Print this articleWe are excited to announce a new product - the CPM Self-Study Course!
The course allows you to study for the industry-standard AIPMM Certified Product Manager (CPM) and Certified Product Marketing Manager (CPMM) exams. You can study at your own pace using the 10 narrated training modules, study guides and practices tests. When you are ready you can then take the exams from anywhere in the world.
Full details are at http://www.280group.com/productmanagementcertification.htm.
This is the only course of its kind available. If you want to move your career forward, get a new job/promotion or get a raise consider getting certified.
The course allows you to study for the industry-standard AIPMM Certified Product Manager (CPM) and Certified Product Marketing Manager (CPMM) exams. You can study at your own pace using the 10 narrated training modules, study guides and practices tests. When you are ready you can then take the exams from anywhere in the world.
Full details are at http://www.280group.com/productmanagementcertification.htm.
This is the only course of its kind available. If you want to move your career forward, get a new job/promotion or get a raise consider getting certified.
Datacastle contacted me and is looking for beta testers.
If you think you can find a few bugs you could win a Wii or an Amazon Kindle!
Details and signup at:
http://www.datacastlecorp.com/site/beta/
If you think you can find a few bugs you could win a Wii or an Amazon Kindle!
Details and signup at:
http://www.datacastlecorp.com/site/beta/
I'll be doing a Webinar on How to Work More Effectively with Your Sales Team. To sign up click here.
Here's an overview:
Salespeople can be a Product Manager’s best friend or their worst nightmare. If they are on your side, believe in your product and are given the tools and information to succeed they can be the difference between a winning product and a failing product. However, if you don’t provide them with what they need or nurture the relationships they can inundate you with questions, make unreasonable demands or even ignore your product or refuse to sell it. This webinar will talk about how to get your sales people on your side and get them excited and properly armed to sell your product. Brian Lawley will share the tips, techniques and strategies for leveraging your sales force that he has learned during his 20+ year product management career.
Along with Brian, David Dersh will also be participating in the Webinar. Dave spent the last twenty years of his career as a top sales rep for Apple Computer, Intel and Sun Microsystems. He will share experiences about the best and the worst product managers he has worked with and what they have done to maximize the product management and sales relationship.
Speaker Bio: Brian Lawley is the CEO and founder of the 280 Group, which provides consulting, contractors, training and templates. During the last twenty years of his career he has focused on Product Management and Product Marketing and has shipped more than fifty successful products. He is the former President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association, won the 2008 AIPMM award for Excellence in Thought Leadership for Product Management and is the author of the best-selling book, Expert Product Management. Mr. Lawley has been featured on CNBC's World Business Review and the Silicon Valley Business Report and writes articles for a variety of publications including the Product Management 2.0 newsletter and Blog.
Here's an overview:
Salespeople can be a Product Manager’s best friend or their worst nightmare. If they are on your side, believe in your product and are given the tools and information to succeed they can be the difference between a winning product and a failing product. However, if you don’t provide them with what they need or nurture the relationships they can inundate you with questions, make unreasonable demands or even ignore your product or refuse to sell it. This webinar will talk about how to get your sales people on your side and get them excited and properly armed to sell your product. Brian Lawley will share the tips, techniques and strategies for leveraging your sales force that he has learned during his 20+ year product management career.
Along with Brian, David Dersh will also be participating in the Webinar. Dave spent the last twenty years of his career as a top sales rep for Apple Computer, Intel and Sun Microsystems. He will share experiences about the best and the worst product managers he has worked with and what they have done to maximize the product management and sales relationship.
Speaker Bio: Brian Lawley is the CEO and founder of the 280 Group, which provides consulting, contractors, training and templates. During the last twenty years of his career he has focused on Product Management and Product Marketing and has shipped more than fifty successful products. He is the former President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association, won the 2008 AIPMM award for Excellence in Thought Leadership for Product Management and is the author of the best-selling book, Expert Product Management. Mr. Lawley has been featured on CNBC's World Business Review and the Silicon Valley Business Report and writes articles for a variety of publications including the Product Management 2.0 newsletter and Blog.
If you are putting together your test matrix and wondering about which "corner cases" to test for you might want to read this article.
I almost named it "How to lose $250 per sale" by Amazon.com. :-)
I almost named it "How to lose $250 per sale" by Amazon.com. :-)
Webinar: How to work more effectively with your engineering team
Wed. July 3oth 9AM PST.
