WEBVTT 00:00:01.714 --> 00:00:03.480 - [Instructor] When we start a new career, 00:00:03.480 --> 00:00:06.450 most of us need to gain some foundational skill sets 00:00:06.450 --> 00:00:09.510 before or during the first few years of work. 00:00:09.510 --> 00:00:10.890 Doctors, for instance, 00:00:10.890 --> 00:00:13.560 go through medical school and obtain an MD 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:16.320 then complete a multi-year residency program 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:19.260 to gain experience in a medical specialty. 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:21.411 Afterward, they continue their specialty training 00:00:21.411 --> 00:00:22.980 in a fellowship. 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:25.800 This pattern is true for many other professions: 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.220 psychology, engineering, law, or banking. 00:00:29.220 --> 00:00:31.170 They begin with formal education 00:00:31.170 --> 00:00:33.630 then graduate to an associate position, 00:00:33.630 --> 00:00:37.110 and continue their growth in training via a mentorship. 00:00:37.110 --> 00:00:40.020 However, product management is a newer career path 00:00:40.020 --> 00:00:42.120 than medicine, law, and banking. 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:44.820 As a result, there isn't a well-defined path 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:46.920 to gaining the required skills and knowledge 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:49.290 to be an effective product manager. 00:00:49.290 --> 00:00:51.660 There's no standard degree or certification 00:00:51.660 --> 00:00:55.050 that product managers get before they start their careers. 00:00:55.050 --> 00:00:57.630 The few existing boot camps and certifications 00:00:57.630 --> 00:01:01.410 are aimed at helping you land a product manager job 00:01:01.410 --> 00:01:03.870 and less at helping you learn how to succeed 00:01:03.870 --> 00:01:06.000 as a product manager. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:07.830 Once PMs start their careers, 00:01:07.830 --> 00:01:09.930 traditional training falls short. 00:01:09.930 --> 00:01:13.080 Online resources are scattered across the internet, 00:01:13.080 --> 00:01:16.470 but they're often too specific to individual experiences 00:01:16.470 --> 00:01:19.980 or they try to provide one-size-fits-all templates 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:22.500 that might not be applicable across the diversity 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:24.780 of situations that PMs experience. 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:26.370 And what's more, 00:01:26.370 --> 00:01:30.060 few companies offer structured internship programs. 00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:33.690 Even when they do, internship programs tend to be too short 00:01:33.690 --> 00:01:36.930 to provide adequate exposure to the PM role. 00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:40.740 In three months, most interns only begin to get the context 00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:44.130 around the org, the customers, and the business model, 00:01:44.130 --> 00:01:47.760 and they're often assigned projects that aren't a priority. 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:49.950 Only a handful of large tech companies 00:01:49.950 --> 00:01:53.310 offer formal training programs for full-time roles. 00:01:53.310 --> 00:01:56.640 For instance, large companies like Google and Dropbox 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.420 have a structured new product manager training program. 00:02:00.420 --> 00:02:03.030 They provide new PMs with dedicated mentors, 00:02:03.030 --> 00:02:05.040 a cohort of peers, content, 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:08.700 and diverse opportunities to build and launch features, 00:02:08.700 --> 00:02:12.120 from optimizing existing features to building new features 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.510 or contributing to larger product development efforts. 00:02:15.510 --> 00:02:17.010 With this structured experience, 00:02:17.010 --> 00:02:20.100 new PMs quickly learned the skills and frameworks needed 00:02:20.100 --> 00:02:22.830 to be effective across a variety of projects, 00:02:22.830 --> 00:02:26.370 setting them on an accelerated career trajectory. 00:02:26.370 --> 00:02:30.000 But these environments are the exception to the rule. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:33.330 In reality, new PMs often work in organizations 00:02:33.330 --> 00:02:35.820 with limited time and resources to invest 00:02:35.820 --> 00:02:37.980 in development outside the requirements 00:02:37.980 --> 00:02:39.960 of their role in projects. 