Diagnosis Product Management

Welcome, Context & Housekeeping

Rina Alexin | 00:00:00–00:02:00
Hi everyone, welcome and good morning. My name is Rina Alexin, and I’m the CEO of Productside. I’m joined today by Roger Snyder, our VP of Marketing and IT, and we’re bringing you this broadcast from home today.

Rina Alexin | 00:02:00–00:03:00
I’m really excited to be bringing you this webinar. Obviously, it goes without saying that these are quite unprecedented times, and so we’re really trying to do what we can for the product management community.

Rina Alexin | 00:03:00–00:04:00
First things first: please stay positive. Take care of yourself, your family, your loved ones, and your community. Use this time to help others. Find out what you can do for others in your community who may be affected by this unprecedented time.

Rina Alexin | 00:04:00–00:05:00
At Productside, one of the things we’re thinking about is how to support product managers when things don’t go as planned. We’re working right now to put together a webcast addressing some of these challenges that product managers may feel when things go sideways. Stay tuned for more information on that webcast.

Rina Alexin | 00:05:00–00:06:00
If you haven’t yet subscribed to any of our free resources or our newsletter, that’s where we’ll be announcing it, so stay tuned.

Rina Alexin | 00:06:00–00:07:00
Now more than ever, we encourage our community to stay close. Share stories, share challenges. This is a great time to join our LinkedIn group. We also have a Facebook group, and there are plenty of other product management communities out there on the web. I’ll be posting a link to join our LinkedIn group. Stay in touch with your community and don’t be afraid to share stories. People are out there and they’re willing to help.

Rina Alexin | 00:07:00–00:08:00
Now I’m going to go over a couple of housekeeping items and then tell you a little bit more about Productside, and then Roger is going to be taking you through our leadership series content today.

About Productside & the Leadership Series

Rina Alexin | 00:08:00–00:09:30
First I’d like to address our most popular question of the day: “Will I get the slides and a recording of this webinar after it’s over?” The answer is yes. We are recording this webinar, and you will get the slides after it’s concluded.

Rina Alexin | 00:09:30–00:10:30
We’ll be leaving time for questions and answers as usual, so if you have any questions throughout, we encourage you to type them into the chat or questions box on the right, and we’ll get to them at the end of the webcast.

Rina Alexin | 00:10:30–00:11:30
At Productside, our mission is to help companies and individuals do great product management and product marketing. That’s all we do, day in and day out. We do that using our Optimal Product Process framework.

Rina Alexin | 00:11:30–00:12:30
Here is a quick view of what our process framework looks like. It goes throughout the entire product lifecycle, from conceiving an idea all the way to retiring a product.

Rina Alexin | 00:12:30–00:13:30
One of the things I’d like to point out is that we have a lot of online learning options for you and your team. We know that learning and development in these moments really encourage team-building and a sense of community. If you can’t take one of our courses right now, we encourage you to build team morale by making a plan for learning and development—attending webinars like this, reading a book together to upskill, and of course using the resources at Productside, including our online courses.

Rina Alexin | 00:13:30–00:14:30
For our webinar attendees today, we’re offering a coupon code that will give you a discount on any of our online trainings. We really want to make them accessible, especially at this time. That coupon code is for $200 off.

Rina Alexin | 00:14:30–00:15:30
A few of you have joined us before in this Product Management Leadership webinar series. This series came out of interviews we did with a lot of product management leaders. We wanted to address topics that really mattered to them. Being product managers ourselves, we conducted surveys and identified key themes.

Rina Alexin | 00:15:30–00:16:30
This particular webcast is on the theme of how to transform my team. The tool and concepts you’ll see today came out of a need leaders expressed: a way to assess their teams and organizations and know whether or not they’re doing well. Today’s webcast is going to help you assess your team and reach peak performance.

Rina Alexin | 00:16:30–00:17:30
Today’s audience breakdown: we have about half in product manager titles, a good quarter who are director or VP-level leaders, and about another quarter of folks in “other” titles—so people who work closely with product or are interested in product management.

