Main takeaways:
- Understand the benefits of practicing continuous product discovery
- Three 'try now' tips to incorporate product discovery today
- Move beyond theory and into reality with an example of launching product discovery teams at Pearson
6. 3 Tips to Apply
Product Discovery Today
“That was my first time talking to someone who uses our stuff. I hope to
do that much more often. It was enlightening. Usually we just do what we
think is a good idea and hope they like it.”
- Engineering Manager
7. Main Takeaways
● Understand the benefits of practicing continuous product discovery
● Move beyond theory and into reality with an example of launching product
discovery teams at Pearson
● Three 'try now' tips to incorporate product discovery today
8. formal training as a secondary math teacher → online teacher → nerdy tech stuff → product manager
This Product Manager’s Journey
10. Introduction to Product Discovery as a “thing”
B.D. (before discovery) A.D. (after discovery)
11. Introduction to Product Discovery as a “thing”
Discovery creates a thoughtful approach for the right people to
focus on creating and validating a great experience for users.
Discovery
building the right
product
Delivery
building the
product right
12. Benefits of continuous discovery
● Time spent talking with customers is valued by all who participate
○ “That was my first time talking to someone who uses our stuff. I hope to do that much more often.
It was enlightening. Usually we just do what we think is a good idea and hope they like it.” -
Engineering Manager
● The customer owns the ‘voice of the customer’
○ No need to ‘convince’ others what customers need
● Solid backlog of opportunities to explore
● True opportunities for delight
● More efficient delivery
● Improved confidence in build strategies for the product
● Improved relationships with technology teams
● Improved relationships with customers
● Improved confidence in my skills as a product manager
13. Product Manager Surveys & Stuff
use existing resources more efficiently
cross-functional teams reduce internal blockers
increased confidence in prioritization decisions
14. Product Manager Surveys & Stuff
discovery is the space where innovation happens!
increased confidence in prioritization decisions
Source: Fresh Tilled Soil https://www.freshtilledsoil.com/the-one-thing-that-successful-product-managers-are-
doing-differently/
15. Launching formal Discovery Teams at
Some Business Context
● 1k+ employees in business unit within larger organization (25k employees)
● Onshore and offshore development teams
● Platform, contents, services to support fully virtual K-12 schools
○ Pearson Online & Blended Learning, Connections Academy
● Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
● Remote working culture
16. Launching formal Discovery Teams at
legacy
‘do it all’ platform to
support the
complete online
school experience
cross-functional teams
dedicated toward preparing
component(s) of a new
platform for migration of
existing customers
the product manager owns the collaboration experience of the discovery teams
17. Launching formal Discovery Teams at
Why Discovery
Previous platform launch attempt with a feature-first approach.
We needed a customer-first approach to deliver a better solution.
23. One
Consider the team.
Minimal triad: product manager +
technical expert + designer
Why: in order to deliver the best
solutions, they need to deeply
understand the problem.
Prepare to Collaborate
24. One
Schedule a kick-off meeting.
Why: Everyone understands roles.
Why: Align on the mission.
Why: Invoke an empathetic point of view.
Prepare to Collaborate
28. Two
Schedule Interviews
Just do it.
Get it on the calendar.
Include your team!
Favorite video conference tool.
Successful methods
to find customers to
talk to?
If you’re interested to connect with other Product Managers, aspiring PMs, or those within tech, join our Slack community of over 40,000 professionals. It’s a great place to network and to find interesting content. We host a weekly AMA through our Slack channel on Tuesdays from 11:15am - 12pm PST. We have also recently launched the Job Portal where you can find the latest Product Management opportunities! As members of the Product School community, we'd like to provide you with these resources at your disposal.
Product School’s Product Management Certificate Path comprises of 3 part-time courses for professionals with strong technical or business background who want to further explore Product Management at software-based companies.
During Product Management Training you will first learn Product Management fundamentals to understand the software product lifecycle and what it takes to successfully transition into a product management role.
You’ll then be trained to retrieve data, understand its value and make impactful decisions with SQL, data visualization and Tableau. Learn to understand your users to deliver exceptional UX/UI design and develop a robust digital marketing plan. During the Full Stack Product Management Training, you will deep dive into the technical knowledge to enhance your ability to work with agile teams.
Finally, Product Leadership Training will elevate your product knowledge to become an effective Product Leader. You'll do an in-depth analysis on how to implement best PM practices on a strategic level to significantly impact your company’s portfolio and revenue. Learn the soft skills to manage product teams and manage stakeholders to deliver performing products.
As well as individual courses we provide corporate training across the world! If you’d like to upskill your product team this is the best option for you. We have trained employees from multiple companies such as Deloitte, Salesforce, JP Morgan, Bank of America amongst many other companies across all industries.
T
Reference product manager surveys, etc, here
Reference product manager surveys, etc, here
Feel free to speak with me and I can point you in the right direction (explain where to apply). Or you can visit www.productschool.com
Have a good night!