Renata Casoli

Question for the Product Managers out there ❗ Share your story.. How do you build a Product in a Tech Scale Up?? Head of Product at JEX, Esther Kuijpers-Bastein will tell you about her experience on how to build a product in a tech scale-up. 👉 How this can affect your product strategy, what we have learned from it. 👉 How we stay on track despite making major changes, but always with the end goal in mind. #productmanagement #productmanager #software #product #devworld #devworldconference

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PRODUCTHEAD: Deconstructing Duolingo’s growth » Dissect your monolithic metrics to drive growth in more easily influenced segments » Don’t kill the golden goose of growth by oversaturating a channel » If growth is your goal, have a sense of urgency Subscribe at producthead.news #ProductManagement #prodmgmt

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From Product Talk: Product in Practice: Finding the Best Way to Communicate with Different Stakeholders Continuous discovery is more of a journey than a destination. This blog post is a testament to that. Lisa Orr, who we featured in a previous Product in Practice, recently started a new role at a new company. We caught up with Lisa to learn how she's transferred continuous discovery habits from one company to another and how she navigates stakeholder communication in a new setting. Read more: https://buff.ly/3XbwATp ❓ How do you approach communicating continuous discovery progress with different stakeholder groups in your organization? What strategies have you found effective in keeping everyone aligned and engaged? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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Story-based interviewing is the best way to collect reliable insights about customer behavior. But it takes work to excavate the story. Come practice with us. Tickets are going fast: https://buff.ly/41vhnge #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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Don’t Marry Your Ideas: Face the Truth About Your Product Stats As product leaders, it’s crucial to face the truth about the state of our products. Sometimes we fail to acknowledge that our product isn’t what users need, there’s strong competition, a tricky monetization model, or scalability issues. Perhaps users love it but won’t pay a penny for it—getting users to pay is the ultimate validation. Having 2 or 3 users occasionally paying (most likely friends and team members) doesn’t count. There must be a sustainable pipeline of customers, even if there are bottlenecks or challenges. A strong need should be obvious from day one. Acknowledging failure early on is much better than complimenting yourself, your team, and stakeholders, leading to what you know eventually won’t work. Don’t marry your ideas—especially those you’ve invested a lot of effort into, even if they’re not originally yours. We often become too attached to our ideas, but sometimes letting go is the best path forward. Face the truth with everyone and reallocate your resources to another initiative early on. #Product #DontMarryYourIdeas #ProductLeadership #FaceTheTruth

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I obtain comparable insights as a mentor with experience in over 100 startups and scale-ups, while also leveraging my own entrepreneurial background.

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PM assessment tools are broken. Every single one that I've reviewed is not actually measuring your skills. (And that includes product influencers like Cagan, Wille, Huryn and MTP...) Instead, they're measuring your: • Responsibilities (what you own) • Actions (what you do) • Job focus (what you work on) • Level of control and involvement (limits of your work) This all amounts to measures of behaviour. (Behaviourism a la Skinner, Pavlov and Watson has massive limitations - Yet the tech industry seems to over-rely on it for performance management 🙄) I get it to a degree: It is easier to measure behaviour which is external Than internal cognitive processes, like developing your thinking But then how useful are these tools really? How do they help you understand what you need to do to progress? ❌ You don't need to do more work ❌ You don't need to use another framework ❌ You don't need to take on more responsibilities Career progression is never about 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 you do, but always about 𝘩𝘰𝘸. And if you want to know where you truly stand as a PM Then you need to be on the list for this Friday's Liftoff when my new PM assessment tool drops 🤩 Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/d5DJVmGX --- ID: Caroline is wearing a blue and pink tiger stripe dress and her glasses. She is standing in front of her bookcase, with her index finger to her mouth, pondering. Hey 👋 I'm Caroline I help women in product build their confidence And steer their careers to impact 🔔 Follow me for more career tips 💚 Written by a real human

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There is a big debate right now about approaches to product development. On one side, product coaches and authors like Marty Cagan and Petra Wille highlight what sets the best apart from the rest. On the other side, some practitioners argue these views set unrealistic expectations for the "real world." Really easily it becomes a battle of extremes. However, I believe it boils down to whether you believe in working a certain way or not. If we abstract the content the criticized books emphasize customer-centricity, leveling up your game, and striving higher. Taking inspiration from companies that work that way. You can't achieve this overnight, and you must adapt to your situation. But if you believe in these principles, they can work. You can make them work. 👉🏻 Let’s take a metaphor I relate to: I love running marathons and admire Eliud Kipchoge. He shows that no human is limited, running a marathon in under 2 hours. While I might never achieve that, I can still draw inspiration and push my own limits. The same applies to companies in product development. Strive for customer-centricity and value creation, but adapt to your context: • If you're managing outputs, start by validating assumptions and getting closer to your customers. • If you struggle with prioritization, begin discussing the goals you're trying to achieve. • If you work in B2B, start by talking to customers at least once before developing. Take inspiration, strive for value creation, and adapt these principles to your situation and your area of influence. In the comments some examples on how I worked with this “transformations in practice”. What is your take on the debate? 💡