Rina Alexin | 00:17:30–00:18:30
That’s a little bit about us. Now I’m going to turn it over to Roger, our VP of Marketing and Principal Consultant and Trainer.

Rina Alexin | 00:18:30–00:19:30
Roger has over 25 years of experience in high tech and product management. Before joining Productside, he led teams for over 15 years and served as a senior director and VP of Product Management at multiple firms, including Openwave, Immersion, and Microsoft. He’s worked with companies in consumer products, technology, SaaS, health insurance, and professional services, helping them improve product strategy, development, and full product lifecycle processes.

Rina Alexin | 00:19:30–00:20:00
He’s a certified product manager, an agile certified product manager and product owner, with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Santa Clara University. Roger, take it away.

Why Diagnose Product Management Team Health?

Roger Snyder | 00:20:00–00:21:30
Thank you so much, Rina. Today we’re going to address how you diagnose the quality of your Product Management team, and how to take that team toward peak performance.

Roger Snyder | 00:21:30–00:22:30
We’re going to look at this from four different angles, but before we dive into those, we’ll talk about the general sense of how mature your Product Management or Product Marketing team is.

Roger Snyder | 00:22:30–00:23:30
You may have seen this chart before. We talk about it often. Over the course of 20+ years in business, we’ve seen a relationship between how well your team is organized and how well you can deliver customer satisfaction and profits. Companies tend to fall into three major categories: Ad Hoc, Partially Defined, and Optimized.

Roger Snyder | 00:23:30–00:24:30
In the Ad Hoc space, there’s no consistency in how Product Management is done. There are no repeatable processes. People don’t know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing or not doing, and they lack tools to help them work efficiently. The result is that teams are constantly reacting to the news instead of making it.

Roger Snyder | 00:24:30–00:25:30
In a Partially Defined organization, you’ve got some things going for you—some processes, maybe clearer roles—and you are making traction with your products. You’re seeing improved customer satisfaction, improved profitability, but things are still not completely clicking.

Roger Snyder | 00:25:30–00:26:30
When you reach the Optimized level, that’s when things really hum. Everybody understands their roles, you have consistent processes, consistent decision-making, and you’re enabling your Product Management team to become true strategic leaders.

Roger Snyder | 00:26:30–00:27:30
Our goal is always to move up and to the right. When we work with clients, many will honestly self-diagnose as Ad Hoc. I think more companies are in the Ad Hoc stage than they realize. The good news is: you can move.

Benefits of Optimization & the Four Diagnostic Lenses

Roger Snyder | 00:27:30–00:28:30
Rina and our team have done research on why optimizing your product organization matters. Looking back at companies we’ve helped, the results are impressive.

Roger Snyder | 00:28:30–00:29:30
There’s faster decision-making. You’re able to drive valuable outcomes—not just “build more features,” but actually solve important customer problems and drive business impact. You build a team that people want to be part of, which makes it easier to attract and retain talent.

Roger Snyder | 00:29:30–00:30:30
An optimized organization can keep learning from release to release, improving how it operates and fueling growth.

Roger Snyder | 00:30:30–00:31:30
So how do we diagnose where you are and what to improve? We use four lenses:

• Roles & Responsibilities – what does your team actually do?
• Alignment – of strategy, priorities, and stakeholders
• Measuring & Ensuring Product Success
• Process & Tools – how you work day to day

Roger Snyder | 00:31:30–00:32:00
We also created an Organizational Health Checklist—20 questions across these four categories—that you’ll receive after the webinar. It’s a practical self-assessment tool.

Roles & Responsibilities: “What Does Your Team Do?”

Roger Snyder | 00:32:00–00:33:00
Let’s start with roles and responsibilities: what does your team actually do? Do you have clearly defined roles and responsibilities for Product Management or Product Marketing—and for all the other players on your product teams?