OVERVIEW:
Working effectively with your engineers is one of the key factors in product management success. To build great products you have to understand how to influence, motivate and collaborate with them orall of your other efforts may be wasted. This session will cover how to establish yourself as themarket and customer expert, how to increase credibility with your team, how to read and interact with different personality types andhow to subtly influence your engineers to getthem to help you achieve your objectives. Drawing on over twenty years of experience working with dozens of teams (many good, but some horrible), Brian Lawley will share the tips, tricks, storiesand best practices he has learned that will help you to be a better product manager.
Hope you can join us!
I'm doing a webinar about how to work better with your engineers. Here are the details:
Summary
Working effectively with your engineers is one of the key factors in product management success. To build great products you have to understand how to influence, motivate and collaborate with them or all of your other efforts may be wasted. This session will cover how to establish yourself as the market and customer expert, how to increase credibility with your team, how to read and interact with different personality types and how to subtly influence your engineers to get them to help you achieve your objectives. Drawing on over twenty years of experience working with dozens of teams (many good, but some horrible), Brian Lawley will share the tips, tricks, stories and best practices he has learned that will help you to be a better product manager.
Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Register Here!
Summary
Working effectively with your engineers is one of the key factors in product management success. To build great products you have to understand how to influence, motivate and collaborate with them or all of your other efforts may be wasted. This session will cover how to establish yourself as the market and customer expert, how to increase credibility with your team, how to read and interact with different personality types and how to subtly influence your engineers to get them to help you achieve your objectives. Drawing on over twenty years of experience working with dozens of teams (many good, but some horrible), Brian Lawley will share the tips, tricks, stories and best practices he has learned that will help you to be a better product manager.
Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Register Here!
For those of you who watched my product management productivity webinar you know that I use Outlook to its full extent.
Here's a blog and tip (very useful if you work with people in other time zones) that you'll find saves you some time in Outlook.
Let me know what other productivity tips you have!
Here's a blog and tip (very useful if you work with people in other time zones) that you'll find saves you some time in Outlook.
Let me know what other productivity tips you have!
There are still a few spots left in our San Jose (June 2-5) and Boston (June 23-26) PM Fast Track Seminars.
The PM Fast Track course covers the entire product lifecycle and will turn you into an expert in just four days. Highly interactive small classes teach you the skills that you need. You also receive a copy of the Product Manager's Toolkit, which includes 30 templates covering the entire product lifecycle (Business cases, MRDs, PRDs, Marketing Plans and more).
To reserve a spot or find out more click here...
The PM Fast Track course covers the entire product lifecycle and will turn you into an expert in just four days. Highly interactive small classes teach you the skills that you need. You also receive a copy of the Product Manager's Toolkit, which includes 30 templates covering the entire product lifecycle (Business cases, MRDs, PRDs, Marketing Plans and more).
To reserve a spot or find out more click here...
We have posted three new articles:
- Why so much software still stinks
- Chaos does not a successful product make
- Writing effective benefits statements for your features
You can read them at:
http://www.280group.com/insider/5.20.08.htm
- Why so much software still stinks
- Chaos does not a successful product make
- Writing effective benefits statements for your features
You can read them at:
http://www.280group.com/insider/5.20.08.htm
I'll be doing a webinar on "How to Accelerate Your Product Management Career" on Friday May 30th. It covers strategies and tactics for rapidly advancing your career and moving up.
You can sign up for it at:
http://www.aipmm.com/html/events/webinar.php
You can sign up for it at:
http://www.aipmm.com/html/events/webinar.php
I'm doing two seminars on Tuesday the 15th of April covering How to Plan and Execute a High-Impact Product Launch. The material is based on the Product Launch Toolkit(tm), and every attendee receives a copy of my book and a discount on my new Expert Product Management Toolkit Bundle.
Here are the details:
Mid Peninsula Professional AllianceMorning meeting at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, Palo Alto, CA7:30 AM to 9:00 AM. Preregistration price/deal: $31.95 includes breakfast, presentation and FREE book, “Expert Product Management” by Brian Lawley. More info and sign up here.
Silicon Valley Business MeetupEvening meeting at Apple Computer, Cupertino, CA5:30 to 8:30 PM. Preregistration price/deal: $20 until April 13, ($25 after April 13th). Includes autographed copy of the book, “Expert Product Management” by Brian Lawley. More info and sign up here.
