AMA: Jit.io VP of Product Management, Orit Golowinski on Building a Product Management Team

As someone who has worked in various roles and companies, I've found that the top three skills that have helped me succeed are adaptability, self-learning, and collaboration. 1. Adaptability: In the fast-paced tech industry, things are constantly changing, and being able to quickly shift priorities and refocus your team is critical to staying on track. I've learned to be flexible in my thinking and open to new ideas, which has helped me identify opportunities that others may have missed. 2. Self-learning. In tech, new tools, trends, and best practices are always emerging, and staying up-to-date is essential to staying competitive. I've made a habit of taking ownership of my professional development and seeking out opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills. Whether it's attending industry events, taking courses, or reading the latest industry publications, I've found that the more I invest in myself, the more impact I can bring to my work. 3. Collaboration: Working well with others is essential in any team-based environment, and I've learned that good collaboration skills can help you build strong relationships with your colleagues and drive success for your company. I've learned to communicate effectively, listen to others' ideas, and work towards a shared goal. By being willing to compromise and respecting others' opinions and perspectives, I've found that I can improve team performance and achieve better outcomes for the projects I work on.

When building a well-rounded team, I start by understanding the product vision, product maturity, and organizational culture. This helps me define the ideal team composition and identify the right candidates, whether it's for a first product manager (PM) role or improving an existing medium-large team. If I join an organization with an existing team, I evaluate their skills and experience to see if they are suitable for their roles. I also assess the processes in place and identify areas that need improvement. Based on my evaluation, I provide learning and growth opportunities for existing team members to bridge any skill gaps, or consider recruiting new team members with the missing skills to complete the team. I also prioritize diversity in the team, seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds and skill sets, as this brings varied perspectives and promotes creativity and innovation. It's important to strike a balance between experienced team members and opportunities for growth, as a team with only highly experienced individuals may lack room for development, resulting in attrition. Creating a horizon for each team member is crucial, allowing them to set their goals and advance their careers within the team. This can include providing mentorship, coaching, and clear paths for progression. A well-balanced team where individuals can thrive and grow is essential for long-term success. By considering the product vision, evaluating existing team members, promoting diversity, and providing growth opportunities, I aim to build a well-rounded product team that is capable of achieving product success while nurturing individual talents.

When starting out in a rapidly growing company with a small team, the main focus should be on building the team. While there may be some best practices that can be embedded right away, such as documentation and customer feedback, it's important to establish a strong foundation of team members who can work together effectively. As the team grows, especially during times of rapid growth, some processes may need to change in order to set the team up for success. For example, a well-defined onboarding process can help new team members get up to speed quickly and ensure that they are aligned with the company's vision and priorities. Once the team is established, it is important to empower them to define their best practices as a group. With a diverse team, this collaborative effort may result in new best practices that are not yet known to me, as their backgrounds and experiences are different from mine. Allowing the team to take ownership of their work and decision-making can lead to a better understanding of what makes sense in terms of the company's maturity and focus. By fostering a culture of trust and teamwork through this collaborative approach, the company can ensure its success as it continues to grow and evolve.

Updating product management activities to the rest of the organization involves communicating changes, updates, and progress made by the product team to the wider company. This helps to keep all stakeholders informed about the product's direction, the features that are being developed, and any changes that may affect the company or its customers. The content of the updates may vary depending on the company's needs and objectives. Some possible elements of product management updates could include: * Progress on key product development initiatives * Changes to product roadmaps or timelines * New features or functionality being added to the product * User feedback and insights * Competitive analysis or market research * Updates on product launches or major releases * Key metrics or performance indicators for the product * Changes to the Product Management Team To communicate product management updates and activities to the rest of the company, the approach can vary depending on the organizational culture. In a completely remote organization such as GitLab, modifications are usually documented in-depth in an issue and communicated to the larger team asynchronously via Slack or by tagging specific individuals on the issue. Additionally, synchronous meetings for product updates were frequently held, recorded, and shared with the entire organization (and occasionally even with the community) for consumption at one's convenience. For smaller, in-person organizations, product management updates and activities would typically be communicated through synchronous "all-hands" or quarterly update meetings, followed by a summary in an email or the company's knowledge management system (such as Confluence, wiki, etc.). In cases of human-related organizational changes, it is important to update HR systems promptly to establish a single source of truth and clarity around the changes, making it easier for everyone in the organization to know who to reach out to for specific product domains.

When interviewing potential product managers, my goal is to assess their skills and abilities to determine their potential for success on the team. I also consider the knowledge gaps within the team and whether the candidate can fill those gaps effectively. If I believe that the candidate lacks the necessary strengths to address the team's missing skills, I will not move forward with hiring them. Doing so would only result in having to hire again soon, which would not improve the team's productivity or success. In general, when looking for an ideal candidate, I would want to make sure that this person: * Is familiar with the technology or can quickly come up to speed with it * Can Think Strategically * Is passionate about the space (and can later evangelize for it) * Is capable of making data-driven decisions * Communicates well * Has good collaboration skills * Listens well To highlight my "break" points: * Poor communication is a significant issue for product managers, as clear and effective communication is essential for collaborating with team members and stakeholders. During an interview, I assess a candidate's communication skills by evaluating how they communicate their previous work experiences. If I find it challenging to understand their responses even after asking probing questions, it is a red flag, and I will not move forward with their candidacy. * Poor Listener - one of the most important skills to have as a product manager, is great listening skills. Insights come from everyone: Counterparts, the team, Sales, Competitors, Customers and sometimes even from your friends who may not even be from the field. It is important to collect data from everywhere, absorb it and then decide how this impacts your roadmap. If a candidate has poor listening skills, they risk missing important opportunities and insights. I can usually determine this during an interview if the candidate cuts me off mid-sentence, avoids answering questions directly, or dances around the topic without addressing it fully.

As someone who has recently joined a small and growing team, I can relate to the challenge of creating and improving the product management process in a company with little structure. When joining such a team, it's essential to take the time to learn about the existing product management process. Observe how the team operates and identify what works well and what needs improvement. Additionally, familiarize yourself with the product, strategy, and vision to determine whether the current team is equipped to achieve success or if there are gaps that need to be addressed. If there are existing product management processes in place, evaluate their effectiveness and productivity. Once you have a clear understanding of the current state, prioritize areas that are causing pain, consuming too much time, or providing little value. Based on your assessment, work with the team to define clear product management goals and processes that will help the team achieve those goals. This could involve creating a product roadmap, establishing a product backlog, and defining product release criteria. Once you have defined your product management processes, identify tools and frameworks that can help you implement those processes efficiently. For example, you might use a project management tool to track progress on product development or an agile framework to manage sprints. Remember that effective product management requires collaboration and communication across the team. Make sure to involve all relevant stakeholders in the process and ensure that everyone understands the product management goals and processes. Product management is an iterative process, so it's important to continuously review and improve your processes over time. Solicit feedback from the team and stakeholders, track key metrics to assess the effectiveness of your processes, and make adjustments as needed. By taking a proactive approach to creating or improving the product management process and prioritizing areas of improvement, you can help drive success for the company as a whole.