Roger Snyder | 00:33:00–00:34:00
We like to use a simple framework that lays out, across a product team, who owns what. You can use it to define scope and responsibilities across Product Management, Product Marketing, Development, UX, Sales, and so on.

Roger Snyder | 00:34:00–00:35:00
This doesn’t have to be a long job description document. Think of it more like a slide: what’s my responsibility, what are my key deliverables to the rest of the team, and what’s my core area of expertise?

Roger Snyder | 00:35:00–00:36:00
Having this defined helps everyone understand where their job starts and ends. Without it, people trip over each other. You don’t know whether you’re supposed to pick up a task or if somebody else owns it. And as product managers, we love solving problems, so we often jump in and do things that actually belong to other roles.

Roger Snyder | 00:36:00–00:37:00
A key lesson is learning when to say “no.” If something is really a dev-architecture decision, or a support issue, or a marketing program, Product Management can support—but doesn’t always have to own it.

Roger Snyder | 00:37:00–00:38:00
And don’t do this role-definition in a vacuum. Work with your team to define it together. That creates alignment and buy-in, instead of feeling like roles were imposed from above.

Elevating Product Management & Career Paths

Roger Snyder | 00:38:00–00:39:00
The second question is: as a leader, have you made sure the Product Management role itself is valued and respected in your organization?

Roger Snyder | 00:39:00–00:40:00
I’ve joined companies where people didn’t even know what Product Management does. At one company, I had a skip-level with the CEO after being there five or six months. After some small talk he said, “You know, Roger, I really don’t know what you do.” Not a great place to be.

Roger Snyder | 00:40:00–00:41:00
You have to make it clear to leadership: Product Management is here to figure out what products to build, to deeply understand customer needs and the competitive landscape, and to drive the roadmap so it delivers business value.

Roger Snyder | 00:41:00–00:42:00
That requires constant communication. You can’t just say it once. At the same time, you need to respect the boundaries of other functions. Dev owns architecture, Sales owns relationships and deals, Marketing owns programs. Product Management is the orchestrator—not the owner of everything.

Roger Snyder | 00:42:00–00:43:00
You also need a clear career path for product managers. A lot of people want to move into Product Management, and once they’re in, they want to know: how can I grow?

Roger Snyder | 00:43:00–00:44:00
There are many paths: progressing from junior PM to senior PM to group PM; moving into Product Leadership; or using Product Management as a springboard to GM roles or other executive positions.

Roger Snyder | 00:44:00–00:45:00
We have a career plan template we use that helps PMs map out where they are, where they want to go, and what skills and experiences they need to build. My approach as a leader is: the PM owns their career. I’m the coach, but they drive it.

Roger Snyder | 00:45:00–00:46:00
If you’re an individual PM, you own this. Don’t wait for your manager. And if you’re a leader, give your PMs time and support to build their career plans and then help them act on those plans.

Alignment: Strategy, Objectives & Customers

Roger Snyder | 00:46:00–00:47:00
Let’s move into the second diagnostic lens: alignment. We’ll look at alignment from three angles:

• Alignment with corporate and business strategy
• Alignment in how decisions get made
• Alignment with customers and their needs

Roger Snyder | 00:47:00–00:48:00
First, think of a chain: corporate strategy → market strategy → product strategy. Business strategies—like “grow revenue,” “enter new markets,” or “move upmarket”—are usually inherited by Product Management.

Roger Snyder | 00:48:00–00:49:00
Marketing and Product together shape the market strategy: which segments we target, how we position, how we price. Product Management then translates that into product strategy: what to build, for whom, and why.

Roger Snyder | 00:49:00–00:50:00
If these are out of sync, you end up in trouble. For example, you might have a product gaining market share but not contributing to the corporate profit goals. Or you chase a shiny new feature that doesn’t support the strategy.

Roger Snyder | 00:50:00–00:51:00
That’s why you need agreed-upon objectives. “These are the three things this product must achieve to support the business strategy.” Those objectives become your North Star and make it easier to say no to distractions.

