Rishikesh Das

Feature prioritisation is both an art and a science. While data and user feedback provide a foundation, intuition and strategic vision play a significant role in deciding what to build next. Create a balanced prioritisation framework that considers impact, feasibility, and alignment with your product vision. This holistic approach ensures that you’re not just building the right features but also the features right. #ProductManagement #FeaturePrioritisation #Strategy #Innovation #Leadership #UserExperience #UX #ProductDevelopment #ProductDesign

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Your true growth as a Product Manager is least reflected in your increasing paycheck. The real win is elsewhere. For meaningful PM career growth, here is what you need to internalise : Your PM compensation growth is the lagging indicator of : The 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 you are having in your current role and impact you previously had. You might think that scope and levelling are also key inputs to compensation, but that's not the case. Here is why: Your performance will be largely judged by the impact you are having in your current role. Above-expectations impact will automatically increase your scope and comp faster than your peers and with time your levelling will also grow via promotions. Hence impact is most important input. Given the importance, here is how to think about impact as a PM : 1. Drive extreme clarity about where do problems exist and where do most impactful opportunities lie so that people understand and believe in the investment. 2. Drive clarity on what the team should focus on with right prioritization and sequencing. 3. Deliver and validate the impact via strong execution - Making progress quickly on the short/mid/long term goals repeatedly, builds your reputation as a PM. As you grow senior your focus shifts from questions like "is it right problem to solve" to questions like "are we investing in the right place, is this area, is this team, is this org the right investment?" etc. #pmcareer #productmanagement

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5 Key Takeaways from The Art of Product Management by Rich Mironov As someone deeply involved in product management, I wanted to share my top learnings from this fantastic book which I just completed. Rich Mironov has brilliantly articulated the realities of the product manager’s world, and here’s what stood out for me: 1. Know Your Customers, But Also Your Stakeholders: Building products is not just about understanding customer needs but also managing internal stakeholders and aligning business goals. 2. Embrace Uncertainty: Product management isn’t always linear. Things will break, plans will change, and it’s OK! Flexibility and problem-solving are the PM’s best friends. 3. Balancing Long-Term Vision with Short-Term Wins: Always aim for long-term strategic goals, but don’t ignore the small, incremental gains that keep your users and teams motivated. 4. Communication is Key: The ability to clearly and concisely convey product vision and roadmaps to cross-functional teams is essential. PMs must be master communicators. 5. Empathy Over Ego: At the heart of great product management is empathy. Understanding your users, your team, and even your competitors, will lead to better decisions and a stronger product. If you’re serious about product management, this book is a goldmine! #ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategy #RichMironov #Tech #CareerGrowth #Learning

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Strategic Thinking: The Key to Product Success Strategic thinking is essential for long-term product success. It involves setting clear goals, anticipating market trends, and aligning your product vision with business objectives. Regularly take a step back to assess your strategy. Are you moving in the right direction? Are your goals aligned with the market and user needs? Strategic thinking keeps you focused and adaptable. #ProductManagement #Strategy #Leadership #Innovation #MarketTrends #ProductDevelopment #Vision #Goals

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Hyper-Personalization and User Engagement In the era of AI-driven product management, one of the most significant opportunities lies in the realm of hyper-personalization. AI technologies enable product managers to create highly tailored experiences for individual users, leveraging insights from data to understand and anticipate their preferences, behaviors, and needs. 1. Dynamic Personalization: With AI, product managers can create dynamic and adaptive experiences that adjust in real-time based on user interactions and feedback. By analyzing user data such as browsing history, purchase patterns, and demographic information, AI algorithms can personalize content, recommendations, and interactions to match each user's unique preferences and interests. This level of customization enhances user engagement and satisfaction, leading to higher retention rates and increased customer loyalty. 2. Real-Time Recommendations: AI-powered recommendation systems enable product managers to deliver personalized recommendations to users at the right time and in the right context. By analyzing user behavior in real time, AI algorithms can identify relevant products, content, or actions that are most likely to resonate with each user. Whether it's suggesting products based on past purchases, recommending articles based on browsing history, or providing personalized offers and promotions, AI-driven recommendation engines enhance user engagement and drive conversion rates. 3. Contextual Interactions: AI technologies enable products to understand the context of user interactions and tailor responses accordingly. Natural language processing (NLP) algorithms allow chatbots and virtual assistants to interpret user queries and provide relevant answers or assistance in real time. By understanding the context of the conversation, AI-powered chatbots can deliver more personalized and helpful responses, leading to improved user satisfaction and engagement. 4. Balancing Customization and Privacy: While hyper-personalization offers significant benefits in terms of user engagement, it also raises concerns about privacy and data protection. Product managers must strike the right balance between customization and privacy, ensuring that user trust remains paramount. This involves implementing robust data privacy measures, obtaining user consent for data collection and usage, and being transparent about how user data is being used to personalize experiences. By prioritizing user privacy and trust, product managers can build long-lasting relationships with their customers and differentiate their products in a crowded marketplace. Sample from https://a.co/d/3YtFiCP

