Sheila Hara

If your company doesn't currently have a formal product strategy, developing one is a crucial step towards ensuring that your product development efforts are aligned with your business goals. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a product strategy: 1. DEFINE YOUR VISION AND GOALS * Vision: Start by defining a clear, inspiring vision for what you want your product to achieve in the long term. This should align with your company’s overall mission. * Goals: Set specific, measurable goals that support this vision. These should be achievable and clearly communicate what success looks like for your product. 2. UNDERSTAND YOUR MARKET AND CUSTOMERS * Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to understand industry trends, competitor strengths and weaknesses, and potential opportunities or threats. * Customer Insights: Gather deep insights into your customers' needs, behaviors, and preferences. Techniques like surveys, interviews, and user testing can be invaluable here. 3. IDENTIFY THE JOBS TO BE DONE (JTBD) * Determine the core tasks that your customers need to accomplish. Understanding these will guide what features and improvements your product should focus on. 4. DEVELOP PRODUCT ROADMAPS * Roadmapping: Create a product roadmap that outlines the key features and milestones planned for your product. This should detail what will be developed, why it’s important, and approximate timelines. 5. ALIGN WITH STAKEHOLDERS * Engage with key stakeholders across your organization to align expectations and gather diverse insights. This includes leadership, marketing, sales, customer support, and the development teams. 6. SET UP METRICS FOR SUCCESS * Define how you will measure the success of your product strategy. Common metrics include user engagement, customer satisfaction, market share, and revenue growth. 7. ITERATE BASED ON FEEDBACK * Implement a process for continuous feedback and learning. This should involve regular reviews of your strategy based on performance data and direct feedback from users. 8. COMMUNICATE THE STRATEGY * Ensure that everyone involved understands the product strategy. Regular communication and updates will help keep all team members aligned and motivated. 9. REVIEW AND ADAPT * Regularly review your product strategy to ensure it remains relevant and effective. Adapt it based on changing market conditions, customer needs, and business priorities. Developing a product strategy is not a one-time activity but a continuous process that evolves with your business and the market.

In the field of product management, there isn't really a "typical" career path. Product management is highly flexible. Some product managers may transition into related fields like marketing, sales, or even corporate strategy. Others might find their niche in a particular stage of product management and choose to specialize rather than move up the ladder. The path can also be nonlinear, with professionals moving between companies, roles, and industries based on opportunities and personal interests. Moreover, the startup ecosystem offers a different trajectory, where roles and responsibilities can be more fluid, and one might rapidly move into higher management roles based on the success and growth of the company. In essence, while there are common steps in the career progression of a product manager, the journey is often unique and tailored to each individual's skills, experiences, and career aspirations. A typical path may look like: 1. Entry-Level Role (Associate Product Manager, Product Analyst, etc.): Many product managers start in entry-level roles, which might be titled Associate Product Manager, Product Analyst, or a similar designation. These roles often involve supporting more senior product managers, conducting market research, gathering customer feedback, and learning the basics of product lifecycle management. 2. Product Manager: After gaining experience and demonstrating skills in product development, strategy, and execution, individuals often move into a Product Manager role. Here, they take on more responsibility, managing entire products or significant features, making strategic decisions, and working closely with cross-functional teams. 3. Senior Product Manager: With continued success and experience, a Product Manager can advance to a Senior Product Manager role. This position typically involves managing more complex products or product lines, mentoring junior team members, and having a greater influence on the strategic direction of the product portfolio. 4. Lead Product Manager or Group Product Manager: Some companies have a role for Lead or Group Product Managers, where professionals manage multiple related products or a team of product managers, ensuring alignment and synergy across products. 5. Director of Product Management: Moving up, the next step might be a Director of Product Management, overseeing a larger portfolio of products and leading a bigger team of product managers. This role involves more strategic planning and less day-to-day product management. 6. VP of Product or Chief Product Officer: At the top of the career ladder, one might become a VP of Product or Chief Product Officer (CPO), responsible for the overall product strategy of an organization, aligning product development with business goals, and often being part of executive leadership.

In a product management interview, my favorite question came up: "What is the best product you have ever used, and why?" I took a creative approach and presented myself as the product. I detailed my skills, experiences, and the unique value I could bring to the team, framing my abilities and potential contributions in the context of product features and benefits. This approach wasn't just about showcasing my qualifications; it was about demonstrating my ability to think innovatively and market effectively - crucial skills in product management. This self-referential presentation resonated with the interviewers and played a significant role in my successful hiring. Given this was umpteen years ago :)

When launching new features, a common challenge is ensuring that sales teams fully understand and adopt the updated messaging. They may default to old narratives, especially if the new positioning disrupts familiar routines. How I Overcame It: We addressed this by running hands-on enablement sessions with role-playing exercises to help sales teams practice new messaging in real scenarios. Additionally, we developed concise playbooks and battle cards with competitive insights, making the new positioning easy to reference. Continuous follow-ups through office hours and Q&A sessions ensured alignment, and we tracked progress through win/loss analysis to adjust strategies if needed.

