Congratulations! You’re a Product Supervisor or Product Proprietor or each, and you’ve got a brand new alternative so as to add an present product to your arsenal. One catalyst for this situation is when a colleague leaves, or modifications positions. Somebody has to take over her merchandise or options. Till they rent a substitute, it’s your duty.
One other impetus is while you completely inherit a few of their merchandise or options as a consequence of an organizational or strategic change in hierarchy. One other set off is a brand new job- the place you take over a product from any individual else. Maternity/paternity depart is one more reason this might happen. Or, you have got switched positions, so you progress on out of your different tasks. Regardless of the motive for the scenario you end up in, what’s one of the best ways ahead?
Earlier than you get cluttered with all the data you’re about to imbibe, let your self dream. Do a brainstorm with your self. Write up questions, assumptions, instructions for a imaginative and prescient. Get all of it on the market on a whiteboard or on paper. Make a large number along with your ideas, permit your self to free affiliate. Unsure the place to start out? Borrow from Tony Buzan’s thoughts map. Jot down assumptions on the facet. Make a listing of questions.
Once you’re performed, take an image of the whiteboard, or retailer that paper for later. After Discovery, you’ll re-visit and see what has shifted. Hopefully, you’ll have solutions to a few of your questions. You possibly can reject a few of your concepts. You’ll have a clearer route.
Ask the questions
You’ve gotten the duty to ask the questions, to get the data. Don’t count on to be spoon-fed. Bear in mind, it’s your product now, and the product supervisor who’s handing it over could wish to transfer on as quick as doable. Alas, her subsequent problem awaits her too and she or he is keen to embark on discovery of her personal.
Seize their imaginative and prescient
If the outgoing product supervisor has a roadmap and imaginative and prescient, nice. In the event that they don’t convey it up, you possibly can ignite the flame one final time. Product managers who’re leaving or altering positions could have already been damaged down by their product, within the sense that they developed minor myopia. At first, they’d extra ardour, a bolder imaginative and prescient.
The burden of life — builders, prospects, markets, organizational politics— no matter, has taken the sting off of their preliminary spark. However you possibly can study lots from re-igniting it. Give them a magic wand for a second, and ask them to dream, to share the perfect scenario. You might hook up with it or not, however at the very least it can take you — and the dialog with them — to a much more expansive psychological area.
Get the again story
Why is that this function the way in which it’s? Are there earlier choices that we’re captive to upholding? Why was determination X made, and determination Y? Typically there are ‘skeletons’ within the type of outdated constraints, or setbacks that we are able to now overcome.
Get written sources
Ask for paperwork despatched now. Let there be awkward silence for a second while you ask what paperwork, emails, correspondence, PRDs, epics, no matter, you need to have a look at. Typically there are all the time some paperwork, even when they’re outdated and out of date. Although not fascinating to present product managers, they will nonetheless offer you a way of the place the product was sooner or later, and the way it was thought of then.
Key Efficiency Indicators (KPIs)
What are the product KPIs? If there are none, why not? What was the product supervisor contemplating? How did they measure product success?
Be a part of lively conversations
Get linked into lively e-mail chains, or tickets. If there are lively open present gadgets, have the product supervisor you’re taking up for add you to the conversations, so others know you’re concerned. I discover this precious even in case you don’t know what you’re doing but. Your colleagues will perceive that you simply want a grace interval earlier than you possibly can supply worth, and you’ll study concerning the product when you are ‘listening in’ on the conversations.
Ask who else to speak to
Each product has a neighborhood round it. Discover the members of the neighborhood across the product you’re taking up. Interact with them. In fact your possession will affect who’s a part of the neighborhood.
Don’t be judgmental or vital
No matter you do, don’t be a hater. The product supervisor whose product you take over had struggles you don’t but perceive. Bear in mind, it was as soon as their child. They poured hours of sweat and tears into it. So even in case you see the product in another way from its earlier product supervisor — and it’s pure that you simply will- be light about it.
You don’t wish to march in and aggressively overthrow all the things concerning the product. Even in case you do wish to change all the things about it, you possibly can accomplish that in a delicate but agency method.
Your group has numerous data concerning the present product. You could stand up to hurry, quick. How?
Paperwork: PRDs, MRDs, HLDs, LLDs, SLAs, YAMLs, Launch Notes, Press Releases, Articles
Discover the paperwork which were written concerning the merchandise you’re inheriting. The acronyms above could or is probably not related to those utilized in your group.
Software program venture administration tickets
Your venture administration software program (like JIRA) has tickets concerning the product. Past what you could have been knowledgeable about within the handover out of your product supervisor, search key phrases associated to your product. You will see help tickets, bugs. You might discover some backlog gadgets. Some gadgets which might be associated. Dependencies. This is a useful supply of data. The feedback, too.
‘Listening tour’: Interview related non-stakeholders
A number of folks in numerous roles and positions have extra expertise with this product than you do. Builders. Designers. Technical Writers. QA. They don’t seem to be direct prospects or customers, however they’ve been engaged on the product, toiling for it. So have numerous perception. Ask them about it.
Unsure the way to body your exercise? Inform everybody you’re embarking on a listening tour. Ask stakeholders to share their views, too. Worst case — you don’t agree. Finest- you have got new insights and concepts.
Take part in buyer calls
Even in case you don’t know something concerning the product but, be there on calls. That is the way you study. Savor these indignant grievance calls; you’ll study a ton about ache factors.
Information
Does the product have utilization knowledge? Is there a software? Get the login credentials, and play with the info. Greater than play — grasp it, if you wish to make data-driven product choices. If there’s a Product Analyst, discuss to her and get her suggestions.
You’ve gotten a chance to re-ignite relationships with stakeholders associated to the product. Arrange conversations to listen to their opinions concerning the product’s present standing, and invite them to share their views on challenges, and even how they see the product transferring ahead.
Ask what’s one of the best ways to work with them, and what they count on from you. Inform them the way you prefer to work. Ask one of the best ways to speak with them — calls, conferences, emails, or do they like to not be bothered except one thing vital comes up? As a substitute of studying this the arduous and laborious method, put it on the desk and work it out collectively.
If the market context is new to you, delve in deep. Learn business reviews. Comply with the competitors. Attend conferences. Subscribe to newsletters. All that is ‘bread and butter’ of product managers, and needs to be apparent. However what’s not trivial is carving out time to permit your self to study.
True E2E product administration means taking duty. In conversations with different stakeholders — builders, gross sales, prospects, buyer supply, technical writers- you must personal even that which you inherited. If you wish to cry and complain and moan about all of the crummy facets of the product you inherited that weren’t your fault, you possibly can rant in your non-public journal or discuss to your self alone in a darkish room. However from the second the product is yours — it’s yours, even its previous.
With all its wonderful successes, and all its scars and weaknesses. Don’t succumb to the temptation to let slip, in passing, some justification of the product— yea, that was earlier than I took possession. That may be petty. Taking on a product could be daunting, and a steep studying curve. However after the preliminary shock, you may be up and operating quicker than you believed doable.
This text which is a part of a sequence on product administration based mostly on my experiences.
I’m a UX Designer turned Product Supervisor, with expertise in startups, freelance, and agile B2B2C corporations. Writing helps me mirror & repeatedly study. Join with me on Twitter.
