AMA: Workiva Vice President Of Product Management, Chris Omland on Technical Product Management

Oh, this is a tough one! Since the AMA is about Technical Product Management, I'll answer from that perspective. It's common for a successful company and product to face tech challenges after they've achieved significant growth. When you're a startup moving fast to find product-market fit, you might not prioritize the technical hygiene of your product. Then, as you scale up, you may need more time to go back and clean up or improve your technology. Eventually, this issue needs to be addressed, a ...Read More

Awesome question! First off, take some time to understand your audience. Who are they? What challenges do they face? What matters to them? The answers to these questions will help you tailor your communication for different stakeholders. One tip I often give to Product Managers on my team is that the real meeting often happens before the actual meeting. I encourage them to connect with key stakeholders before a larger meeting, walk them through their updates, and ask for feedback. This approach ...Read More

Stakeholder management is crucial in Product Management. Start by identifying your stakeholders and understanding their concerns, motivations, and what matters to them. Once you have a clear picture of your stakeholders, you can prioritize them based on your product's life cycle stage, the outcomes you're aiming for, and where you'll need support and alignment. For instance, if launching a new product, focus more on Product Marketing and Customer Support teams. Their support will be essential in ...Read More

This might be unconventional, but I don't rely on a single methodology or framework for prioritization. You can use approaches like RICE or Value vs. Effort. Still, they should only be one part of the prioritization process. We could automate the whole thing if it were as simple as applying a scoring system. But there's so much more to consider! Product Managers must consider factors like business context, technology team input, long-term strategy, and more. My top recommendation is to start by ...Read More

Thank you for your question, and it's excellent to see that you're considering a transition into Technical Product Management. To help you with this process, I recommend focusing on three primary areas. Firstly, it's essential to evaluate your motivation for this change. What drives your interest in Technical Product Management? Is it your passion for problem-solving, a desire for more significant influence, or the pursuit of new opportunities? Understanding your motivations, documenting them, a ...Read More

I'm excited to see a question about metrics – being data-driven is super important! First, keep in mind that there are various types of product metrics. I think of them as Usage, Business, and Performance. Usage metrics might include daily active users, feature usage frequency, and time spent on the product. Business metrics can cover churn rate, revenue per customer, cost per customer, and monthly recurring revenue. Performance metrics focus on availability, response time, and defect rate. Of c ...Read More