Productside Webinar

The Art of Product Management

Optimizing Your Precious Time

Date:

11/20/2024

Time EST:

1:00 pm
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Product management is about making the right decisions – in the right way. 

Balancing time, strategy, and efficiency while managing multiple products is no small feat. That’s why this actionable, insight-packed webinar is here to help you excel in your role. 

Join us to discover proven strategies and tools that will empower you to: 

Optimize time and productivity: 

  • Learn how to prioritize tasks for maximum impact. 
  • Implement time-blocking techniques to focus on strategic initiatives. 

Master prioritization and stakeholder management: 

  • Conduct data-driven, brief meetings. 
  • Manage stakeholders effectively by understanding their needs and influence. 

Confidently delegate and manage multiple products: 

  • Ensure seamless product lifecycle execution across various lines. 

This session will teach you how to balance strategic planning with tactical execution while leveraging AI to streamline repetitive tasks. 

If you’re struggling to manage multiple product lines or reduce unproductive meetings (remote or in-office), this webinar will provide a clear roadmap to success. 

Welcome and Introductions

Rina Alexin | 00:00–03:00
Hi everyone, welcome! We’re so glad you could join us for today’s session, “The Art of Product Management: Optimizing Your Precious Time.” I’m Rina Alexin, CEO of Productside, joining you from Miami, Florida. I’m joined by our expert speaker, Roger Snyder, a Principal Consultant and Trainer at Productside. Roger, it’s great to have you here.

Roger Snyder | 03:01–04:30
Thanks, Rina! Hi everyone — I’m Roger Snyder, based in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. I’ve been in product management for over 20 years, across hardware, software, and service industries. I’ve spent the past eight years helping organizations build product excellence at Productside. Today we’re diving into how to make the most of your time as a product manager.

About Productside

Rina Alexin | 04:31–06:00
At Productside, our mission is to transform teams and organizations through training and consulting. We help you connect product, business, and customer outcomes. If you’re new to us, you might remember our former name — 280 Group — but we’ve evolved to become a true outcome-driven partner.

Poll #1 – Product Management Experience

Roger Snyder | 06:01–08:00
Let’s start with a quick poll: How many years of experience do you have as a product manager? The results show that over 70% of attendees have five years or less of experience, which is great — this session is full of practical tips you can apply right away.

Becoming Expert in Your Work

Roger Snyder | 08:01–15:00
Product management is a craft. It follows a lifecycle — from concept, to discovery, to definition, to delivery, and iteration. We use the Productside Blueprint to guide this journey. Think deeply about your problem space before defining solutions. Understand feasibility and viability — do you have the resources and return potential? Follow a consistent process to stay strategic and intentional.

Rina Alexin | 15:01–16:30
Exactly. For many new PMs, the challenge is reacting to requests instead of managing priorities. Following a structure like the Productside lifecycle helps you stay proactive, aligned, and in control of your time.

Managing Your Precious Time

Roger Snyder | 16:31–23:30
Let’s talk time management. Plan your week and your day — use digital tools like Trello, Asana, or even a notebook. Break big projects into small steps. Use the “Eat the Frog” method: tackle your most important task first. Block time on your calendar for focused work, and don’t fill your calendar with other people’s meetings. Defend your calendar — it’s your tool for success.

Rina Alexin | 23:31–25:30
Yes, and learn your own rhythm. Some people are most productive in the morning, others later in the day. Reduce context switching — it drains focus. And don’t forget to recharge between meetings — a quick walk or a stretch can do wonders.

Using AI to Save Time

Roger Snyder | 25:31–31:00
AI can be a fantastic time-saver. Tools like ChatGPT can help brainstorm ideas, draft user stories, or prepare market research outlines. Remember — garbage in, garbage out. Give it context: “I’m a product manager working on X.” Treat it as an assistant, not as truth. Be transparent about when you use AI, and follow your organization’s policies.

Rina Alexin | 31:01–32:00
And if you want to learn more, check out our AI webinar series and Dean Peters’ GitHub prompts — they’ll show you how to coach AI to “think like a product manager.”

Leading and Managing Teams

Roger Snyder | 32:01–39:00
Product management is a team sport. You can’t succeed alone. Create monthly updates for stakeholders to maintain alignment. Use tools like Confluence or SharePoint to build a central knowledge hub. Keep everyone informed with short, frequent updates. Transparency builds trust and reduces miscommunication.