We are very excited to announce the availability of a new product, the Expert Product Management Toolkit Bundle! The bundle is based on the best-selling book, Expert Product Management, by Brian Lawley, CEO of the 280 Group.
Included in the bundle are a copy of the book (either ebook or printed) and four of the corresponding 280 Group toolkits that cover the content (Product Roadmaps, Product Launches, Beta Programs and Product Reviews). In all there are four narrated on-demand training presentations (one for each topic) and over 130 templates for the corresponding tasks.
You can check it out here or you can buy it on Amazon.com.
Included in the bundle are a copy of the book (either ebook or printed) and four of the corresponding 280 Group toolkits that cover the content (Product Roadmaps, Product Launches, Beta Programs and Product Reviews). In all there are four narrated on-demand training presentations (one for each topic) and over 130 templates for the corresponding tasks.
You can check it out here or you can buy it on Amazon.com.
Here's an amusing story about the MacOS System 7 beep sound (by the 280 Group's own Jim Reekes). Talk about a creative way to get a feature your realy want into your products. :-)
I'm doing the keynote presentation at the PMEC (Product Management Education Conference) in San Diego at the beginning of April. Come join me for an excellent conference if you get the chance.
Here's a description of the talk:
Do you ever wonder why some product managers seem to get promoted and advance much faster than others? Are you interested in learning strategies and tactics you can use to speed up the advancement of your own career? In this presentation Brian Lawley, Founder of the 280 Group and President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association will share the different ways he has seen product managers successfully accelerate their careers during his twenty year career in product management.
I'm giving a free Webinar on Friday, Feb 29th covering "How to Develop a Compelling Product Roadmap".
Details and sign up are here:
http://www.aipmm.com/html/events/webinar.php
Details and sign up are here:
http://www.aipmm.com/html/events/webinar.php
Here is a great review for my new book.
Those new to product management often spend most of their time on a few areas -- researching market needs, developing business cases, writing requirements, monitoring development projects. Though these are indeed crucial aspects of the product manager role, there are many other responsibilities that often get overlooked. Not surprisingly, these are the areas for which there are often fewer resources available, so product managers may feel as if they have to "go it alone."
Luckily, Expert Product Management succinctly covers four crucial areas which can improve a product's success. Brian Lawley provides clear, practical advice on Product Roadmaps, Beta Programs, Product Launches, and Review Programs -- the value of any one of these sections alone can justify the reasonable price.
Each section begins with an explanation of the concept and its importance, then covers examples of different approaches and best practices. The writing style makes it easy to read from cover-to-cover and also easy to refer to as a reference. Don't let the size fool you
-- at under 100 pages, this can easily be read on a short plane ride
-- yet there is sufficient depth to the information contained within to make it practical and actionable.
The chapter on Product Roadmaps is especially comprehensive and useful. Brian describes six different types of roadmaps -- even experienced product managers will likely discover one they were not aware of here -- and presents an easy-to-follow eight step process for creating your own roadmap. Similar level of detail is provided in the other sections -- enough information that the reader can use it as a guide to implementing on the job, though not so much to make it laborious to read or hard to locate later for answers to specific questions.
If there is any flaw in the book, it is that the design of the book itself does not do enough to support the high-quality content. The text and graphics are clear and easy to read, yet a more compelling design could have enhanced the text even further. This is a minor quibble, though, since it is still a very useful resource regardless.
As the name implies, this book may not be the best complete introduction to those new to product management, though that is clearly not its intent. For experienced product managers who have mastered the basics and are looking to take their job to the next level, Expert Product Management is a highly recommended guide which can help already good product managers to better plan, create, and launch a successful new product.
Jeff Lash
Author, How To Be a Good Product Manager: http://www.goodproductmanager.com/
Those new to product management often spend most of their time on a few areas -- researching market needs, developing business cases, writing requirements, monitoring development projects. Though these are indeed crucial aspects of the product manager role, there are many other responsibilities that often get overlooked. Not surprisingly, these are the areas for which there are often fewer resources available, so product managers may feel as if they have to "go it alone."
Luckily, Expert Product Management succinctly covers four crucial areas which can improve a product's success. Brian Lawley provides clear, practical advice on Product Roadmaps, Beta Programs, Product Launches, and Review Programs -- the value of any one of these sections alone can justify the reasonable price.