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:41.820 This is why many smaller companies 00:02:41.820 --> 00:02:44.310 don't hire inexperienced PMs, 00:02:44.310 --> 00:02:45.960 because they know they can't invest 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:47.560 in developing and training them. 00:02:48.420 --> 00:02:52.117 Jiaona Zhang, former head of product at Airbnb shares, 00:02:52.117 --> 00:02:55.380 "Airbnb didn't hire new PMs for many years 00:02:55.380 --> 00:02:57.630 because they knew they couldn't train them. 00:02:57.630 --> 00:03:00.510 When I transferred non PMs into product roles, 00:03:00.510 --> 00:03:03.690 I spent significant time on mentoring and training. 00:03:03.690 --> 00:03:05.400 This made me realize how hard it is 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:10.260 for new PMs to join tech companies even as large as Airbnb." 00:03:10.260 --> 00:03:12.120 As a new PM, when you don't go through 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:14.730 a structured and comprehensive training program, 00:03:14.730 --> 00:03:17.850 it leads to three common challenges in your career. 00:03:17.850 --> 00:03:19.214 First, you only learn skills 00:03:19.214 --> 00:03:21.690 that are relevant to your projects. 00:03:21.690 --> 00:03:24.030 This is problematic because product management 00:03:24.030 --> 00:03:26.430 is inherently multi-dimensional. 00:03:26.430 --> 00:03:29.460 When your only source of learning is previous projects, 00:03:29.460 --> 00:03:31.230 you might find yourself only building 00:03:31.230 --> 00:03:33.540 one aspect of the PM skillset 00:03:33.540 --> 00:03:34.980 rather than the whole, 00:03:34.980 --> 00:03:36.870 so when you're put in a different situation, 00:03:36.870 --> 00:03:39.990 such as a different type of project at the same company, 00:03:39.990 --> 00:03:42.450 or trying to move to a different company, 00:03:42.450 --> 00:03:44.130 you might not know how to approach it 00:03:44.130 --> 00:03:46.560 because you've never done it before. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:49.080 This can lead to a low-confidence spiral, 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:51.750 because every time you learn how to do something, 00:03:51.750 --> 00:03:55.080 your next project requires you to start from scratch. 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:58.110 For instance, imagine you're a PM at Airbnb 00:03:58.110 --> 00:04:01.073 working on improving the property search algorithm. 00:04:01.073 --> 00:04:02.790 To execute the feature, 00:04:02.790 --> 00:04:06.030 you might have to do a list of quantitative analysis 00:04:06.030 --> 00:04:07.710 and work closely with an engineer 00:04:07.710 --> 00:04:09.690 to implement the algorithm. 00:04:09.690 --> 00:04:11.820 However, your next project might require you 00:04:11.820 --> 00:04:14.370 to redesign Airbnb's payment flow, 00:04:14.370 --> 00:04:16.440 which means working closely with designers 00:04:16.440 --> 00:04:19.680 to build prototypes and run usability testing. 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:22.050 Your prior experience with data analysis 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:24.540 won't help you execute on this project, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.600 so you might feel like you're starting from ground zero. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.220 The second challenge that arises 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:31.620 when new PMs don't get formal training 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:33.120 is that it takes longer to learn 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:34.920 the best practices and frameworks 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.650 underlying effective product management. 00:04:37.650 --> 00:04:40.410 Often your manager and teams are going to be busy 00:04:40.410 --> 00:04:42.270 and under tight timelines, 00:04:42.270 --> 00:04:45.330 so they'll often take a more direct approach, 00:04:45.330 --> 00:04:48.120 telling you what to do instead of teaching you. 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:50.310 The onus will be on you to pattern match 00:04:50.310 --> 00:04:52.140 over multiple iterations 00:04:52.140 --> 00:04:55.920 to learn product management best practices and frameworks. 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:58.140 Continuing with the Airbnb example, 00:04:58.140 --> 00:04:59.760 as you're trying to learn how to work 00:04:59.760 --> 00:05:01.830 with designers to build prototypes, 00:05:01.830 --> 00:05:04.140 you might approach your manager for help. 00:05:04.140 --> 00:05:05.820 If they're busy with other projects, 00:05:05.820 --> 00:05:07.590 they might provide pointed feedback 00:05:07.590 --> 00:05:10.440 on how to improve that specific prototype, 00:05:10.440 --> 00:05:12.390 but they might not have the time and bandwidth 00:05:12.390 --> 00:05:15.600 to teach you the best practices of prototyping. 