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Are you sure you want to be a Product Manager? I get a lot of requests from aspiring product managers for a pm role. Most of these aspirants are undergrads or freshers with very less experience. In recent times, product management has gained massive interest from everyone. Likes of Facebook, Google, Uber and Indian companies like Ola, Flipkart have popularized the role with high salaries and impact PM's create on the business. People with 0-15+ years of professional experience want to get into this field. However, the grass is greener on the other side. Before you decide to get into the PM world, here are some hard facts. 1. PM is not the CEO of the product. In fact, they don't have any authority over people. They have to work with multiple teams and stakeholders over which they don't have any control. You will get frustrated if you can't influence them. 2. You are the bad guy - You need to say No a lot of times and bear the grunt of stakeholders when things fail but rarely get appreciation when things move ahead. 3. A tough career with no straight forward skills to learn. Social skills like people management, negotiation, stakeholder are hard to learn just out of college or even after a decade in your career. So are you sure you want to become a pm? PS - if you really want to enter this field then you must become a T Shaped personality. You must know a lot about lot of things but also very good at something. Join ProductHood School as we are building a school of expert generalists.

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Got a waitlist of 10,000 users but only 5 weeks to build them an app? 🤯 There’s alot of shit that can go wrong here. What you need is a way to cut through the swamp of decision making. From a product perspective, agree a tight, limited scope to deliver that first increment of value to your users (and make your post-launch plan super clear to give stakeholders confidence). But you’re still going to need a bit more than that. To really grab users attention you need to define a brand. And quickly. What does this mean? 
Start with your brand values. Values act as abstract guidelines. They stop the “I know it when i see it” back and forth of endless tweaks. When reviewing the product, they give you one dependable question to lean on: is this decision consistent or not with our brand guidelines? Whether its imagery, colour palette, tone of voice, or even features, you’ll know if it sits right.

So that’s what we did at Planes Studio for Showpiece. More than 10,000 users, £1million in revenue in the first month and a launch on time.
Check out the Showpiece case study below. #brand #product #minimumviablebrand #delivery

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Sharing thoughts that occurred to me in light of different concepts I heard about 💭   Beyond Products & Product Managers: The Evolving Role of a Director of Product Management (DPM) The realm of product leadership is constantly evolving, and the role of a Director of Product Management (DPM) is no exception. DPMs transcend the world of simply managing "products" or being a product manager themselves. They are strategic visionaries who play a crucial role in an organization's success. Here's how a DPM goes beyond the traditional product focus: Strategic Vision & Collaboration: ✅ Beyond Features: DPMs think big picture, ensuring product development aligns with the company's overall strategy and goals. They consider market trends, competitor analysis, and user needs across the entire product portfolio, not just individual features. ✅ Breaking Down Silos: DPMs champion the product vision and foster cross-functional collaboration between departments like engineering, marketing, and sales. They ensure everyone is aligned on product goals and contributes to its success. ✅ Building a Product Culture: DPMs cultivate a strong product-centric mindset within the organization. They champion product thinking, where understanding user needs and delivering value is ingrained across all teams. Leadership & Strategic Decision-Making: ✅ From Products to People: DPMs transition from managing products to leading and developing high-performing product teams. They become coaches and mentors, overseeing hiring, performance management, and fostering a nurturing environment. ✅ Long-Term Strategy: Their focus shifts to the long-term product roadmap. They make high-level decisions about product investments, resource allocation, and prioritization. Data and insights become crucial tools to ensure product strategy aligns with market needs and business objectives.   💡The Key Takeaway: A strong product management background is valuable, but a DPM's success hinges on their leadership skills, strategic thinking, and ability to influence and build consensus across the organization.   🌟Share your thoughts in the comments about most important for a successful Director of Product Management !   #productmanagement #DPM #leadership #strategy #productculture