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Debate: What is Driving the Rise in Popularity of the IC Product Lead? In recent years, the product management landscape has experienced a fascinating shift with the rise of the Individual Contributor (IC) Product Lead. This role is gaining momentum and redefining what it means to drive product success. But why is this role becoming so prominent? Here are my thoughts on what an IC Product Lead brings to the table, and why I believe they are essential for any business. ⭐ Deep Expertise ⭐ IC Product Leads often possess a wealth of specialised knowledge, allowing them to dive deep into specific product areas. This focused expertise enables them to make informed, strategic decisions that propel products forward. ⭐ Ownership and Impact ⭐ Without the traditional responsibilities of people management, IC Product Leads can dedicate their time and energy to owning key product initiatives. This leads to higher impact and faster execution on critical projects. ⭐ Flexibility and Agility ⭐ In today’s fast-paced tech environment, the ability to pivot and adapt is crucial. IC Product Leads, with their hands-on approach, are perfectly positioned to respond quickly to market changes and user feedback. ⭐ Career Growth ⭐ This role offers a new pathway for career advancement. Talented product professionals who thrive on direct product impact, rather than team management, can now climb the ladder without shifting into managerial positions. In my view, the IC Product Lead role will continue to evolve, shaping the future of product management. It’s an exciting time for product professionals to leverage their skills, drive innovation, and make a tangible difference in their organisations. What are your thoughts on the rise of the IC Product Lead, and the value they bring? Have you observed this trend in your own company, or made recent hires in this area? Let’s discuss! #productlead #productmanagement #debate #product

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I’ve been thinking about process lately, and since good process is an expression of an organization’s values, let’s talk about product values. Strategy before execution: To reach the highest peak, we can’t just close our eyes and walk uphill. The biggest waste of resources is time spent building the wrong thing. Taking the time to create a hypothesis for how we win, describing how we’d measure sufficient progress, and capturing that as OKRs is how we create the shortest path between today and our goal. Outcomes over outputs: We can’t reliably know in advance if a particular feature will successfully deliver value to our users and our business. By setting goals around the delivery of value instead of the delivery of work, we can make room for those who are closest to the data and to users to discover the best solution that creates the most value. Autonomy, earned through accountability, increases velocity: Discovering the best solution requires rapid iteration and testing of various ideas. To move quickly, teams need to be able to cycle through these ideas without having each and every one approved by the chain of command. Earning the trust to do so requires the team holding itself accountable to delivering on their committed outcomes. ——— Using these values, we can construct a Product Operating System that captures the quarterly strategic planning process, the product development process within a 2-week sprint, and the space in between. I don’t have room to write it all out here, but if you want to read it, check out today’s newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gMBQybBQ

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐌 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 - Let's break the taboo💥 “PM has become some sort of ‘super role’ with expectations far beyond what is reasonable (no matter what level you're on)." "The problem is I do not even want to apply for a new PM job. When I read job descriptions I get nauseous and I think "I do not want to be in the same shit". To break the stigma and taboo around product burnout, Tanja Lau 🦋 and I set out to conduct a burnout survey in the PM community. Now, we are releasing our free Burnout Report, packed with our findings, with stories of resilience and useful resources. Here are some of the insights we gathered in the report: 🤯 49% of our survey participants experienced burnout, with the majority of burnouts being self-diagnosed. 🫣 69% of the product leaders detect signs of burnout in their employees. If they have been affected by burnout themselves, they seem to be even more likely to spot burnout symptoms in others 🤫 43% of our participants perceive burnout as taboo topic. 🙈 63% of our survey participants do not feel supported by their companies when it comes to preventing burnout. Download the PDF to access all insights: https://lnkd.in/dUDimpMC Please help us get this report out into the world, so anyone who is experiencing burnout symptoms is feeling a little less lost and lonely. A huge shout-out to all 272 people who took part in the survey and to anyone in my network who helped share the survey, collect useful resources or who contributed with their own story. You rock. #product #burnout #productmanager

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Are Dutch and European founders not ambitious enough? 🤔 I just read Techleap's latest report: "AI Scaling Challenges for Dutch Founders." (Okay, I got AI to read it and share the highlights with me. 😜) This quote caught my (& Claude's) eye: "𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 4% 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘈𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 10𝘔. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯..." Almost every day, I see posts and jokes about European founders thinking too small. As someone who works with Euro-founders everyday, I have a different view. I see: - Massive visions - Global mindsets from day one - Founders ready to take on the world It's not the founders who lack ambition. They're just working within the realms of what's possible in Europe. That's why many of them get funded from and/or move to the US. 💰 The real lack of ambition? That's from investors and governments in Europe. 🇪🇺 I'm still working on an article, "The Case for European Optimism." And I think it will show that European founders are just as ambitious as their US counterparts. The real question we should be asking is: - How can we create an environment that allows founders to dream bigger and reach higher? 🚀 And yes, I know this quotes mentions deep ecosystem issues... --- ↳ What's your take? Are European founders thinking too small, or is it the ecosystem that's holding them back? 👇