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:18.330 You'll instead have to go through a few different projects 00:05:18.330 --> 00:05:19.740 with prototyping work 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:21.990 before you begin to realize the patterns 00:05:21.990 --> 00:05:24.543 of good design collaboration and prototypes. 00:05:25.650 --> 00:05:26.700 The third challenge 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:28.950 is that you can't always see the big picture 00:05:28.950 --> 00:05:30.960 when you're operating within. 00:05:30.960 --> 00:05:32.820 When you spend your first year as a PM 00:05:32.820 --> 00:05:35.430 trying to learn the fundamentals of your role, 00:05:35.430 --> 00:05:38.550 you don't always have the capacity to take a step back. 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:40.410 It's hard to see how your feature ladders 00:05:40.410 --> 00:05:42.780 up to organizational and team goals, 00:05:42.780 --> 00:05:46.020 or how it links to other teams' goals and projects. 00:05:46.020 --> 00:05:48.510 In this scenario, it becomes hard to identify 00:05:48.510 --> 00:05:50.970 and plan for possible dependencies 00:05:50.970 --> 00:05:53.883 or communicate and collaborate with the relevant teams. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:57.060 What these situations demonstrate is that, 00:05:57.060 --> 00:06:00.330 while it isn't impossible to become a great product manager 00:06:00.330 --> 00:06:02.520 without a structured training program, 00:06:02.520 --> 00:06:04.920 learning foundational product management skills 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:08.133 can be instrumental to accelerating your growth trajectory. 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:11.670 Our program partner is Anand Subramani, 00:06:11.670 --> 00:06:13.350 SVP of product at Path, 00:06:13.350 --> 00:06:16.740 and Jiaona Zhang, VP of product at Webflow, 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:18.810 recognize this need for a structured 00:06:18.810 --> 00:06:21.120 and comprehensive product manager training 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:22.770 that's accessible to all 00:06:22.770 --> 00:06:25.920 and have developed this program to fill that void. 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:29.340 Both Anand and JZ come with over 15 years of experience 00:06:29.340 --> 00:06:31.140 as product leaders and mentors, 00:06:31.140 --> 00:06:35.130 and multi-billion dollar companies like Zynga, Gusto, 00:06:35.130 --> 00:06:39.210 Dropbox, Pilot, Webflow, Airbnb, and WeWork. 00:06:39.210 --> 00:06:42.180 They've managed and trained countless new product managers 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:44.220 across these companies. 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:46.890 While product management is a multi-dimensional role 00:06:46.890 --> 00:06:49.530 that can look very different across organizations 00:06:49.530 --> 00:06:51.152 and even teams, 00:06:51.152 --> 00:06:54.420 Anand and JZ have focused this program on the four pillars 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:57.060 that are foundational to most new product managers 00:06:57.060 --> 00:06:59.280 across organizations. 00:06:59.280 --> 00:07:02.250 The first pillar is opportunity validation. 00:07:02.250 --> 00:07:03.930 The second is design. 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:05.940 The third is development, 00:07:05.940 --> 00:07:08.163 and the fourth is launch and iteration. 00:07:09.150 --> 00:07:10.710 As an early career PM, 00:07:10.710 --> 00:07:13.800 most of your projects will be centered on features. 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:14.910 So in this program, 00:07:14.910 --> 00:07:18.570 we'll take a feature-centric approach to this process. 00:07:18.570 --> 00:07:20.640 However, these pillars apply to everything 00:07:20.640 --> 00:07:24.540 from small feature updates to large product development. 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:26.100 That's why mastering them early on 00:07:26.100 --> 00:07:28.530 will accelerate your PM career growth. 00:07:28.530 --> 00:07:30.630 Let's walk through what each of these pillars means 00:07:30.630 --> 00:07:32.630 when we're working on building features. 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:37.050 First, feature opportunity validation. 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:40.380 Before feature specs are developed or any code is written, 00:07:40.380 --> 00:07:43.050 product managers need to decide what to build 00:07:43.050 --> 00:07:45.150 and validate whether it will create value 00:07:45.150 --> 00:07:47.520 for their users and their business. 