Each section begins with an explanation of the concept and its importance, then covers examples of different approaches and best practices. The writing style makes it easy to read from cover-to-cover and also easy to refer to as a reference. Don't let the size fool you
-- at under 100 pages, this can easily be read on a short plane ride
-- yet there is sufficient depth to the information contained within to make it practical and actionable.
The chapter on Product Roadmaps is especially comprehensive and useful. Brian describes six different types of roadmaps -- even experienced product managers will likely discover one they were not aware of here -- and presents an easy-to-follow eight step process for creating your own roadmap. Similar level of detail is provided in the other sections -- enough information that the reader can use it as a guide to implementing on the job, though not so much to make it laborious to read or hard to locate later for answers to specific questions.
If there is any flaw in the book, it is that the design of the book itself does not do enough to support the high-quality content. The text and graphics are clear and easy to read, yet a more compelling design could have enhanced the text even further. This is a minor quibble, though, since it is still a very useful resource regardless.
As the name implies, this book may not be the best complete introduction to those new to product management, though that is clearly not its intent. For experienced product managers who have mastered the basics and are looking to take their job to the next level, Expert Product Management is a highly recommended guide which can help already good product managers to better plan, create, and launch a successful new product.
Jeff Lash
Author, How To Be a Good Product Manager: http://www.goodproductmanager.com/
Just a reminder that I will be holding a Webinar on Product Management Productivity. Hope you can join us!
Date: Friday, January 25, 2008
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST
Overview:How to get twice as much done in half the time.
As a Product Manager, you will always have far more work than you can possibly accomplish. Between thinking strategically and driving things related to your products from a high level to executing the day-to-day tactical work required for product success, you will have a full list of to-do items and plenty of requests that go unfulfilled. This webinar will show you strategies and tactics for being more productive, with the goal of increasing your output and freeing up your time for high-level tasks, while at the same time reducing your overall stress level.
To register go to:http://www.aipmm.com/html/events/webinar.php
Date: Friday, January 25, 2008
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST
Overview:How to get twice as much done in half the time.
As a Product Manager, you will always have far more work than you can possibly accomplish. Between thinking strategically and driving things related to your products from a high level to executing the day-to-day tactical work required for product success, you will have a full list of to-do items and plenty of requests that go unfulfilled. This webinar will show you strategies and tactics for being more productive, with the goal of increasing your output and freeing up your time for high-level tasks, while at the same time reducing your overall stress level.
To register go to:http://www.aipmm.com/html/events/webinar.php
We've been seeing an interesting trend - IT departments hiring product managers and setting up a formal product management function and process. For example, Intel IT licensed our product manager's toolkit and product roadmap toolkit for their IT staff and have set up a centralized product management resources portal for worldwide use. They also had us do some training and consulting work.
It's not surprising to see this happen. IT departments have a wide range of projects with requirements that change often and need to be defined up-front. Using MRDs/PRDs and roadmaps to prioritize, get commitments and communicate plans is a proven best practice, and IT is leveraging the resources and knowledge that has been developed over the years. There is an interesting article about it here if you want to read more about it.
It's not surprising to see this happen. IT departments have a wide range of projects with requirements that change often and need to be defined up-front. Using MRDs/PRDs and roadmaps to prioritize, get commitments and communicate plans is a proven best practice, and IT is leveraging the resources and knowledge that has been developed over the years. There is an interesting article about it here if you want to read more about it.
Very funny video. I like the guy who shows up in the middle with the title of Product Manager.
Dilbert on Agile - for those of you waterfall Product Management fans that like to make fun of Agile.
I'm excited to announce the availability of a my new book: Expert Product Management: Advanced Techniques, Tips and Strategies for Product Management & Product Marketing! Expert Product Management teaches you how to create compelling Product Roadmaps, run more effective Beta programs, plan and execute high-impact product launches and how to get great reviews for products.
The book is available now for $19.95.
Click here to purchase!
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WE ARE ALSO MAKING THE FULL EBOOK VERSION AVAILABLE AT ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE (NORMALLY $11.95). If you chose to download the free ebook version, all we ask is that you forward this email to at least three friends (and if you like the book purchase a hard copy.)