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Products need to create customer value and business value. The key to unlocking both is defining product outcomes that drive business outcomes. Come learn how: https://buff.ly/3GGpUn0 #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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Couldn't make it to Marty Cagan's talk in Berlin? Or maybe you were there but too focused on his insights about product transformation to write things down? No worries - I've got your back! 😉 I've captured all the key learnings in my latest article here:👉https://lnkd.in/eCeyeRE2

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🌟 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁? 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝑲𝑹𝒔! 🌟 I love an effective team. And the basics to get there have stood the test of time: a clear vision, a plan of attack, and well-defined responsibilities. In my decade of scaling teams, no framework has worked better than OKRs, and here's why: 1. 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: OKRs aren't a one-size-fits-all; they’re designed to be molded to fit your unique company culture. This adaptability makes them ideal for any organization, regardless of size or sector, but particularly useful when you're constantly growing and changing. 2.  𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: They empower 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 team member to see how their efforts contribute directly to the company's success, boosting engagement and motivation. 3. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: OKRs clarify roles and responsibilities, everyone knows where they fit and how to contribute best. This allows you to build a strong culture of ownership and accountability. 4. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗻: Integrating OKRs with systems like Lattice can gamify performance, much like tracking steps on a Fitbit. It’s not just productive; it’s engaging and fun, making it easier for teams to update progress and stay motivated. For a deeper dive into OKRs, check out my blog post on Demystifying OKRs below. #OKRs #BusinessGrowth #TeamAlignment #PerformanceManagement #Lattice

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These points from Antonia Landi about tool investments resonated – very applicable to discussions of research repositories: • “If I wasn't allowed to purchase a new tool, how else would I solve this?” • “What’s the quickest and cheapest way in which I can test a solution” • “If a tool does happen to tick all of our boxes, who does what?... It’s an immense effort to introduce new tooling successfully...” Antonia’s focus is #ProductOps – but this talk has gems for #ResearchOps and #DesignOps as well: https://lnkd.in/gJEJ3NH4 

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We are offering several product discovery courses starting in May: 🗓 Defining Outcomes: Translate Business Outcomes into Product Outcomes You Can Deliver Tuesdays, May 7 - June 4, 2024 9:00am - 10:30am PDT This course is a great fit for builders (product managers, designers, engineers, etc. and their leaders) who want to better understand what outcomes matter to their business and how to choose which outcomes to focus on right now. Enroll here: https://lnkd.in/gb2aSbis 🗓 Master Class: Continuous Discovery Habits Tuesdays, May 28 - July 2, 2024 9:00am - 11:00am PDT This course is a great fit for builders (product managers, designers, engineers, etc. and their leaders) who want hands-on practice with the discovery habits outlined in my book. This class introduces students to my entire continuous discovery framework. Enroll here: https://lnkd.in/gkNwC3Qz 🗓 Opportunity Mapping: Chart the Best Path to Your Desired Outcome Wednesdays, May 29 - June 26, 2024 9:00am - 10:30am PDT This course is a good fit for builders (product managers, designers, engineers, etc. and their leaders) who want to get hands-on experience with opportunity solution trees. You’ll learn how to identify and frame opportunities, how to structure the opportunity space, and how to choose what opportunity to work on next. Enroll here: https://lnkd.in/gyjWVMy3 🗓 Assumption Testing: Quickly Determine Which Ideas Will Won’t and Which Won’t Thursdays, May 30 - June 27, 2024 9:00 - 10:30am PDT This course is a good fit for builders (product managers, designers, engineers, etc. and their leaders) who want to accelerate their discovery cycle. You’ll learn how to design assumption tests that you can run in 1-2 days, enabling you to run multiple tests in parallel, enabling you to make better compare and contrast decisions about what to build Enroll here: https://lnkd.in/gTE25Dt4 All of our courses include live instruction, hands-on activities, and plenty of time to get your questions answered. I hope you’ll join us.

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The art of saying "no" as a #productmanager on a single page? Petra Wille published a great resource with helpful scenarios https://lnkd.in/edWmSwQj The only thing I would add is: "Start with listening and seek to understand before being understood" (Covey) Thanks Petra!

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From Product Talk: Tools of the Trade: Recruiting Customer Interview Participants In the Tools of the Trade series on the Product Talk blog, we explore the tools different product teams use to support their continuous discovery habits. In the past, we've done a deep dive into one team's tech stack, but for this post, we looked at how several different teams approach the task of recruiting customer interview participants. Read more: https://buff.ly/3KQ5das ❓ What tools or methods have you found most effective for recruiting participants for customer interviews, and how do you ensure they align with your continuous discovery process? #prodmgmt #ux #engineering

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