Product ROI, the return on investment calculation for work done in software engineering, is the subject of many coffee conversations I’ve had. One former CTO called it the “holy grail” of product / engineering management. Rich Mironov’s recent article on the allure of Product ROI highlights its lure and its pitfalls. Inspired by this, though,...
Author: Bennett
Product Manager Superpowers
When I’ve taken product leadership positions, one of the first expectations of the team is to align on a product ladder — what are the differences in responsibilities between the different roles. Especially, as promotions are considered, a product leader (me) has to be clear on the expectations of the roles and levels. So, I...
How to Write Emails: Assume no one reads past the first line
When you write emails, everything of importance should be in the first line. If there is a call to action that you need people to complete, that should be in the first or second sentence. The rest of the email should be able to be skimmed so that people can find what is of importance...
Creating Service-Based Software: Or Don’t
Note: This article was originally posted on Medium — March 13, 2024. I’ve built software products for two kinds of companies: The first is a standard software company, a product company. This is straightforward: You create software and someone uses it, and they pay you to use it. The second kind of company is a...
Product Management as a System
Note: This post originally published on Medium, November 10, 2020. I love a good retrospective meeting — when the team writes down what’s working, what could be improved. We scribble on sticky notes and place them firmly on a white board. (Admittedly, it’s hard to get the same satisfaction of placing a virtual sticky note,...
6 Principles for Product Roadmapping, Portfolio Allocation, and Financial Planning
Note: This article was originally published on Medium — October 16, 2020. When I was starting out in textbook publishing, we did financial simulation models for each new textbook. Each new book got its financial simulation alongside a templated marketing brief that was circulated around in a red folder so that everyone would sign it. The...