer these questions. Comments are here to help improve the questions. This proposal is not part of the Q&A site, and the task at hand is to help define a future site. Thank you. – Robert Cartaino♦ Aug 26 '12 at 20:37

up vote 15 down vote

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

	<comments removed> Please do not use comments to answer these questions. Comments are here to help improve the questions. This proposal is not part of the Q&A site, and the task at hand is to help define a future site. Thank you. – Robert Cartaino♦ Aug 26 '12 at 20:36
	It would be interesting to know how many colleges if any currently offer Product Management as a major (ie BSPM)? – Bob Hamilton Jan 7 at 19:25

up vote 13 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 11 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 '12 at 2:44

up vote 10 down vote

added by Travis Jensen, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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
	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 '12 at 2:47
	Absolutely a Product Management question. I struggle with this daily. Agile is demanding, customers require travel. – Jon White Jan 12 '12 at 5:30
	Suggest a re-wording: Pick 1 problem you have in daily scrums and ask how it might get resolved. "How should I set expectations with the Scrum team on my availability during standups if I am out visiting customers on an unpredictable schedule" I'd upvote if it were more specific. – Al Biglan Jan 19 '12 at 15:40

show 1 more comment

up vote 10 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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 10 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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 '12 at 15:37

up vote 10 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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 '12 at 21:10

up vote 10 down vote

added by Alex Larikov, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 at 17:46

up vote 10 down vote

added by Al Biglan, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 at 17:47

up vote 10 down vote

added by Al Biglan, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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 '12 at 21:07

up vote 10 down vote

added by Al Biglan, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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 '12 at 21:03
	Suggest a rewording? Happy to edit it to make it a better question. – Al Biglan Jan 19 '12 at 18:41
	This may be able to be split into multiple questions comparing and contrasting different methods of receiving customer input. When to choose surveys vs. site visits for example. – goalieref Aug 23 '12 at 15:38

up vote 10 down vote

added by tajmo Nov 18 '11 at 18:32

up vote 10 down vote

added by THelper Dec 5 '11 at 13:44

up vote 10 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 '12 at 23:28

up vote 10 down vote

added by Dan McGrath Jan 4 '12 at 13:42

up vote 10 down vote

added by Dan McGrath, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 at 17:46

up vote 10 down vote

added by tajmo Jan 18 '12 at 17:23

We had a very similar situation and I was wondering about the logistics. – Riggens Jul 1 '12 at 5:50

up vote 10 down vote

added by THelper Mar 22 '12 at 8:32

	Maybe revise the question to be "what kind of feedback is most important" or "what demographics of people who leave feedback should I consider most important". The question as it stands is either "yes/no", or it could generate too many "me too" type responses. – jmort253 May 27 '12 at 17:53
	@jmort253 Thank you for your suggestion, I've revised the question. – THelper May 30 '12 at 7:36

up vote 10 down vote

added by Holly Jun 2 '12 at 21:37

up vote 9 down vote

added by THelper, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 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 '12 at 15:34

I like this question because, quite often, the pricing of software products and physical products have some key difference. Other areas where key differences might exist, is the product life-cycle, risks and challenges associated with introducing the two type of products to the market. In fact, there is a key perception difference between software and physical products, in many parts of the world. – icarus74 Jan 14 at 13:37

up vote 6 down vote

added by CamelBlues Jan 11 '12 at 1:43

Like this question because this reflects a real-life situation that many product managers do have to face. The answer however, is probably in the realm of managing difficult (and at times embarrassing) business communication. – icarus74 Jan 14 at 13:39

up vote 5 down vote

added by FrankL Nov 7 '12 at 8:52

up vote 4 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 '12 at 8:41

up vote 4 down vote

added by goalieref Aug 23 '12 at 15:43

Any method should be good if it helps to on working in team, communication and customer expectation. For me, Agile works well for me since my product is complex and responding to change. So, to choose method, I think you might have to think first about your product characteristic and condition. Anyway, if you prefer Agile, you can just choose some practices that can solve your problems. – Natty Feb 8 at 7:55

up vote 3 down vote

added by iamgopal, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 at 17:47

up vote 3 down vote

added by Mark Gibaud Oct 25 '12 at 18:35

Especially when trying to conserve a strategy/vision for the product and not end up as designed-by-committe! – Mark Gibaud Oct 25 '12 at 18:36

up vote 2 down vote

added by Dan McGrath, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Feb 7 '12 at 17:48

up vote 2 down vote

added by Riggens Jul 1 '12 at 5:44

up vote 1 down vote

added by jmort253 May 13 '12 at 2:02

up vote 1 down vote

added by Riggens Jul 1 '12 at 5:48

up vote 1 down vote

added by greenforest Jan 22 at 21:33

Product manager for me looks like product owner role. So, he/she should be the one who knows "how this product will be implemented?" He/she should know persona of people who will use this product so he/she will know the requirement. For UX, product owner might not know in deep detail how to make it good but he/she can have an expert to consult with. Anyway, he/she should come with all personas of this product so an UX expert can help. Anyway, product manager who knows UX is a plus but don't have to. – Natty Feb 8 at 7:51