AMA: GitLab Director of Product Management, Jacqueline Porter on Influencing the C-Suite

August 23 @ 10:00AM PST

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GitLab Director of Product Management, Jacqueline Porter on Influencing the C-Suite

Top Questions

How do you walk the line of allowing other teams input into the roadmap without allowing them to dictate roadmap priorities?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

Wow, great question. The best roadmaps are ones that contain a lot of feedback, iteration, and discussion with the company as well as external customers/stakeholders. I have seen a couple of strategies applied to ensure priorities for the roadmap are clear. 1. Identify the top metric/business......Read More

400 Views

1 request

How do you ensure alignment when you have two senior executive stakeholders who disagree with each other on the proposed strategy and you are stuck in the middle?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

At GitLab we have a DRI (directly responsible individual). The DRI is the one who's decision matters and even if there are senior leaders if they are not the DRI their opinion doesn't necessarily mean it be an outcome. But let's say the company does not have this concept and as a PM you have t......Read More

374 Views

2 requests

What are some of the best ways to begin becoming a more influential Product Manager?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

Thought leadership is one of the most valuable tools as a PM. There are many ways to build a thought leadership portfolio. Here are some of the ways I use and coach others: 1. Attend industry conferences and make connections 2. Attend meet ups and be a speaker 3. Lead talks/panels with......Read More

366 Views

1 request

What are some ways that junior and newer pms can get greater exposure to the C-Suite?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

When I started my PM journey a posting from a prominent Amazon Product leader was something that was referenced. In this piece, the author suggests there are a few traits that put PMs above and beyond others. As a product leader now, I would say the shortlist is: * Communicate * Forecast & ......Read More

375 Views

2 requests

Who do you align yourself with to gain momentum in the leadership organization?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

I usually align myself with other parts of the organization's metrics and OKRs rather than a specific person. When you are supporting others' metrics they are accountable to, you will have their attention and commitment to accomplishing a shared objective together. If I align with a single person......Read More

387 Views

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What do product managers get wrong when trying to influence the C-Suite?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

Assuming the C-Suite is right
Not coming with a clear decision point to a call
Not having sufficient data or research to justify the product investment
Over preparing detailed assets without an executive summary and forecast

333 Views

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How Do You constantly learn, upgrade & innovate as Product Manager

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

Personally, I do my best to stay current with industry analysts, top leaders and product innovators in my space, and connecting with people who are doing product management at the level I currently am. The best way to make sure you are sharp and current is to engage with your industry meaningf......Read More

422 Views

1 request

Product Managers often get pulled in several directions and everything feels urgent. How do we work with our Exec team to help narrow down what we focus on?

Jacqueline Porter

GitLab Director of Product Management • August 23

I have personally struggled with this many times in my career and most organizations do. The executives should be able to articulate the overall company goals and targets quarter by quarter (these are commonly OKRs or MBOs) This is the main method I like to rely on to have executives streamline p......Read More

383 Views

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