Roger Snyder | 00:51:00–00:52:00
Second, alignment in decisions. Who is involved when? We like decision frameworks like DACI or RACI to clarify who is the Driver, who Approves, who Contributes, and who is Informed.

Roger Snyder | 00:52:00–00:53:00
You can also use your product process with gate reviews: at each gate—Conceive, Plan, Develop, Qualify, Launch—you make a specific set of decisions. That keeps you from revisiting everything at every step and accelerates decision-making.

Roger Snyder | 00:53:00–00:54:00
Finally, alignment with customers. You can’t diagnose product health without deeply understanding customers. You need to know your market segments, your personas, your buyer and user roles, and map out their journeys—from discovering your product to evaluating, buying, onboarding, using, and renewing.

Roger Snyder | 00:54:00–00:55:00
Journey maps help you identify where customers struggle, where they drop off, and where you can delight them. Those problem scenarios become the raw material for real product value.

Roger Snyder | 00:55:00–00:56:00
A crucial point—especially right now, when markets are changing rapidly—is not to rely on old assumptions. If your world has changed in the last few weeks or months, dust off your previous research, talk to customers again, and validate whether their needs and constraints have changed.

Measuring & Ensuring Product Success

Roger Snyder | 00:56:00–00:57:00
Now let’s talk about the third lens: measuring and ensuring product success. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

Roger Snyder | 00:57:00–00:58:00
Typical success metrics include sales, profitability, engagement or usage, adoption, retention, customer satisfaction, and sometimes operational metrics like support tickets, returns, or refunds.

Roger Snyder | 00:58:00–00:59:00
The key is to define success metrics early—ideally at the start of a release or product initiative. That way, you can instrument your product or your business processes to capture the data you need.

Roger Snyder | 00:59:00–01:00:00
If you have digital products, you can capture in-product analytics: feature usage, activation, cohorts, funnels, and so on. If you have more physical products, you look at purchases, registrations, support contacts, and qualitative feedback.

Roger Snyder | 01:00:00–01:01:00
Then you need to establish a rhythm. I recommend a regular cadence—weekly, biweekly, or monthly—where you and your team review the metrics, look for patterns, and decide what actions to take.

Roger Snyder | 01:01:00–01:02:00
This isn’t just about staring at dashboards. It’s about asking questions: Why did usage drop here? Why is a particular region doing better? What can we learn from success in one segment and replicate elsewhere?

Roger Snyder | 01:02:00–01:03:00
It’s also important to set stakes in the ground: “We’re aiming to increase activation by 10%” or “We want to reduce churn by 2 points.” That can feel risky if your culture punishes missed goals, which is why psychological safety matters.

Roger Snyder | 01:03:00–01:04:00
From a leadership standpoint, make it safe for PMs to commit, learn, and adjust. If you miss a goal, the question should be: What did we learn, what did we mis-assume, and how do we adapt?

Roger Snyder | 01:04:00–01:05:00
And don’t forget your internal experts. Your support team hears customer pain every day. Sales hears objections and competitive comparisons. Combine quantitative data with these qualitative insights to get a fuller picture of product success.

Process, Tools & Portfolio View

Roger Snyder | 01:05:00–01:06:00
Our final lens is process and tools: are you properly equipped for success?

Roger Snyder | 01:06:00–01:07:00
First, does your process support real customer research? Many organizations pay lip service to “listening to customers” but don’t allocate time or budget for PMs to actually do it.

Roger Snyder | 01:07:00–01:08:00
As a leader, you need to carve out that time and budget. That might include surveys, interviews, ride-alongs, usability tests, or working with a customer insights team. If you’re not going to pay attention to the data, though, don’t waste everyone’s time by pretending.