00:07:47.520 --> 00:07:50.280 For instance, consider a PM at Figma, 00:07:50.280 --> 00:07:52.080 the design collaboration product 00:07:52.080 --> 00:07:56.100 who's responsible for building new collaboration features. 00:07:56.100 --> 00:07:58.680 It's the PM's job to identify an opportunity 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:00.300 to improve collaboration, 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:01.740 and they must do so in a way 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:04.620 that not only solves a meaningful user problem, 00:08:04.620 --> 00:08:06.840 but also creates value for the business 00:08:06.840 --> 00:08:09.450 and aligns with the company's strategy. 00:08:09.450 --> 00:08:13.080 So let's say the PM heard from the customer support team 00:08:13.080 --> 00:08:15.840 that some users wanted the ability to quickly react 00:08:15.840 --> 00:08:17.610 to comments in Figma. 00:08:17.610 --> 00:08:19.800 Rather than diving into build it, 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:21.840 the PM would validate this opportunity 00:08:21.840 --> 00:08:25.200 by conducting interviews with different types of Figma users 00:08:25.200 --> 00:08:27.720 and determining if it was a widespread problem 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.360 for the broader Figma user base. 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:32.160 They would also assess how this feature 00:08:32.160 --> 00:08:34.380 could drive business value. 00:08:34.380 --> 00:08:37.170 Let's say they find that the ability to react to a comment 00:08:37.170 --> 00:08:40.890 is likely to increase engagement on comments by 50%, 00:08:40.890 --> 00:08:44.400 and this ultimately increases retention for the business. 00:08:44.400 --> 00:08:47.160 Only then would the Figma team invest resources 00:08:47.160 --> 00:08:49.803 into designing and developing the reaction feature. 00:08:50.940 --> 00:08:53.430 The second pillar is feature design. 00:08:53.430 --> 00:08:56.610 Once opportunities have been identified and validated, 00:08:56.610 --> 00:08:59.640 PMs are responsible for helping turn these opportunities 00:08:59.640 --> 00:09:02.370 into designs and specifications. 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:05.490 This requires combining an understanding of user needs, 00:09:05.490 --> 00:09:08.100 business constraints, and design decisions 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:09.993 to develop a feature prototype. 00:09:10.830 --> 00:09:12.090 In the Figma example, 00:09:12.090 --> 00:09:14.460 the PM would partner with product designers 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.950 to lay out the functionality and user experience 00:09:16.950 --> 00:09:18.870 for the reaction feature. 00:09:18.870 --> 00:09:20.910 To do this, they would have to understand 00:09:20.910 --> 00:09:24.060 what types of reactions users want to provide; 00:09:24.060 --> 00:09:25.650 where they want to provide them, 00:09:25.650 --> 00:09:27.240 in product, through email, 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:29.010 or through environments like Slack; 00:09:29.010 --> 00:09:30.930 and how they want to be notified 00:09:30.930 --> 00:09:33.210 when they receive these reactions. 00:09:33.210 --> 00:09:34.770 Based on this understanding, 00:09:34.770 --> 00:09:37.740 as well as other development and design constraints, 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:40.440 they would prototype the reaction feature and test it. 00:09:41.640 --> 00:09:44.010 Third is feature development. 00:09:44.010 --> 00:09:45.600 Once feature specifications 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:47.520 and prototypes have been created, 00:09:47.520 --> 00:09:50.460 PMs are responsible for working with engineering teams 00:09:50.460 --> 00:09:52.590 to bring these designs to life. 00:09:52.590 --> 00:09:55.350 They need to build work plans and drive feature development 00:09:55.350 --> 00:09:57.960 through their team's operational cycles. 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:00.840 Additionally, they need to track and communicate progress 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:03.660 and challenges to cross-functional teams. 00:10:03.660 --> 00:10:06.390 In the Figma example, the PM would collaborate 00:10:06.390 --> 00:10:08.850 with their design and engineering counterparts 00:10:08.850 --> 00:10:10.470 to break down the reaction feature 00:10:10.470 --> 00:10:12.720 into milestones and tasks. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:14.730 They would track progress against the plan 00:10:14.730 --> 00:10:17.190 and share updates with leadership, their manager, 00:10:17.190 --> 00:10:20.193 and cross-functional teams that are involved in development. 