Continuously monitoring trends and running pilots, businesses can uncover adjacent markets and evolving needs, ensuring their products stay relevant and competitive. Real-world examples show how companies like Netflix, Microsoft, Tesla, and Spotify have successfully identified new market opportunities through customer feedback, competitive insights, frontline collaboration, and analytics. 1. Analyzing Customer Feedback and Support Tickets * Example: Netflix’s Expansion into Original Content Netflix identified user dissatisfaction with content availability and delays in licensing through feedback and usage data. This insight led them to launch Netflix Originals, opening a new market opportunity in content production and differentiating them from competitors. * Takeaway: Use customer feedback to uncover unmet needs or frustrations, leading to market expansion or product evolution. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Monitoring Competitive Activity and Industry Trends * Example: Microsoft Teams Capitalizing on Remote Work Trends Microsoft recognized early shifts toward remote work, accelerated by the pandemic, and expanded Teams into a comprehensive collaboration platform, competing directly with Slack. They quickly added features like video conferencing to meet emerging needs. * Takeaway: Tracking industry trends and competitor activities helps identify evolving market demands and opens new opportunities to pivot or enhance existing offerings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Engaging with Sales and Partners for Frontline Insights * Example: HubSpot’s Launch of a CRM HubSpot’s sales teams noticed that many customers using their marketing platform also needed lightweight CRM tools. This insight led to the launch of HubSpot CRM, creating a new revenue stream and expanding their product suite beyond marketing automation. * Takeaway: Sales and partners offer direct insight into customer needs and adjacent opportunities that existing products can tap into. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Conducting Win/Loss Analysis and Market Gap Assessments * Example: Apple’s Entry into Wearables with the Apple Watch Apple identified health and fitness tracking as an area where customers were turning to competitors like Fitbit. This led to the development of the Apple Watch, which successfully captured the wearables market by integrating health features with Apple’s ecosystem. * Takeaway: Win/loss analysis reveals product gaps and untapped segments, allowing companies to identify new market opportunities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Expanding Product Use Cases Across Industries * Example: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Targeting the Government Sector Initially popular among tech startups, AWS recognized an opportunity to serve public sector needs, including government agencies. With slight adjustments to meet compliance requirements, AWS expanded into a new market and secured high-profile government contracts. * Takeaway: Aligning existing capabilities with industry-specific needs opens new market opportunities with minimal product changes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Exploring Adjacent Product Categories and Integrations * Example: Tesla’s Expansion into Energy Storage Tesla, known for electric vehicles, identified the opportunity to enter the energy market by offering Powerwall batteries for homes and businesses. This adjacent category leveraged Tesla’s expertise in battery technology while expanding their market beyond vehicles. * Takeaway: Exploring adjacent product categories can unlock new revenue streams while capitalizing on core competencies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Leveraging Data Analytics for Usage and Adoption Trends * Example: Spotify’s Focus on Podcasts Spotify analyzed user behavior and noticed a growing interest in podcasts. In response, they invested heavily in podcast acquisitions and developed features tailored for podcast listening, positioning themselves as a leader in the audio content space. * Takeaway: Usage data can reveal new trends and help businesses identify opportunities to expand or reposition existing products. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Running Pilot Programs and Early Access Trials * Example: Google’s Workspace Beta Testing Google ran beta programs for Google Workspace to gather early feedback and refine the product before a full launch. This allowed them to identify gaps and position the suite more effectively for enterprise customers, capturing new market segments. * Takeaway: Pilots and trials provide real-world insights into market demand, validating potential opportunities before scaling.

The outbound product management role is perfect for those who thrive on understanding the market, shaping narratives, building relationships, and driving product adoption. It demands someone who finds energy not just in the “what” of the product but in the “why” that resonates with customers and drives business outcomes. * Storytellers Over Technologists While traditional PMs need a deep technical understanding of the product, outbound PMs excel when they can translate technical complexities into compelling, customer-facing narratives. Those with a knack for storytelling, positioning, and influencing stakeholders will thrive in this role. * Market-Obsessed Over Product-Obsessed Outbound PMs must focus outward—on markets, competitors, customers, and industry trends. Candidates who naturally gravitate toward competitive intelligence, thought leadership, and market trends are better suited than those who prefer digging into feature sets and product backlogs. * Relationship Builders Over Solo Operators Outbound roles require frequent interaction with sales, marketing, partners, and customers. Those with strong interpersonal skills who enjoy cross-functional collaboration and customer interaction excel here, compared to PMs who prefer working independently with engineering teams. * Quick Decision-Makers Over Analytical Perfectionists Outbound PMs often operate in fast-paced environments, balancing many requests from sales and marketing teams. Individuals who thrive in ambiguity, make quick decisions with incomplete information, and adapt rapidly are better suited. Traditional PMs may focus more on long-term planning and structured problem-solving. * Sales-Aligned Over Engineering-Aligned While inbound PMs spend more time with engineers and designers, outbound PMs are more aligned with go-to-market teams. Candidates with a background in sales engineering, product marketing, or customer success are often better fits because they understand the rhythm and needs of customer-facing teams.

