1/ “When are we done experimenting?” Was a question I recently fielded. For those who understand the power of prototyping, this can be a frustrating mindset.
How can you help change the mindset of people who are more interested in the “when” than the “why”? (thread) #prodmgmt
How can you help change the mindset of people who are more interested in the “when” than the “why”? (thread) #prodmgmt
2/ This person was anxious to get “done”. It’s not surprising that she was a project manager.
Getting “done” isn’t a bad desire. I love people who want to make progress.
But defining what “done” looks like is the issue.
Getting “done” isn’t a bad desire. I love people who want to make progress.
But defining what “done” looks like is the issue.
3/ If done = shipped, then we have an issue. This is one of those classic causation vs correlation issues. Shipping can correlate with progress, but alone doesn’t always cause it.
4/ @cagan advised that the best teams expect 75% of their ideas not to work. You operate very differently when that’s your mindset.
5/ Instead of worrying about getting done, you should worry about making change. “Have we changed yet?” Is a much better question than “are we done yet?”
6/ It’s the difference between being on a predefined road trip (“are we there yet?”) and solving a mystery (“maybe he did it?”) or playing poker (“I’ll fold” vs “all in”).
It’s less about going through the motions alone, but understanding why you are doing something.
It’s less about going through the motions alone, but understanding why you are doing something.
7/ Too many teams lose track of the why.
8/ When you remember why you are doing something, activities like experimenting and research are now powerful tools 🛠.
They fuel real progress. You prototype and gather user insight and feedback to answer the question of whether you’re building something valuable.
They fuel real progress. You prototype and gather user insight and feedback to answer the question of whether you’re building something valuable.
9/ The best teams make research a part of their every day activities.
Observing and talking to users gives you an incredibly higher chance that you’ll land on something that solves real problems.
Observing and talking to users gives you an incredibly higher chance that you’ll land on something that solves real problems.
10/ @hnshah found only 45% of product managers are expected to do user research. Far too few PMs make regular contact with users.
11/ We assume we know what to do.
We assume that we can “be done experimenting” and “stop researching”. That’s when we end up wasting so much time, money, and energy. sprintwell.com/waste
We assume that we can “be done experimenting” and “stop researching”. That’s when we end up wasting so much time, money, and energy. sprintwell.com/waste
12/ Change the way you measure progress and you’ll change the appetite for experimenting and research on your team.