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:24.240 Finally, there's feature launch and iteration. 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:26.850 One of the core responsibilities of a PM 00:10:26.850 --> 00:10:30.060 is owning the end-to-end success of new features. 00:10:30.060 --> 00:10:32.640 This means they need to ensure it's launched smoothly, 00:10:32.640 --> 00:10:33.930 performance is measured, 00:10:33.930 --> 00:10:36.720 and learnings and new opportunities are synthesized 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:39.420 and communicated to other teams. 00:10:39.420 --> 00:10:42.210 In the Figma example, the PM would have to ensure 00:10:42.210 --> 00:10:44.910 that the feature is marketed during and after launch 00:10:44.910 --> 00:10:47.100 through email and app notifications, 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:49.650 social media, and other channels. 00:10:49.650 --> 00:10:52.140 They would then evaluate how the feature is performing 00:10:52.140 --> 00:10:53.850 against its goals. 00:10:53.850 --> 00:10:56.430 Does it help users quickly react to comments? 00:10:56.430 --> 00:10:59.610 How much does it increase engagement on comments? 00:10:59.610 --> 00:11:01.230 Based on this performance, 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:03.780 they would have to decide what to do next. 00:11:03.780 --> 00:11:06.180 They might need to improve the user experience 00:11:06.180 --> 00:11:07.860 or add more reactions, 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:09.690 or they might decide to move on 00:11:09.690 --> 00:11:12.840 and work on a different collaboration feature. 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:16.170 The PM would then package these learnings and insights 00:11:16.170 --> 00:11:18.600 and present them to leadership product design 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:19.953 and engineering teams. 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:23.430 As we can see from this Figma example, 00:11:23.430 --> 00:11:25.110 most PM projects go through 00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:28.140 the product development pillars and sequence. 00:11:28.140 --> 00:11:32.010 PMs identify opportunities to develop a feature or product, 00:11:32.010 --> 00:11:33.870 then execute on these opportunities 00:11:33.870 --> 00:11:36.900 by designing, developing, and launching them. 00:11:36.900 --> 00:11:39.933 Ultimately, they evaluate their performance post-launch. 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:44.520 Since the product development pillars are often sequential, 00:11:44.520 --> 00:11:45.930 we sometimes refer to them 00:11:45.930 --> 00:11:48.840 as the stages of product development. 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:50.940 Understanding the product development pillars 00:11:50.940 --> 00:11:52.830 both separately and in sequence 00:11:52.830 --> 00:11:54.960 and mastering the tools and strategies 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:56.670 to execute these pillars 00:11:56.670 --> 00:11:58.530 will not only set you up for success 00:11:58.530 --> 00:12:00.990 in the first few years of your PM career, 00:12:00.990 --> 00:12:03.540 but also put you on a high growth trajectory 00:12:03.540 --> 00:12:05.190 as a product manager. 00:12:05.190 --> 00:12:07.590 There are four key reasons why. 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:09.540 First, you'll learn skills that are relevant 00:12:09.540 --> 00:12:11.040 throughout your career. 00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:13.590 These pillars are foundational to product development 00:12:13.590 --> 00:12:15.120 at every level. 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:19.020 As a junior PM, you'll likely be responsible for features. 00:12:19.020 --> 00:12:20.970 Most of your effort will be concentrated 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:22.950 in the third and fourth pillars: 00:12:22.950 --> 00:12:26.370 feature development and feature launch and iteration. 00:12:26.370 --> 00:12:28.320 But understanding all four pillars 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:29.490 and how they work together 00:12:29.490 --> 00:12:33.240 will make you more effective in your existing area of focus 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.910 and expand your scope of work over time. 00:12:35.910 --> 00:12:38.580 As you grow to a senior PM, the scope, size, 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:40.740 and complexity of these features will grow, 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:43.050 and you'll find yourself spending more time 00:12:43.050 --> 00:12:44.610 on the first two pillars: 00:12:44.610 --> 00:12:48.330 validating feature opportunities and designing features. 