Ideas for new features can come from a multitude of sources, and deciding which ones to build involves a thoughtful process of evaluation and prioritization. Here’s how we approach this at Barracuda: SOURCES OF FEATURE IDEAS 1. Customer Feedback: Direct input from users is invaluable. This can be gathered through support tickets, customer interviews, usability tests, surveys, and feedback forms. Customers often provide insights into what features they need, what issues they encounter, and how their user experience can be improved. 2. Market Research: Keeping an eye on industry trends, competitor analysis, and market demands helps us identify features that could be necessary to stay competitive and relevant in the market. 3. Internal Teams: Ideas can also come from within the company—from engineers, marketers, salespeople, and support staff. These team members often see different aspects of how the product performs in real-world scenarios and can offer unique perspectives on what features might enhance the product. 4. Regulatory Changes and Compliance Requirements: Sometimes, new features are driven by changes in legal or regulatory standards within an industry, requiring the product to adapt to new laws and guidelines. 5. Technological Advancements: Innovations in technology can open up possibilities for new features. Our development team stays abreast of new tools, frameworks, and platforms that can enhance our product offerings. DECIDING WHICH FEATURES TO BUILD 1. Alignment with Business Goals: The feature must align with the overall business objectives, such as increasing market share, improving customer satisfaction, or driving revenue growth. 2. Customer Impact: We prioritize features based on the value they deliver to our customers. This involves evaluating how much a feature will improve the user experience and meet customer needs. 3. Feasibility and Cost: The technical feasibility of developing the feature, as well as the cost in terms of time and resources, are crucial considerations. We need to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs. 4. Market Differentiation: Features that can differentiate our product in the marketplace often receive higher priority. We look for features that can give us a competitive edge. 5. ROI and Prioritization Frameworks: We often use prioritization frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort) or the Cost-Adjusted Impact (CAI) model to assess and prioritize feature ideas based on their potential return on investment and impact. 6. Prototype and Validate: Before fully committing to building a feature, we often create a prototype and validate it with a segment of our user base. This testing phase is crucial to gather data on the feature's potential success or failure.

Building a successful outbound product management function requires more than aligning with sales or writing flawless messaging—it demands strategy, integration, and focus on outcomes * Treating Outbound PM as “Sales Support” Instead of Strategic Partners Outbound PM isn’t just about decks and demos. When companies position them as mere sales enablers, they miss the chance to leverage strategic market insights that can shape product direction. As Marty Cagan emphasizes, “Strong product teams don’t exist to serve the business; they exist to serve customers in ways that create value for the business.” Align outbound PMs as customer advocates who bridge market needs with product strategy. * Siloing Outbound from Inbound Product Teams When outbound PMs operate separately from their inbound counterparts, collaboration breaks down. Outbound PMs should work hand-in-hand with inbound teams to align product messaging with real-time developments. Cagan stresses, "Product work is not a series of handoffs, but rather an ongoing conversation.” Building this flow between inbound and outbound is key to a cohesive strategy. * Ignoring Market Feedback Loops Some companies overlook outbound PMs' role in gathering feedback from the market. These insights are vital for refining roadmaps. Outbound PMs are not passive messengers—they are field reporters. “Product managers need to be relentless in staying close to the customer,” says Ben Horowitz. Outbound teams are uniquely positioned to bring the voice of the market to every product decision. * Overemphasizing Product Features in Messaging Too often, outbound PMs fall into the trap of promoting every new feature instead of focusing on customer outcomes. “No one buys your product for its features; they buy it for the way it solves their problem,” Cagan reminds us. Effective outbound teams articulate the value behind the feature, showing how it meets customer needs. * Underestimating the Power of Storytelling Outbound PMs are responsible for translating complex product concepts into compelling stories that resonate with customers. A strong narrative not only attracts interest but builds trust. As April Dunford suggests in Obviously Awesome, “If you confuse people, you lose them.” Outbound teams must develop clear, concise messaging that conveys the product’s unique value without jargon. * Neglecting Metrics and Impact Tracking An outbound PM team that can’t show the impact of their efforts is unlikely to thrive. Outbound teams must define key metrics—whether it's sales pipeline acceleration, win rates, or product adoption—and constantly track progress. As Cagan says, "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." Metrics connect effort to outcomes, driving continuous improvement.

