The art of product management | Shreyas Doshi (Stripe, Twitter, Google, Yahoo)
Lenny's Podcast・2 minutes read
Shreyas Doshi shares insights on product management, emphasizing the importance of internal optics for creating energy and opportunities, while also discussing key topics like pre-mortems and execution problems. He highlights valuable takeaways from his experiences at major tech companies, endorsing tools like Coda and Productboard for productivity and effective product building.
Insights
- Pre-mortems are a proactive approach to foreseeing project challenges by imagining failure scenarios and identifying potential threats early, fostering a culture of proactive problem-solving and accountability.
- Understanding and prioritizing high-impact tasks over neutral or low-impact ones, as guided by the LNO framework, can maximize productivity and ensure individuals focus on tasks with the most significant impact.
- Optics, focusing on internal awareness and feedback within a team, is crucial for generating energy and opportunities for better execution, although organizations must balance this with actual impact to avoid prioritizing optics activities excessively.
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Recent questions
What is the importance of pre-mortems in project management?
Pre-mortems in project management involve imagining project failure in advance to identify potential causes of failure. This proactive approach fosters a culture of problem-solving, encourages team members to voice concerns, and creates a shared vocabulary to discuss threats. By holding separate meetings for different project functions, every team member can contribute, and voting on the most concerning threat aids in prioritizing mitigation efforts. Post pre-mortem, an action plan is created to address identified threats, enhancing accountability and progress. Pre-mortems have proven to prevent issues that could lead to project failure, ultimately saving time and resources.
How can individuals prioritize high-impact tasks effectively?
Individuals can prioritize high-impact tasks effectively by utilizing the LNO framework, which categorizes tasks as leverage (high impact), neutral (equal return), and overhead (low impact). Focusing on leverage tasks allows individuals to maximize impact with their time, reducing time spent on neutral and overhead tasks. By identifying high leverage tasks that are known but avoided due to their impact and complexity, individuals can address procrastination and tackle these tasks effectively. Understanding the different levels of product work - impact, execution, and optics - can also guide individuals in prioritizing tasks based on their impact and complexity.
What are the common causes of misalignment between teams in organizations?
Misalignment between teams in organizations can stem from various factors, including strategy problems, culture issues, and interpersonal conflicts. Strategy problems such as unclear priorities or lack of alignment can lead to miscommunication and misalignment between teams. Culture issues, where individual goals are prioritized over collaboration, can hinder alignment and execution. Additionally, interpersonal conflicts between team managers can also cause misalignment and execution problems. Recognizing and addressing these underlying issues is crucial for promoting better understanding and collaboration within organizations.
How can individuals shift their mindset from ROI to opportunity cost in task prioritization?
Individuals can shift their mindset from ROI to opportunity cost in task prioritization by calculating the value of the optimal option minus the value of the chosen option. This shift helps in picking optimal tasks rather than just good ones, focusing on minimizing opportunity cost. Providing teams with the freedom to explore tasks that minimize opportunity cost and setting rough allocation percentages for different types of activities can guide teams in planning effectively. By understanding the concept of opportunity cost and its impact on task prioritization, individuals can make more informed decisions and maximize the value of their time.
What is the significance of internal optics in creating energy and awareness within a team?
Internal optics play a crucial role in creating energy and awareness within a team by focusing on internal feedback and awareness. This internal focus is essential for generating opportunities for better execution and impact. While optics can become the primary goal in some organizations, leading to a culture where optics activities are overly valued, striking a balance between internal and external optics is key. Early-stage teams should prioritize execution over immediate impact, focusing on core insights and converting them into products. By understanding the importance of internal optics, teams can enhance collaboration, communication, and overall productivity.
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