Orit Golowinski

At GitLab, we adopted a systematic framework called the 'Opportunity Canvas' to generate and evaluate new product ideas. For the Opportunity Canvas, we engaged in customer interviews to validate the problem. Through these interviews, we sought to understand customer pain points, identify target personas, and explore any workarounds they were using. Additionally, we conducted thorough research, examining market trends and competitors to ensure business justification for the proposed solution. Understanding the potential business impact, such as increasing user numbers or enhancing stickiness, was a critical aspect of this validation process. The solution validation part of the Opportunity Canvas was equally valuable. We carefully defined the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and made decisions about what features would be included or excluded in the initial offering. Defining our differentiation, setting success metrics, and crafting a clear go-to-market messaging strategy were essential components in our decision-making process. The Opportunity Canvas framework proved effective, but it could be time-consuming due to the customer interviews and detailed research involved. In some cases, when time was limited, we introduced an 'Opportunity Canvas lite' version. This streamlined approach was asynchronous and allowed us to move quickly when the problem was clear and didn't require extensive research. Despite the reduced complexity, we still ensured that the proposed solution aligned with customer needs and market trends. In my current role, as VP product at a startup company, we continue to prioritize involving customers in any framework we use to generate and evaluate new product ideas. Working closely with our design partners when developing new functionalities has proven to be invaluable. Their input and collaboration play a significant role in shaping the final solution, ensuring it aligns perfectly with our users' needs and expectations. By placing customers at the heart of any framework and embracing a collaborative and iterative approach, we've been able to consistently generate and evaluate breakthrough product ideas that resonate with our customers and drive impactful innovations.

I proactively stay up to date by immersing myself in a wide range of online resources. This includes diligently reading technical blogs, competitive marketing analysis, and staying informed through personalized RSS feeds and email subscriptions. I also engage with industry professionals and thought leaders on LinkedIn, absorbing valuable insights from their posts and discussions. Podcasts have become an integral part of my learning journey, allowing me to explore diverse perspectives. In addition to these sources, I regularly consult analyst reports to gain deep insights into market trends, emerging technologies, and industry forecasts. These reports offer expert analysis and help me understand the broader landscape, making them a valuable resource for staying ahead of the curve. To further expand my knowledge and connect with the latest trends, I actively participate in conferences and webinars. These events expose me to a wide array of fascinating companies and provide a firsthand look at emerging trends in our industry. Moreover, I actively contribute to these events by sharing my own expertise and experiences, enabling me to forge meaningful connections with fellow professionals. By adopting this comprehensive approach, which includes reading analyst reports, I ensure that I am consistently well-informed about emerging trends and technologies. This empowers me to drive product innovation and maintain a competitive edge in our rapidly evolving industry.

In managing the risks and challenges associated with introducing new product innovations, I adopt a proactive approach. I assess risks in advance and develop mitigation plans to address potential obstacles. However, I also believe in taking calculated chances and embracing a fail-fast mentality. This mindset encourages us to quickly iterate and learn from failures, allowing us to course-correct and refine our approach. Data and feedback play a pivotal role in our risk management strategy. We heavily rely on both quantitative and qualitative data to validate and fine-tune our product plans. By analyzing market trends, customer behavior, and user feedback, we ensure that what we have envisioned and delivered aligns with customer expectations and is well-accepted in the market. Moreover, we emphasize a culture of continuous improvement and learning. By fostering an environment where teams are encouraged to experiment and innovate, we create opportunities for breakthrough ideas. We leverage data and feedback to validate these ideas and make informed decisions about the direction of our product innovations. Overall, by assessing risks, embracing the possibility of failure, and leveraging data and feedback, we navigate the challenges of introducing new product innovations. This approach allows us to make informed decisions, adapt quickly, and increase the likelihood of delivering successful and impactful products to the market.

To source breakthrough product ideas, organizations leverage a variety of strategies that tap into different aspects of their ecosystem: 1. Customer Feedback and Surveys: Gathering insights from existing customers through feedback and surveys uncovers valuable information about pain points, unmet needs, and potential improvements. This customer-centric approach fuels breakthrough ideas. 2. User Research and Observations: In-depth user research and observing customer interactions provide deeper understanding. Techniques like user interviewing and using tools like Hotjar reveal hidden opportunities and inspire innovative solutions. 3. Market Research and Trend Analysis: Staying informed about market trends, competitor analysis, and emerging technologies enables organizations to identify gaps and seize opportunities for breakthrough product ideas. 4. Cross-Functional Brainstorming Sessions: Fostering cross-functional collaboration through brainstorming sessions with diverse team members sparks creativity. For me, the last two organizations I have worked for targeted developers, having the development team contribute ideas has proven pivotal in creating features that developers love. 5. Hackathons and Innovation Challenges: Internal hackathons and innovation challenges cultivate a culture of innovation, encouraging employees to generate breakthrough ideas and explore uncharted territories. 6. Collaborating with Customers and Partners: Engaging in co-creation sessions with customers and strategic partners provides unique insights and leads to new product ideas. Transparent design partnerships that help build products catered to customer needs continuously gather invaluable feedback. 7. Continuous Learning and Inspiration: Encouraging team members to attend conferences, webinars, and workshops fosters inspiration and exposes them to novel ideas and industry trends. By employing these diverse approaches, organizations foster innovation, empower their teams, and drive transformative advancements in their products.

