Product Management Training - Product Focus

Product Focus Webinar Starting a new job – what to do in the first 90 days

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Agenda 

Introductions

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Starting a new job – a checklist of what to do in the first 90 days

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Questions & Answers

A link to a recording of this webinar will be sent to you You can download a PDF of slides from:

productfocus.com/resources/webinars/ Ian Lunn Founding Director © Product Focus


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Product Focus – who are we? Europe’s leading product management & product marketing training business with a focus on technology-based products

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Product Management Resources

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Our public course runs every two weeks Product Management and Product Marketing for technology-based products 

Gives a thorough grounding in all aspects of the roles

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3 day courses run across Europe

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Learn industry best practice

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Tools, templates and checklists to take away

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Certification

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Date

Location

Action

18-20 Apr

Amsterdam

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2-4 May

Dusseldorf

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Network with peers

2-4 May

London

Full

Independently reviewed

23-25 May

London

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30 May – 1 Jun

Amsterdam

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13-15 Jun

Munich

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27-29 Jun

Paris

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We also offer… Private on-site training 

Tailored to your objectives and delivered when and where you want

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Completely confidential

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Cost effective

Reviews and assessments 

Practical recommendations on how to implement world class product management

Product Management Leadership Forum 

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An exclusive 1-day workshop for product management leaders focused on how to develop world class product management On 26th Apr 2018 in London – and run every 6 months

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Upcoming webinars

1st & 4th June

Requirements – how to make sure they deliver

Find out more and register at: www.productfocus.com/product-management-resources/product-management-webinars/

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Starting a new job What to do in the first 90 days

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Starting a new job can be a little scary 

We think it’s a bit like standing at the top of a steep ski run – exhilarating but scary

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The first 90 days are really important - after that you need to be on top of things

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But like a ski run, your first few months in a new job will be over far too quickly

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The fundamentals – what’s the purpose of your job?

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1. Provide a balanced view 

You are the point at which the technical, commercial, user experience and operational aspects of a product all come together… and you have to balance short-term tactical activities with longer-term strategic activities

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2. Become the voice of the market for your product

Listening Posts

Facts beat opinion & persuade HIPPOs © Product Focus


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3. Care about the success of your product 

Like a mini-CEO you need to care about the success of your product

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Each product is like a little business and needs to be managed

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You need to care about the profitability of your product

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You need to understand how you product supports the business strategy

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What you should do in the first 90 days

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Before you start 

Check out the LinkedIn details of your boss and company

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Review the competitor websites

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Review the company’s external website and Wikipedia entry – your first impressions are really useful!

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During the first day 

Listen (rather than speak)

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Meet as many people as possible (and smile) and ask “What are you expecting of me?”

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Have handshakes with important stakeholders and plan subsequent meetings

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Get your basic tools set up: computer, phone, email, intranet

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Plan meetings for the next few weeks and get hold of the Organisation Chart

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During the first week – 1 of 2 

Identify important internal meetings

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Get on the right internal distribution lists: e.g. development weekly reports, sales reports, press releases, customer support statistics

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Find external info sources from colleagues e.g. market intelligence reports, analysts, friendly customers

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Identify the Power Brokers in the company (the key stakeholders you’ll need to influence) Schedule regular reviews with your boss to check you’re on track

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During the first week – 2 of 2 

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Get a product demo from Sales. Ask why customers buy and what problems your product solves. Also get a product demo from Development Understand the customer buying process – how long does it take and who makes the decisions

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Read the product collateral - as much of it as you can find

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Understand the ‘stated’ company strategy and objectives

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Sniff out ‘Bombs’ that are about to explode and determine length of fuse! (issues you’ll need to deal with)

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During the first month – 1 of 4 

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Organise an off-site lunch with PMs and close team mates Make no promises & repeat frequently: “I’m here to listen and understand!”

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Probe - remember in the first month you can still ask naive questions and get away with it

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Have a demonstrable success

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Have your weekly structure defined (meetings, reports, reviews etc)

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Understand how things actually work around here and the approval process for getting stuff done

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Use the Product Focus Product Activities Framework to understand who does which product activity

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Understand the objectives of other business functions so you know how to work with them

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Product Activities Framework

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Visit a customer (or several preferably!) with Sales or Account Management (B2B)

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Get involved in a Sales Pipeline Funnel Review

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Become the expert on the business requirements for the product. Who’s using the product, how and why?

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Understand the business/requirements of the top 10% of customers

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Understand the revenue breakdown by product(s)

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Review Customer Support tickets with Support Manager

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If working with Agile, be the Product Owner (or have a proxy) and be a participant in a Sprint cycle (if your company uses Scrum)

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Review the “Product Backlog” and roadmap if they exist

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Get or create a product dashboard including sales numbers and revenue

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Identify Strengths and Weaknesses of the product

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By the end of the first quarter (90 days) – 1 of 3 

Work out how to prioritise your time

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Work out how to improve the key processes if necessary

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Gain approval for a major product development – or at least understand how that works

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Produce a product Business Plan

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Set up your own KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

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Join Sales on a prospecting call. Listen in on some support calls

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Understand customer and industry vocabulary and jargon

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Be the Market Expert – know what customers want and what problems they have

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Be the Customer Advocate in the business

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Calculate the financial performance of your product

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Be the Product Expert. Have a vision for the product

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Have the product collateral/messaging/web content updated and be able to demo the product

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Map the existing Roadmap and propose a new Roadmap BCG Matrix

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If you have multiple products, then show them on a BCG or McKinsey matrix, to get insights across the portfolio

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Evaluate your personal training needs

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Summary 

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The first 90 days are the toughest but things usually get easier after that Remember you need to understand what’s going on, deliver (and particularly in bigger businesses) make sure people know you’ve delivered Don’t forget about the fundamentals of the product management role 

To provide a balanced view

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To become the voice of the market for your product

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To care about and drive the success of your product

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About the checklist 

The checklist was originally created at a meeting of the Cambridge Product Management Network in a session led by Arthur Meadows

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Initially developed for someone moving into a new product management role in a small B2B software company – but applicable to any new product management role

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Get your copy of the checklist

www.productfocus.com/product-management-resources/product-manager-job-infographic/ © Product Focus


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How we can help? Private on-site training 

Tailored to your objectives and delivered when and where you want

Public Courses 

Run every couple of weeks in cities across Europe

Reviews and assessments 

Practical recommendations on how to implement world class product management

Product Management Leadership Forum 



An exclusive 1-day workshop for product management leaders focused on how to develop world class product management On 26th Apr 2018 in London – run every 6 months

© Product Focus


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Q&A [email protected]

[email protected]

www.productfocus.com +44 (0) 207 099 567 © Product Focus


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