sean.horgan.net

Attributes of a Product Manager

Strategic Insights

Sean Horgan

Summary

1. Articulates strategy on why and how an opportunity should be pursued

2. Considers roles of competitors, partners, and regulators

3. Identifies related technologies, trends, and standards

4. Sets and drives a long term business strategy across product & service elements

5. Connects short-term and long-term product strategy and roadmap in complex and fast moving industries

Attributes

1. Articulates strategy on why and how an opportunity should be pursued

References

Understanding general strategic principles

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Stratechery by Ben Thompson – On the business, strategy, and impact of technology.⁠

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An introduction to Aggregation Theory | by Fredrik Haga | Medium⁠

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Mintzberg - Crafting Strategy.pdf⁠

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Strategy frameworks

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“How to build a strategy in an agile environment” talk for The Product School ⁠

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Have you tested your strategy lately? ⁠

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https://medium.com/@shreyashere/good-product-strategy-bad-product-strategy-826cdfe74818 ⁠

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Rocking at Product Strategy: 3 steps and 10 tools to succeed where most companies fail⁠

2. Considers roles of competitors, partners, and regulators

References

Understanding the value chain

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WardleyPedia⁠

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Understanding Platforms through Value Chain Maps _ by Simone Cicero _ Stories of Platform Design.pdf⁠

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On 61 different forms of gameplay⁠

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Home Research The new merchants of venice (or: The end of platforms…as we know them)⁠

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The Art of Strategy: Wardley Mapping Examples⁠

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Understanding competitors

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Comparative Research Done Right⁠

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Steve Blank A New Way to Look at Competitors⁠

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Why the Petal Diagram Isn't the Best Competition Diagram for Startup's Pitch by @ttunguz⁠

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The right way to challenge your competitors | Inside Intercom⁠

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How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy⁠

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Making Sense of Technological Ecosystems⁠

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3. Identifies related technologies, trends, and standards

References

Innovation

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The idea maze⁠

cdixon _ The idea maze.pdf⁠

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Improve Your Product Team's Combat Effectiveness (Part 1) | by Eric H. Kim | Practice Product⁠

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A Taxonomy of Moats | Reaction Wheel⁠

A Taxonomy of Moats _ Reaction Wheel.pdf⁠

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(notes on) 7 Powers: Foundations of Business by Hamilton Helmer⁠

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How Strategy Shapes Structure⁠

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The 5 Disqualifiers of Strategy⁠

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Accepts

Roy Amara⁠

‘s law: “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.”

4. Sets and drives a long term business strategy across product & service elements

References

Strategy processes - how to get the organization aligned on strategy

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The Secret to a Great Planning Process — Lessons from Airbnb and Eventbrite⁠

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#10 How to Run A Quarterly Product Strategy Meeting | by Gibson Biddle | Medium ⁠

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Template: Company Strategy⁠

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Innovation Resources⁠

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1 McKinsey's Three Horizons Model Defined Innovation for Years. Here's Why It No Longer Applies. It ⁠

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5. Connects short-term and long-term product strategy

References

TODO

Expectations for more senior PMs (L6+)

More senior PMs should be very familiar with common strategic theories and easily separate useful frames from buzzword bingo.

Ben Thompson’s

Aggregation Theory⁠

Network effects (same side & cross-side), multi-sided networks

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666954422000242#bb0130⁠

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-sided_market⁠

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Building a Business from Data Is Hard—Here’s How the Winners Do It⁠

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Helmer’s 7 Powers⁠

: Scale economics, network economics, counter-positioning, switching costs, branding, cornered resource, process power

Porter’s 6 major sources of entry barriers: economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, cost disadvantages, access to distribution channels, government policy

Understands major barriers to entry: switching costs, regulatory,

Books

If I had to recommend one book on strategy, it would be Richard Rumelt’s Good Strategy/Bad Strategy. I’ve included a few links to summaries below along with a few other must reads:

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Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters⁠

- Richard Rumelt

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Notes from “Good Strategy / Bad Strategy” by Jeff Zych ⁠

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https://youexec.com/book-summaries/good-strategy-bad-strategy#⁠

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https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58895961-the-crux⁠

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Good Strategy, Bad Strategy | Richard Rumelt⁠

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What is Strategy?⁠

- Porter

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FT Guide to Strategy: How to Create and Deliver a Winning Strategy by Richard Koch⁠

- comprehensive index of common strategic frameworks with great references to deeper reading

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Strategy: Create and Implement the Best Strategy for Your Business⁠

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The Art of Action⁠

by Stephen Bungay

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The Alchemy of Growth⁠

by Mehrdad Baghai and others

Frameworks

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https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/have-you-tested-your-strategy-lately⁠

Will your strategy beat the market?

Does your strategy tap a true source of advantage?

Is your strategy granular about where to compete?

Is your strategy coherent across businesses?

Is your strategy aligned with your company's capabilities?

Is your strategy flexible enough to adapt to change?

Is your strategy communicated and understood throughout the organization?

Is your strategy realistic and achievable?

Is your strategy motivating and inspiring?

Is your strategy monitored and adjusted as needed?

Is your strategy embedded in the company's culture?

Quotes

“Good strategy is coherent action backed up by an argument, an effective mixture of thought and action with a basic underlying structure I call the kernel.” - Richard Rumelt Good Strategy Bad Strategy: the difference and why it matters

From

Shreyas Doshi⁠

: Most execution problems are really

1) Strategy problems, or

2) Interpersonal problems (individuals) or

3) Culture problems. (difference between stated values and accepted behavior)

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Think like a farmer⁠

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