What are your 2022 product management resolutions? Team Productboard chimes in
The new year is right around the corner. In 2021, the global pandemic continued to be felt around the world, and we all got used to working from home and powering through endless virtual meetings. Despite these changes, product teams have adapted and evolved their offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of customers.
Before diving headfirst into the opportunities and challenges of product management in 2022, we wanted to take a moment to set our intentions for the next year. We asked members of Productboard’s product team to share their 2022 resolutions — reflections, learnings, and intentions that they plan to double down on in the new year. We’ve outlined them below, and hope they help you with setting your product resolutions as well.
Cheers to the new year!
Be customer-centric, but also pragmatic
- Be customer-centric, but also pragmatic. It is ok to rely on intuition that is informed by extensive real-world experience. It is the blind beliefs that are dangerous.
- Clear prioritization and investment frameworks are critical. We all need to focus on spelling them out in order to gain alignment.
- Remote product work requires a more intentional focus on fulfillment (as opposed to just effective collaboration). I am excited to see what we will invent and how the world will adapt.
“It is ok to rely on intuition that is informed by extensive real-world experience. It is the blind beliefs that are dangerous.”
Get explicit buy-in from cross-functional stakeholders
When rolling out product strategy to the product org across multiple tribes and teams, it is really important to buy explicit buy-in on the plan from the various parties. In the new year, I plan to do roadshows with the various tribes/teams to talk through the strategy, contextualize it for them, and take questions in smaller groups where people will be more likely to ask questions. The roadshows are also a great way to meet folks and understand what is top of mind for them.
“In the new year, I plan to do roadshows with the various tribes/teams to talk through the strategy, contextualize it for them, and take questions in smaller groups where people will be more likely to ask questions.”
Intentionally carve out time to think deeper about problems
My resolution would be to intentionally take more time to (really) think. As a fully remote PM, I find that all forms of collaboration take increased effort compared to working in an office together (although now this has been a commonly shared experience due to the pandemic for a lot of us). Because of this, it’s quite easy to be swept up in back-to-back Zoom calls, ever-growing Slack threads, and mostly tactical work.
“In the new year, I want to be much more conscious about regularly carving out dedicated focus time to think deeper about problems, perform more exploratory analysis, and follow-up on exciting new technologies and techniques which we can potentially incorporate into our work.”
Empower the team and focus on the “why”
- Find every way to enable and empower my team. Even if it takes time in the short-term, in the long-term they will be able to step up, and I can focus more on strategy
- A sense of urgency doesn’t mean always pushing forward. Re-visiting the ‘why’ is okay if for the right reasons.
“Radical candor, whilst not always easy, can help ensure we are focusing on the right topics and researching them right.”
Put the needs of the product team first
Product is a role that is characterized by rapid customer, market, and technological changes. Simple ideas become complex after discovery and deadlines shift. Customers get frustrated, stakeholders get frustrated. This can sometimes be a painful — but rewarding — process.
In this context, it’s easy to push people too hard or become frustrated with the team. My resolution is to always remember to put the needs of the team first and give them the opportunity to try new ideas, even if it might result in failure. Through this, we’ll be able to build a team with the confidence and ability to respond to these challenges as they arise.
“My resolution is to always remember to put the needs of the team first and give them the opportunity to try new ideas, even if it might result in failure.”
Share discovery knowledge early on to earn buy-in from relevant stakeholders
I find that sharing your research and problem discovery early on is just as important as rallying everyone around the roadmap once it’s ready. As product teams, we spend a lot of time understanding user problems and forget that others in the organization might not have visibility into what we are doing or know where they can find this information.
By sharing your work early (this can be problem discovery, industry research, or ideas for experiments), you are proactive in aligning your stakeholders behind the customer and offering social proof of what you want to do. That’s why my resolution is to transparently share discovery knowledge early on to get cross-functional teams and relevant stakeholders on the same page.
“I find that sharing your research and problem discovery early on is just as important as rallying everyone around the roadmap once it's ready.”
Find ways to re-energize and inspire myself so I come to work every day with energy and enthusiasm
In 2022, I want to focus on finding ways to re-energize and inspire myself so that I come to work every day with energy and enthusiasm. I think this comes by taking a step back and giving yourself time to think. More importantly, it comes with ruthlessly prioritizing the tasks and meetings in your day, and saying no to things more often (in my case). It’s important to remember we’re all humans and we have to prioritize all the things in our lives.
“It's important to remember that we're all humans and we have to prioritize all the things in our lives.”
Carve out time for personal growth
My resolution for 2022 is to carve out time for my personal growth. In addition to growing my product management skills, I plan to evolve my thinking by engaging with diverse communities and exposure to new ideas outside of product management. This will become a great source of inspiration and make me more creative both in and outside of my day-to-day work.
“In addition to growing my product management skills, I plan to evolve my thinking by engaging with diverse communities and exposure to new ideas outside of product management.”