Roger Snyder | 01:08:00–01:09:00
Second, do you have a product process that’s actually used consistently? A good process helps you:

• Develop strategy and streamline execution
• Analyze and make clear decisions at each gate
• Encourage learning and continuous improvement
• Ensure you consider both product and go-to-market activities

Roger Snyder | 01:09:00–01:10:00
At Productside, our Optimal Product Process is one example. But whatever process you use, the key is consistency, clear entry/exit criteria at each phase, and a shared understanding across teams.

Roger Snyder | 01:10:00–01:11:00
Third, as a leader, look at your product portfolio. Not just individual products, but the mix. Do you have products at different stages of the lifecycle—some in growth, some in maturity, some in early experimentation?

Roger Snyder | 01:11:00–01:12:00
You can use portfolio tools like lifecycle diagrams and the BCG matrix (Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks, Dogs) to see whether you have enough “cash cows” generating profit to fund new experiments, and whether your “question marks” have a path to become stars.

Roger Snyder | 01:12:00–01:13:00
Tools matter too. Over the last several years, the ecosystem for Product Management tools has exploded. Tools like Productboard, ProductPlan, Aha!, and others help you organize customer feedback, prioritize, and communicate roadmaps.

Roger Snyder | 01:13:00–01:14:00
We also have our Product Lifecycle Toolkit—a set of templates that help you ask the right questions at each phase of the lifecycle.

Roger Snyder | 01:14:00–01:15:00
Finally, do you have a discipline for retiring products? This is something many companies struggle with. They keep old SKUs around, support them forever, and end up with a lot of complexity for little revenue.

Roger Snyder | 01:15:00–01:16:00
Learning to plan end-of-life, communicate it to customers, and consolidate your portfolio is a key part of reaching peak performance.

Practical Tips, Q&A Themes & Next Steps

Roger Snyder | 01:16:00–01:17:00
So what do you do with all of this?

Roger Snyder | 01:17:00–01:18:00
First, take an honest look at your team’s maturity. Use the Organizational Health Checklist we’ll send you. Identify where you’re Ad Hoc, where you’re Partially Defined, and where you’re closer to Optimized.

Roger Snyder | 01:18:00–01:19:00
Second, pick one area to improve. Maybe it’s clarifying roles. Maybe it’s aligning product goals with corporate goals. Maybe it’s establishing success metrics and a review rhythm. Maybe it’s building customer research into your process.

Roger Snyder | 01:19:00–01:20:00
Define the benefit of improving that area. Get buy-in from stakeholders. Then make a small, concrete change—update your role chart, start a monthly metrics review, schedule five customer interviews—and follow through.

Roger Snyder | 01:20:00–01:21:00
Third, treat this as iterative: lather, rinse, repeat. Once you’ve improved one area, pick the next. Over time, you’ll move your team into that Optimized zone.

Roger Snyder | 01:21:00–01:22:00
We also had a number of great questions from attendees around topics like:

• How junior PMs can get leadership attention when they see misalignment
• How to prioritize which issues to tackle first
• How often to review product metrics in practice
• How to maintain alignment when market conditions change quickly

Roger Snyder | 01:22:00–01:23:00
My short answer to all of those is: bring data, ask good questions, start small, and keep learning. Product leadership is a journey, not a destination.

Roger Snyder | 01:23:00–01:24:00
We’ll be sending you the Organizational Health Checklist as a follow-up, along with the slides and recording. That checklist has 20 questions mapped to the four categories we covered today and will help you pinpoint where to focus.

Roger Snyder | 01:24:00–01:25:00
I always like to end by asking: what’s one thing you will do differently based on this webinar? Maybe it’s clarifying roles with your dev lead. Maybe it’s starting a monthly product metrics review. Maybe it’s scheduling three customer calls this week.

Roger Snyder | 01:25:00–01:26:00
Don’t wait. Pick something and start. Even a small change can make a big difference over time.

Roger Snyder | 01:26:00–01:27:00
Thank you so much for joining us today. On behalf of Rina, myself, and Productside, we appreciate the work you do as product professionals. Go forth and build products that matter.