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:49.350 This ensures that you 00:12:49.350 --> 00:12:51.810 and your design and engineering counterparts 00:12:51.810 --> 00:12:55.200 are developing and launching the right set of features. 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:58.590 As you advance to group PM, you'll manage a product roadmap 00:12:58.590 --> 00:13:01.050 and a team of PMs who are building features 00:13:01.050 --> 00:13:03.900 using these four product development pillars. 00:13:03.900 --> 00:13:06.270 And as a product leader, you'll be responsible 00:13:06.270 --> 00:13:08.730 for the vision and strategy of your product, 00:13:08.730 --> 00:13:11.370 which then influences that product roadmap 00:13:11.370 --> 00:13:14.070 and the products and features that you build. 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:15.780 Learning these foundational pillars 00:13:15.780 --> 00:13:17.400 and taking this integrated view 00:13:17.400 --> 00:13:20.670 of product and feature development early in your career 00:13:20.670 --> 00:13:22.710 will enable you to make better decisions 00:13:22.710 --> 00:13:25.563 at the product, roadmap, and strategic levels. 00:13:26.490 --> 00:13:28.920 Second, you'll become an independent operator 00:13:28.920 --> 00:13:31.830 who can build features with limited supervision. 00:13:31.830 --> 00:13:34.260 When you work through the four product development pillars 00:13:34.260 --> 00:13:37.230 for a feature or product that you're responsible for, 00:13:37.230 --> 00:13:39.150 you're no longer dependent on your manager's 00:13:39.150 --> 00:13:42.030 and supervisor's inputs at each stage. 00:13:42.030 --> 00:13:44.190 Instead, you'll be able to sequence your work 00:13:44.190 --> 00:13:46.080 and decisions independently, 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.600 and you'll bring your own mental models and frameworks 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:51.510 to navigate difficult decisions and trade-offs. 00:13:51.510 --> 00:13:53.610 For instance, when you're breaking down a feature 00:13:53.610 --> 00:13:56.400 into development milestones and sprint cycles, 00:13:56.400 --> 00:13:58.650 you need to prioritize what functionality 00:13:58.650 --> 00:14:00.120 you want in the initial release 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:04.140 and which elements you can deprioritize for later releases. 00:14:04.140 --> 00:14:07.770 Most PMs ask their supervisors how to sequence their work. 00:14:07.770 --> 00:14:09.990 However, using the product development pillars 00:14:09.990 --> 00:14:12.540 will allow you to learn the most important inputs 00:14:12.540 --> 00:14:14.130 and trade-offs to consider 00:14:14.130 --> 00:14:15.840 as you prioritize milestones 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:17.490 and sequence feature development. 00:14:18.390 --> 00:14:21.450 Third, you'll begin to own feature outcomes. 00:14:21.450 --> 00:14:23.730 By mastering these product development pillars, 00:14:23.730 --> 00:14:25.500 you won't just execute on the vision 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:27.390 and plan of your supervisors, 00:14:27.390 --> 00:14:30.570 but begin to own features end-to-end. 00:14:30.570 --> 00:14:32.250 When you master the first pillar, 00:14:32.250 --> 00:14:33.930 you'll be able to participate in 00:14:33.930 --> 00:14:36.120 and eventually lead the scoping 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:38.760 and prioritization of feature work. 00:14:38.760 --> 00:14:40.440 You'll have a clear point of view 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:42.120 on whether you should build a feature 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:45.150 and what success for the feature will look like. 00:14:45.150 --> 00:14:47.340 Mastering pillars two and three means 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:48.690 that you won't just participate 00:14:48.690 --> 00:14:51.330 in the design and development of the feature. 00:14:51.330 --> 00:14:53.070 You'll actually guide the process 00:14:53.070 --> 00:14:56.970 with your unique understanding of the customer and business. 00:14:56.970 --> 00:14:59.130 By mastering pillar four, you'll learn 00:14:59.130 --> 00:15:02.010 how to evaluate feature performance against goals 00:15:02.010 --> 00:15:04.410 and proactively identify opportunities 00:15:04.410 --> 00:15:06.303 to improve feature outcomes. 00:15:07.770 --> 00:15:09.300 Fourth, you'll learn when and how 00:15:09.300 --> 00:15:12.600 to communicate and collaborate with leadership and peers. 