Build The Right Thing And Hit Your Dates

Maggie C.

July 15, 2020

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1. BUILD THE RIGHT THING. HIT YOUR DATES. @maggiecrowley

2. @maggiecrowley I’m Maggie

3. .You’re over the estimate by 3x. .Customers give you an

   8/10 but still .churn. .You’re just working on the backlog. @maggiecrowley

4. @maggiecrowley Obviously Bad Obviously Great

5. @maggiecrowley Obviously Bad Obviously Great Zone of meh

6. @maggiecrowley .How did we end up here?

7. Typical process @maggiecrowley 1. Know the “big goal” a. More

   customers b. Different customers c. Happier customers d. More $$ from customers 2. Look at your product, or the feature(s) you own 3. Work on the problem your product has that matches best with that big goal

8. .Easy to do. .Already have a design. .High confidence you

   can do it. .It’s on the backlog. .An exec loves the idea. .Sales asked for it once. .It looks nice. @maggiecrowley

9. Missed a step @maggiecrowley 1. Know the “big goal” a.

   More customers b. Different customers c. Happier customers d. More $$ from customers 2. Look at your product, or the feature(s) you own 3. Work on the problem your product has that matches best with that big goal .Who are they? .Why isn’t this already .happening?

10. @maggiecrowley

11. @maggiecrowley .Get to know your customer (really). .Hit timelines with

    missions & dates. .Use a process to make it repeatable. .TODAY:.

12. First: understand your customer @maggiecrowley ‍♀

13. “Users get confused on this screen.” “We see a big

    drop off on this page.” “Customers are asking for more .options on this page.” @maggiecrowley

14. “Users get confused on this screen.” “We see a big

    drop off on this page.” “Customers are asking for more .options on this page.” @maggiecrowley

15. .True customer understanding has .nothing to do with your product.

    @maggiecrowley

16. @maggiecrowley Your customer’s day:

17. @maggiecrowley Your customer’s day: Your product How important you think

    your product is to them.

18. @maggiecrowley Your customer’s day: Your product How important it actually

    is.

19. .For (target customers) .Who must (solve a specific problem) .Our

    product (is a new) .That provides (key benefit) .Unlike (competitor) .We have (product) @maggiecrowley ☝Geoffrey Moore’s positioning framework

20. Start here .For (target customers) .Who must (solve a specific

    problem) .Our product (is a new) .That provides (key benefit) .Unlike (competitor) .We have (product) @maggiecrowley ☝Geoffrey Moore’s positioning framework

21. First: who are you building for? @maggiecrowley

22. First: who are you building for? @maggiecrowley Whoever understands the

    customer the best, wins.

23. Two parts: company & person @maggiecrowley • Size • Industry

    • Org structure • Specific roles, teams • Tech stack • Global? Specific markets? • Growth rate • Funding structure • Business model .COMPANY.

24. Two parts: company & person @maggiecrowley • Size • Industry

    • Org structure • Specific roles, teams • Tech stack • Global? Specific markets? • Growth rate • Funding structure • Business model .COMPANY. • Title • How they fit within the org • Job description • Top 3-5 workflows they do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly • Performance criteria: how are they evaluated? • What do they need to do to get promoted? And, what’s the next job? • Top 3-5 current concerns (personally, within their business) .PERSON.

25. Two parts: company & person - .B2C. @maggiecrowley • Types

    of roles they have (boss? middle management? IC? Gig?) • Working style • Company examples • Industries • Hours worked • Work-stress level .EMPLOYMENT. • Top 3-5 workflows they do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly - still applies, think about what they DO in their lives • Hobbies, activities, how they spend their time (weekdays, weekends) • What do they care about? What are their goals? Where do they want to be in 5 years? • Biggest challenges: what keeps them up at night? .PERSON. Disclaimer: I haven’t worked in B2C in a few years so I’m making this part up!!!