Forecasting demand for new products or features requires a blend of quantitative data and qualitative insights. Methods like market research, customer surveys, pilots, historical data, and predictive analytics help outbound PMs reduce uncertainty and make informed forecasts. 1. Market Research and Trend Analysis * Example: Apple’s Launch of AirPods Apple identified the growing trend of wireless technology and shifting consumer habits toward convenience, using market research to predict strong demand for AirPods. * Approach: Analyze industry reports, competitor trends, and emerging technologies to gauge demand for new products. * Action: Use tools like Gartner or IDC reports to benchmark trends and identify market demand signals. Track search trends and social media mentions to validate emerging opportunities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Customer Surveys and Feedback * Example: Dropbox Business Expansion Before expanding its product from personal use to business, Dropbox conducted customer surveys to understand if existing users would pay for team collaboration tools. * Approach: Use surveys, focus groups, and interviews to collect quantitative and qualitative feedback from target customers. * Action: Run email surveys or in-product polls asking customers if they would use or pay for a new feature. Use Net Promoter Score (NPS) data to identify enthusiastic customers who might demand new offerings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Pilot Programs and Beta Testing * Example: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta Tesla released its autonomous driving software to a select group of drivers to assess demand and collect feedback. * Approach: Launch a pilot or beta program to a small group of customers. Measure usage rates, adoption, and feedback to determine market appetite. * Action: Track KPIs like feature engagement and satisfaction scores during the pilot to forecast broader demand upon full release. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Sales Forecasting Based on Historical Data * Example: Microsoft Office 365 Subscription Model When Microsoft transitioned to a subscription model, it used historical data from earlier product sales to predict customer migration and demand for the new model. * Approach: Use sales trends, adoption patterns, and growth curves from similar products or features to forecast demand for the new offering. * Action: Analyze existing customer behavior to identify segments likely to adopt the new product and use historical sales data to estimate future demand. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Conjoint Analysis and Willingness-to-Pay Studies * Example: Uber’s Dynamic Pricing Model Uber used conjoint analysis to understand how much users value features like shorter wait times and willingness to pay surge pricing during peak hours. * Approach: Use conjoint analysis to determine how customers trade off features, benefits, and price points, helping forecast demand at different pricing tiers. * Action: Conduct conjoint surveys where customers rank preferences for various product configurations, then model demand based on the results. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Pre-Orders and Early Sign-Ups * Example: Tesla Cybertruck Pre-Orders Tesla used pre-order campaigns to gauge market interest in its Cybertruck, collecting deposits to forecast production needs. * Approach: Offer pre-orders, waitlists, or early access programs to measure interest before launch. * Action: Monitor the number of pre-orders and early sign-ups as leading indicators of demand. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Sales Team Feedback and Channel Insights * Example: Salesforce Lightning Adoption Forecast Salesforce gathered insights from its sales teams and partners to forecast customer interest in migrating to the new Lightning platform. * Approach: Collect input from sales teams, partners, and channel data to forecast demand. Frontline salespeople often have valuable insights into customer interest. * Action: Hold regular feedback sessions with sales and partner teams to capture signals of market readiness and customer demand. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning Models * Example: Amazon’s Inventory Forecasting for New Products Amazon uses machine learning models that consider historical sales, seasonality, and external factors to forecast demand for new products. * Approach: Use predictive analytics tools to identify correlations and patterns in customer behavior, pricing, and market trends. * Action: Build predictive models based on internal data (past sales, web traffic) and external signals (market trends, economic factors) to estimate future demand.

Barracuda has a structured approach that blends continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) with Agile methodologies, using specific release timelines. This setup can offer several advantages, especially in managing complex software development and deployment processes effectively. Here’s a breakdown of how this approach might typically work and how it can be optimized: 1. Agile Practices: We organize our development activities into sprints, each lasting about 2 weeks. These sprints include regular sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives to ensure continuous improvement and alignment within the team. 2. Continuous Integration and Delivery: Our CI/CD practices are integral to our development process. Developers commit changes to a shared repository frequently, which triggers automated builds and tests. This helps us maintain a high standard of code quality and ensures that our software can be released at any time. 3. Release Management: While our CI/CD pipeline keeps our software in a releasable state after each integration, the 2 week release pockets allow us to bundle features into coherent releases. This period also provides time for additional testing, final adjustments, and preparation of release documentation and marketing materials. 4. Feedback Loops: We heavily rely on feedback from these iterative processes and user input post-release to refine and improve our products. This feedback is crucial for adapting our processes and product offerings to better meet user needs.