but, what do you 'actually' think...

Product Managers use lots of tools to make decisions about their product...

...they gather business requirements,
...they review analytics,
...they engage in user feedback,
...they listen to colleagues, friends, family,
...they carry out market and competitor analysis,
...the list goes on.

Something that can get overlooked though, and overlooked at peril, is leaving or creating time to harvest an opinion. Any or all of the techniques and processes I listed can be successfully completed by any individual. Where the product manager triumphs is using a mixture of information and judgement to define the product to be built. So, do everything you know you should do. Then, put it to one side. Let what you've learned inform your decision. BUT, draw conclusions yourself.  The success of your product will inform you of whether you made the right decisions, nothing else. So, do make sure your decisions are informed. But, above all, make sure they're your own.

Comments

[josh duncan]

Great post.

At the end of the day, it is the decisions you made on your product that are going to be called out for review. Making the decisons is never easy but you will sleep better knowing you believe in them.

Thanks,

Josh

[Carl Knibbs]

Thanks Josh. Agreed, if you do get called out for review on stuff that wasn't your call - gah - uncomfortable.

[Scott Sehlhorst]

We all know "your opinion, though interesting, is irrelevant." It sends the right message. However, your informed opinion based on market data is not at all irrelevant. Good job poking at this one.

@sehlhorst

[Carl Knibbs]

Thanks Scott! I've always loved the "your opinion, though interesting, is irrelevant" line. Thanks a lot for reminding me of it. There certainly is never a shortage of opinions, but, totally agree, it's the informed opinion that is vital to decision making and moving things forward.

[Verity]

Great point Carl! It's really easy to become blinkered by being very close to a project and coupled with the goal of getting the job done it can be a challenge to get perspective so it's important to take a step back and consider everything together in order to develop your opinion because after all, in gathering all the bits together the PM is in a pretty good position to have one!

[Carl Knibbs]

Thanks Verity! I agree that the PM is ideally positioned to provide an informed view of what direction the product should take. A lot of the time it's about having confidence in that opinion and, subsequently, confidence to define the product.

[homeopathie]

Hello
You have given nice points about product manager and their products.I want to thank you for this points.I am also agreed about any type of decision and we should believe in it.Keep doing good work.