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:15.210 In this program, we'll teach you how to proactively work 00:15:15.210 --> 00:15:17.790 with leadership, engineering, product design 00:15:17.790 --> 00:15:19.320 and other teams, 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:22.110 getting inputs, aligning on goals and progress, 00:15:22.110 --> 00:15:25.500 and communicating challenges and wins at the right time, 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:27.780 will enable you to gain visibility and trust 00:15:27.780 --> 00:15:30.330 from your org's leadership and other teams. 00:15:30.330 --> 00:15:31.770 That's going to differentiate you 00:15:31.770 --> 00:15:34.500 as a high-performing product manager. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:37.687 Helen Smith, VP of product at Reforge says, 00:15:37.687 --> 00:15:38.520 "The biggest way 00:15:38.520 --> 00:15:41.190 that high-growth PMs differentiate themselves 00:15:41.190 --> 00:15:44.310 is by how they react when things don't go well. 00:15:44.310 --> 00:15:46.410 High-growth PMs communicate and learn 00:15:46.410 --> 00:15:50.340 from every problem or failure that their projects encounter. 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:51.300 These four things, 00:15:51.300 --> 00:15:52.710 mastering the foundations, 00:15:52.710 --> 00:15:54.870 becoming an independent operator, 00:15:54.870 --> 00:15:57.810 owning outcomes and collaborating expertly, 00:15:57.810 --> 00:16:01.692 will set you on an accelerated trajectory in your PM career. 00:16:01.692 --> 00:16:04.650 Anand and JZ can attest that new product managers 00:16:04.650 --> 00:16:06.960 who show mastery of these four pillars 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:09.450 rise quickly up in the PM ranks. 00:16:09.450 --> 00:16:10.650 In the next four modules, 00:16:10.650 --> 00:16:14.010 we'll work through the four product development pillars 00:16:14.010 --> 00:16:17.010 For each pillar, we'll introduce tools and strategies 00:16:17.010 --> 00:16:18.870 to help you communicate with leadership, 00:16:18.870 --> 00:16:21.210 your product design and engineering teams, 00:16:21.210 --> 00:16:23.313 and cross-functional stakeholders. 00:16:24.420 --> 00:16:27.240 In module one, we'll focus on the first pillar, 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:29.790 identifying and validating feature opportunities 00:16:29.790 --> 00:16:31.590 that create value. 00:16:31.590 --> 00:16:33.180 We'll discuss the three components 00:16:33.180 --> 00:16:35.040 of a great product opportunity: 00:16:35.040 --> 00:16:37.980 strategic fit, user value, and business value, 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:41.730 and walk through a four-step process to validate them. 00:16:41.730 --> 00:16:44.520 In module two, we'll focus on the second pillar, 00:16:44.520 --> 00:16:46.050 design features. 00:16:46.050 --> 00:16:48.540 We'll talk about how to do efficient brainstorming 00:16:48.540 --> 00:16:50.160 with design counterparts, 00:16:50.160 --> 00:16:51.960 how to leverage prototype testing 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.240 to arrive at a high fidelity design, 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:55.770 and how to gain approval 00:16:55.770 --> 00:16:59.940 and update your product requirements document, or PRD. 00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:02.640 In module three, we'll discuss the third pillar, 00:17:02.640 --> 00:17:04.770 developing product features. 00:17:04.770 --> 00:17:07.260 We'll discuss the body of work that must be completed 00:17:07.260 --> 00:17:10.830 to transform a designed feature into a built feature. 00:17:10.830 --> 00:17:12.690 We'll give you a playbook for development 00:17:12.690 --> 00:17:15.270 that includes mapping your cross-functional team, 00:17:15.270 --> 00:17:18.090 preparing for development, managing execution, 00:17:18.090 --> 00:17:19.860 and managing risk. 00:17:19.860 --> 00:17:21.270 And in module four, 00:17:21.270 --> 00:17:23.760 we'll cover the fourth product development pillar: 00:17:23.760 --> 00:17:26.130 feature launch and iteration. 00:17:26.130 --> 00:17:28.950 We'll teach you how to effectively coordinate a launch, 00:17:28.950 --> 00:17:30.210 evaluate performance, 00:17:30.210 --> 00:17:33.273 and communicate the feature's impact with stakeholders. 00:17:34.410 --> 00:17:36.180 In each module, we'll introduce 00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:38.430 a set of templates and exercises 00:17:38.430 --> 00:17:41.220 to help you apply your learnings to your work. 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:44.280 By the end of this program, you'll be able to recognize 00:17:44.280 --> 00:17:47.610 and deeply understand these four product development pillars 00:17:47.610 --> 00:17:50.310 and use them to accelerate your PM career. 00:17:50.310 --> 00:17:51.453 Let's get started.