Note: the book also includes a link to download free templates and a $30 coupon for the 280 Group PM Office Professional version. You can also purchase the printed book through Amazon.
I will also be holding a book signing party on November 7th in Santa Clara, CA prior to the SVPMA (www.svpma.org) monthly event. If you are in Silicon Valley come and join us for food, beverages and networking and pick up a signed copy ($5 discount for SVPMA members).
The book is available now for $19.95.
Click here to purchase!
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WE ARE ALSO MAKING THE FULL EBOOK VERSION AVAILABLE AT ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE (NORMALLY $11.95). If you chose to download the free ebook version, all we ask is that you forward this email to at least three friends (and if you like the book purchase a hard copy.)
Note: the book also includes a link to download free templates and a $30 coupon for the 280 Group PM Office Professional version. You can also purchase the printed book through Amazon.
I will also be holding a book signing party on November 7th in Santa Clara, CA prior to the SVPMA (www.svpma.org) monthly event. If you are in Silicon Valley come and join us for food, beverages and networking and pick up a signed copy ($5 discount for SVPMA members).
There is a new job listings group on Yahoo for Product Management and Product Marketing called pm_jobs. Joining the group and posting jobs is free. Click here to join...
I'll be giving a Webinar next Wednesday October 10th called "PM Productivity: How to get twice as much done in half the time"
Here's an overview (link below to sign up):
As a Product Manager, you will always have far more work than you can possibly accomplish. Between thinking strategically and driving things related to your products from a high level to executing the day-to-day tactical work required for product success, you will have a full list of to-do items and plenty of requests that go unfulfilled. This webinar will show you strategies and tactics for being more productive, with the goal of increasing your output and freeing up your time for high-level tasks, while at the same time reducing your overall stress level.
Sign up here...
Here's an overview (link below to sign up):
As a Product Manager, you will always have far more work than you can possibly accomplish. Between thinking strategically and driving things related to your products from a high level to executing the day-to-day tactical work required for product success, you will have a full list of to-do items and plenty of requests that go unfulfilled. This webinar will show you strategies and tactics for being more productive, with the goal of increasing your output and freeing up your time for high-level tasks, while at the same time reducing your overall stress level.
Sign up here...
How to Reduce Time in Meetings
Few things can boost your productivity more than cutting down on the amount of time you spend in meetings. If you want to buy yourself a few extra minutes (or hours) each day to work on important priorities this is an area to focus on.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Make the meetings that you run be 30 minutes rather than one hour whenever possible. You would be surprised how efficient everyone becomes when they know they have to get through the agenda but have less time.
- Insist that people take irrelevant, off-topic or non-group items offline to talk about after the meeting. Don’t allow them to waste everyone’s time discussing something that is not relevant to everyone else during the meeting.
- Take notes during the meeting on your laptop and keep a running list of decisions and action items. Mail this out before you leave the meeting room if at all possible.
- If there is a meeting with a large number of items to cover that don’t need your involvement ask if the group minds if they cover your items first so that you can leave the meeting earlier.
- State and get agreement for the rules for meetings you run and ones you participate in. Let everyone know that there is a five minute grace period maximum. If people are late publicly humiliate them. Or better yet, assign them some action items. :-)
- Bring donuts to morning meetings – you’ll be surprised how many people show up on time in order to get their favorite kind. This is especially good for meetings with your engineers.
If you follow all of these guidelines and make a point of being diligent about it you will likely free up several hours during your week. This may be just what you need in order to be able to spend time thinking strategically or focus on being more of a leader in your role.
We're excited to announce that we have released the 280 Group PM Office(tm).
There are two versions:
PM Office Profesional (contains six 280 Group toolkits: Roadmap, Launch, Product Reviews, Beta Program, Developer Program and Product Manager's Toolkits)
PM Office Standard (contains three 280 Group toolkits: Roadmap, Launch and Product Manager's Toolkits)
To help us announce the PM Office we decided to have Bob Dylan give us a hand. Click below to check it out. :-)
There are two versions:
PM Office Profesional (contains six 280 Group toolkits: Roadmap, Launch, Product Reviews, Beta Program, Developer Program and Product Manager's Toolkits)
PM Office Standard (contains three 280 Group toolkits: Roadmap, Launch and Product Manager's Toolkits)
To help us announce the PM Office we decided to have Bob Dylan give us a hand. Click below to check it out. :-)