When striving to innovate on existing products, product managers face a variety of challenges that can impact the success of their endeavors. While innovation is essential for maintaining a competitive edge and meeting evolving customer needs, certain common mistakes can hinder progress and limit the full potential of their efforts. These are some common mistakes that I have witnessed: * Tunnel Vision on Current Features: One common pitfall is a narrow-minded approach that confines innovative ideas within the existing product's capabilities. This can hinder exploration of new possibilities and limit the potential for groundbreaking advancements. * Insufficient User Research: Relying on assumptions without conducting thorough user research can result in misguided innovations that fail to resonate with the target audience. Informed decisions should be based on data and user insights. * Overemphasis on Incremental Improvements: While incremental updates are vital for maintaining the product, solely focusing on minor enhancements may hinder the pursuit of transformative innovations that could set the product apart from competitors. * Lack of Cross-Functional Collaboration: Successful innovation often requires collaboration between different teams within an organization. Failing to facilitate communication and collaboration between product, engineering, marketing, and other departments can hinder progress. * Short-Term Focus: Prioritizing immediate revenue and quick wins over long-term vision might deter investment in innovative projects with substantial future potential. * Ignoring Market Trends: Not keeping a pulse on market trends and industry shifts can result in a product becoming outdated and losing competitiveness. Staying aware of trends helps identify potential areas for innovation. To foster successful innovation on existing products, product managers should cultivate an open-minded, customer-centric, and data-driven approach. Encouraging experimentation, continuous learning, and a proactive response to market changes will fuel a culture of innovation and enable the team to deliver compelling and forward-looking products.

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.

I work very closely with developers, but the nature of this collaboration has evolved depending on my role. When I was a Senior Product Manager responsible for the roadmap of a specific product line or set of features, I met regularly with each developer on the team. I spent significant time explaining the vision, roadmap, and user stories, as well as reviewing the implementation details to ensure alignment with our goals. As I moved into leadership roles, my collaboration with developers shifted to working closely with development counterparts at various levels. While I continued to communicate the vision, roadmap, and the rationale behind our development efforts to the extended team, my direct interactions with individual developers became more strategic. Working on development tools, it was imperative to maintain a close relationship with developers for several reasons beyond fostering collaboration and a healthy working environment. I wanted to understand the developer persona better, so I frequently interviewed them to uncover their pain points. Often, these conversations yielded great ideas that we could incorporate into our roadmap. In the developer tool industry, dogfooding—using our own products internally—is a common practice. Listening to developers who use the product and are part of the team provided a valuable source of feedback. These developers deeply care about the product and the company, making their insights particularly relevant. Plus, it's more convenient to follow up with internal developers for additional questions than it is to gather user feedback from external customers and prospects. Overall, my close collaboration with developers has been essential in ensuring that we build products that truly meet their needs and enhance their workflows.

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.

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.

1. Active Listening: Product managers must possess exceptional listening skills to effectively comprehend various stakeholders' perspectives, market trends, and customer feedback. Active listening informs strategic product decisions and enables effective coaching of fellow product managers. Demonstrating the ability to discern not only spoken but also unspoken cues is crucial for understanding colleagues' needs and offering relevant support and guidance. 2. Empathy and Interpersonal Skills: Cultivating empathy is indispensable for product managers, facilitating meaningful interactions with team members and fostering collaborative relationships. Empathetic understanding of individual product managers fosters trust and rapport, enhancing teamwork and maximizing each team member's potential. Strong interpersonal skills enable product managers to navigate diverse personalities and communication styles, thereby facilitating smoother collaboration and more productive outcomes. 3. Trustworthiness and Reliability: Establishing trust is fundamental for product managers to inspire confidence among stakeholders, team members, and customers. Consistent reliability in delivering on commitments and upholding professional integrity reinforces credibility and fosters a conducive environment for successful product development. Trustworthiness is not only integral to individual effectiveness but also instrumental in building a culture of transparency and accountability within the product management ecosystem.