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First Principles Thinking - MUST LEARN for PMs If are a PM or an aspiring PM, I am sure you must have heard 'First Principles' umpteen times. But, what exactly is 'First Principles' thinking? Let's deep dive. 1️⃣ What is First Principles thinking? First principles thinking is about deconstructing or breaking down complex problems into their most basic, fundamental aspects. It requires questioning assumptions and rebuilding knowledge from the ground up. It helps you think all the problems/ideas from group zero as if nothing similar to it exists. 2️⃣ How does it work? [1] Identify and challenge assumptions Start by questioning everything you know about a problem. Ask "why" repeatedly until you reach the foundational truths. [2] Break down the problem Reduce the problem into its core components. Strip away the complexities to understand the basics. Reach the bare bones. [3] Reconstruct from ground-up: Use these basic elements to create new solutions, free from preconceived notions. 3️⃣ Why First Principles matters? First principles thinking empowers us to innovate and solve problems more effectively. It leads to innovative solutions that solves user problems, and not copy cats of existing products out there in the market. 4️⃣ How do you bring First Principles thinking in your day-to-day life as a PM? [1] Let go of your biases [2] Understand user needs and pain points at the fundamental level [3] Do not try to imitate or copy features that your competitors are building [4] Ask questions till you get clarity - challenge the assumptions Liked this? Follow Vishal Bagla for more. #ProblemSolving #ProductManagement #ProductManagers

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What is North Star ✨ framework? North Star framework is an important product management concept to define success metrics for business and inputs that drive the success metrics. Here is an attempt to simplify it (Go to PPT 💻) + What is a North Star Metric? A North Star metric is the one measurement that’s most predictive of a company’s long-term success. + Why Do We Need a North Star Metric? Focus and Alignment Company-wide View #northstar #nsm #northstarmetric #productmanagement

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Airbnb's recent decision to merge its Product Management and Product Marketing functions has sparked debate. However, it's crucial to see this change as an opportunity rather than a concern. Key takeaways include the evolution, not elimination, of product management and the empowerment of product managers through this merge. Implications of this decision include the blurring of lines between product management and marketing, emphasizing end-to-end product lifecycle ownership, and the emergence of new hybrid roles in tech companies. Product professionals can seize this opportunity to expand their skill sets and play more significant roles in shaping product success by sharing tactical work and leveraging AI for efficiency.

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In my 13 years of experience in Product Management, working across startups and global MNCs, I have found that one of the most crucial skills in our field is the ability to communicate ideas clearly and structurally. Whether it’s presenting a new product idea, aligning cross-functional teams, or gathering feedback from users, how we articulate our thoughts can make all the difference. I would love to hear your thoughts. What skills do you find essential in Product Management? #ProductManagement #CommunicationSkills #Leadership #Collaboration #GrowthMindset

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The Power of A/B Testing in Product Management A/B testing is a powerful tool for understanding what works best for your users. By comparing different versions of a product or feature, you can make data-driven decisions that enhance user experience and drive engagement. Implement A/B testing regularly to validate hypotheses and optimise your product. Small changes can lead to significant improvements. #ProductManagement #ABTesting #UserExperience #Innovation #DataDriven #Leadership #ProductDevelopment #Optimization

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In the ever-evolving field of product management, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. Continuous learning isn't just a buzzword; it's a necessity. Whether it's mastering new tools, understanding emerging trends, or developing soft skills, a commitment to learning keeps us adaptable and innovative. Consider dedicating a few hours each week to learning something new. It could be a course on the latest technology, a book on leadership, or even a podcast on market trends. Your future self will thank you. #ProductManagement #ContinuousLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #Innovation #Leadership #Skills #CareerGrowth #TechTrends #ProductDesign

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ShareChat PM interview questions [1] How would you improve Swiggy revenue? [2] What metrics would you, as a PM, track for WhatsApp? [3] Estimate the number of airplanes in the Indian sky at noon? [4] How could you use hashtags on Sharechat to drive engagement? [5] Design a camera for the elderly. [6] How would you design Uber for blind? [7] Assume that the page views on Flipkart’s product pages have declined over the last 3 weeks. How would you go about investigating this? [8] What metrics and goals would you focus on for Instagram stories? Liked this? Follow Vishal Bagla for more. #ProductManagement #ProductManagers #InterviewPrep #Jobs

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