Rina Alexin | 39:01–40:30
Exactly. Consistent communication also prevents product management from becoming a “black box.” The more visible you are, the more confidence your stakeholders will have in your process.

Running Effective Meetings

Roger Snyder | 40:31–46:30
Meetings are often the biggest time drain. Make yours efficient: know the purpose — is it informational, working, or decision-making? Prepare an agenda, track action items, and always end on time. Encourage participation from introverts, keep meetings psychologically safe, and include 5 minutes for personal connection — a quick “how’s your day” goes a long way.

Rina Alexin | 46:31–48:30
We even surveyed LinkedIn — two-thirds of respondents said unproductive meetings waste the most time. Tips that stood out: say no when you can, timebox discussions, and prepare before the meeting. Try a “meeting apocalypse” — delete all recurring meetings and only add back what truly matters.

No Surprises – Staying Ahead of Change

Roger Snyder | 48:31–53:00
Your goal as a PM: no surprises. Stay informed with tools like PESTEL and SWOT analysis. Build a network across sales, customer support, and marketing. Schedule regular updates to monitor your market. Set up Google Alerts for competitor keywords. Bad news doesn’t age well — share it early and propose next steps. Transparency earns trust.

Rina Alexin | 53:01–54:30
Exactly — your credibility grows when you communicate issues quickly. Stakeholders can forgive bad news, but not being blindsided.

Putting It All Together

Roger Snyder | 54:31–59:00
Let’s take a real-life scenario: managing three overlapping releases — one live, one in development, one in discovery. Coordinate stakeholders, delegate effectively, and use AI for early ideation. Use the time-management principles we discussed — focus, block time, and align actions to outcomes. My challenge to you: reclaim 10% of your week — about four hours — for strategic thinking and customer discovery.

Q&A and Closing Remarks

Rina Alexin | 59:01–End
Thank you so much for joining us! We’ll send you the stakeholder alignment template mentioned earlier and a link to the recording. Don’t miss our next session, “Product Management Trends for 2025,” on December 11. Have a great day and remember to take Roger’s challenge — get four hours of your week back!

Webinar Panelists

Roger Snyder

Roger Snyder, Principal Consultant at Productside, blends 25+ years of tech and product leadership to help teams build smarter, market-driven products.

Rina Alexin

Rina Alexin, the CEO of Productside holds a BA with honors from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is also a member of the AIPMM.
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Webinar Q&A

Effective prioritization in product management requires connecting every task to measurable business outcomes, not just stakeholder requests. In the webinar, Roger Snyder explains how PMs can use time-blocking, outcome-based roadmaps, and structured frameworks like the Productside Blueprint to define what truly moves the needle. By focusing first on high-impact work and eliminating low-value tasks, PMs reclaim control of their day and improve decision-making.
The fastest way to eliminate unproductive meetings is to run shorter, data-driven, purpose-defined sessions. The webinar teaches PMs to define meeting types (informational, decision, working), circulate pre-reads, manage rat holes with clear facilitation, and end every meeting with action items. Many PMs gain hours back by saying “no” to meetings where they’re not essential and replacing recurring meetings with asynchronous updates.
According to the session, the key is proactive stakeholder management—understanding each stakeholder’s influence, communication style, and real “why” behind their pushback. PMs should maintain a monthly product update, central documentation hub, and a clear outcome rationale for decisions. This reduces surprise escalations and minimizes the reactive work that drains time. For high-maintenance stakeholders, a brief 1:1 to uncover root concerns often transforms the relationship.
Task switching destroys productivity, and the webinar highlights a proven solution: time-blocking strategic work, grouping similar tasks together, and aligning work with your natural energy rhythms. PMs should reserve protected “deep-work” blocks for discovery, research, and strategy—and defend these time slots by reshaping the calendar and declining low-value meetings. This approach boosts throughput and prevents burnout.
AI can act as a PM’s “always-on assistant.” In the webinar, attendees learn how to use AI for research summaries, drafting user stories, creating competitive snapshots, generating discovery prompts, and storyboarding ideas. The key is setting clear context (“I am a product manager working on…”), iterating conversationally, and using AI outputs as starter insights—not final truth. With responsible use, PMs reclaim hours weekly while improving the quality of strategic thinking.