This Week in Product – Mar. 29, 2019

Trick Question

Which scenario is seen more often:
A
1- Test interest
2- Raise money
3- Build MVP
4- Flail around trying to figure out why no one wants the product
5- Run out of money

B
1- ID problem
2- Test & validate solution
3- Build MVP
4- Raise money/earn revenue
5- Iterate & scale

— Julia Austin (@austinfish) March 27, 2019

This one feels like a trick question because one is obviously superior to the other, but somehow that’s the less-common scenario. If more companies were run by product people, though, I’m pretty sure we’d see more of B. Are my glasses too rosy?

There’s No I in Team

Distributed teams are far easier to manage than remote teams – no one is *remote* in a distributed team.

— Rajeev Bector (@rbector) March 26, 2019

The debate about distributed teams is heating up, and we’re increasingly surprised to hear more folks advocating for remote work, even in a relationship-heavy job like product management. This perspective is important to keep in mind: “remote” means that someone is local, but if you truly treat the team as distributed, you’re more likely to create a collaborative atmosphere for all. How do you do that? We have some tips.

RIP

Where do products go to die? In Google’s case, the graveyard is densely populated. There are many more morbid jokes I’d like to make here, but I’ll spare you. In preparation for saying farewell to Inbox in a few days, we thought you might like to browse this list. Don’t let it be your “what not to do” list, but there’s probably some interesting trends/lessons from this spooky collection.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Picard leadership tip: Respect must be earned. Trust must be earned. A demand for either means the loss of both.

— Picard Tips (@PicardTips) March 26, 2019

Not technically a product management tip, but a Picard tip is always handy. This is your (now weekly) PSA to work towards influence, not control.

One Day Too Late