Creating an awesome culture is the backbone of any high-functioning product organisation — but how do you go about it? In the first part of this series we take a look at the key building blocks to consider… When we think about culture in organisations we often come across many…

Transitioning to having outcome-driven, empowered product teams is a tricky business. Here are some ideas to help navigate the human problems you’re likely to encounter on the way… I recently wrote a response to Marty Cagan’s article Product vs. Feature Teams with the aim of explaining why some companies struggle…

A team that understands and agrees on what one another does is likely to be more high functioning than those who don’t. Here’s how to clarify roles and responsibilities on your team… What are team roles and responsibilities? Roles are generally defined as the positions that each person on a team assumes — for example on…

Businesses are suffering from some very human problems when it comes to empowered product teams… Marty Cagan recently published an article about product vs. feature teams and it caused a bit of a stir in the product world. His frustration about his ongoing experiences with companies who can’t seem to…

Defining a vision gives your team something to aim for in the longer term — something beyond quarterly goals and outcomes. Here’s how to create one with your team… I recently wrote about the importance of having a team purpose and how to define one for your team. Purpose is…

Offering support and guidance to others can be very rewarding — but be prepared for the unexpected… It never occurred to me that I could be a mentor when I was first approached by a Junior Product Manager asking me to do just that, and the experience has taught me…

Agreeing a purpose gives your team a reason for being and gives their work greater meaning than simply doing what they do. Here’s how to define one for your team… What is a team purpose? Purpose, quite literally, is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” In the…

As a Product Manager, how can you ensure that your team feels able to take risks, voice opinions and put forward ideas without fear of judgement? It’s been 4 years since Google published the results of Project Aristotle, their quest to define the formula for the most effective teams. …

When you’re a Product Manager starting at a new company there is so much to learn — understanding what your team is working on and who your customer is, figuring out who’s who, what the company’s strategic aims are, and so much more. What often gets forgotten is learning about…