26. .The only way to get this information is .to talk

    to your users. @maggiecrowley

27. The details: @maggiecrowley 1. 5-10 interviews per customer/user type -

    I try to do one of these .EVERY WEEK. 2. Record each interview so you don’t have to take notes 3. Prep a list of specific questions plus conversation starters 4. LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING 5. Everyone on your team has to listen to the interviews (yes, engineers too)

28. The questions I use: @maggiecrowley • Tell me what a

    typical day looks like for you. What tools do you use along the way? Would you mind sharing your screen so I can see? • What are the top activities you have to do each week and month as well? • What are your team’s goals this year? • What are your top three priorities right now? • What are your biggest concerns about the next (month/quarter/year - right now I’m asking about 2H 2020)? • What metrics are you measured on in your annual performance review? • What number or metric would we have to move for you to be blown away? • How far would we have to move it to be the best purchase you’ve ever made? • What’s the best piece of software you’ve ever purchased at work? Why?

29. .Demand Generation:. Demand generation is ultimately responsible for deploying programs

    to get prospects in the market interested in their offering and to drive qualified leads. Demand gen pros use search engine marketing / ads, content marketing / syndication, social media, and more to drive interested prospects to their website. Once on the website, the goal of demand gen is to keep the prospect interested enough to fill out a form to request a demo for the solution they’re selling. .Sales Development Representative (SDR):. This role typically reports to marketing especially within large, ENT sales teams, is responsible for processing MQL’s and turning them into Sales Qualified Leads (SQL). They come to work every day with a list of MQLs that get assigned overnight and their goal is to have a conversation, typically via phone, with the MQL to determine if they are qualified for a demo with the account executive. Every SDR uses Salesforce, phone, and email, but over the past several years many of them have adopted Sales Engagement Platforms to execute consistent workflows to ensure they made every attempt to contact and qualify the MQL into an SQL. SDR’s will process the SQL’s by converting the MQL in Salesforce to an opportunity and will schedule the demo meeting for their Account Executive (AE). Example: role descriptions @maggiecrowley

30. .Second: what problem should you .solve? @maggiecrowley

31. .This cannot be a problem created by .your product. @maggiecrowley

32. First, you have to know what they do @maggiecrowley

33. Then, pick areas of opportunity @maggiecrowley

34. @maggiecrowley ☝ Teresa Torres’ Opportunity Tree Map the ideas you

    have back to the outcome they could create for customers to stay in the problem space.

35. @maggiecrowley .This is where the “art” part comes in.

36. What to consider when deciding: @maggiecrowley • Company ✅ •

    Role/person ✅ • Top workflows ✅ • Competitors: current offerings • Competitors: possible future moves • Adjacent players: who could move in? • Business model constraints • Trends: B2B, consumer, outside your industry • Company strategy • Company goals • Competitive advantage (company, team) • Technical advances available to your team • Your team or product area’s mission, goals, priorities • Current customer challenges, feedback • Stuff you’ve already promised various people (hey, it happens)

37. CHAMPIONS #YNWA

38. @maggiecrowley .Managers: ask questions

39. Second: hit your deadlines @maggiecrowley ‍♀

40. @maggiecrowley .First, the mission

41. @maggiecrowley .You have your mission. .Now you need to pick

    a date.

42. @maggiecrowley “Whether we’re chomping at the bit or reluctant to

    dive in, it helps to explicitly define how much of our .time and attention. the subject deserves. Is this something worth a quick fix if we can manage? Is it a big idea worth an entire cycle? Would we redesign what we already have to accommodate it? Will we only consider it if we can implement it as a minor tweak?” - Ryan Singer, Shape Up

43. @maggiecrowley .All you need is a date and a mission

    .that is an .outcome., not a feature.

44. @maggiecrowley Ryan Singer, Head of Strategy @ Basecamp

45. Example: reporting @maggiecrowley Customers need to understand how a feature

    is working/performing so they can (whatever your product helps them do). This is probably a REPORT. Should you build a filterable, searchable, customizable dashboard? Or, run a SQL query and email them a number?

46. @maggiecrowley .A note on autonomy

47. Third: stick to a process @maggiecrowley ✅ ‍♀

48. .☝ Kevin Stewart.

49. What happens when you don’t @maggiecrowley Skipped the first, most

    important part: understanding the problem. At the time, we didn’t use the gates that we had set up to validate our OWN work.

50. What happens when you don’t @maggiecrowley Skipped the first, most

    important part: understanding the problem. At the time, we didn’t use the gates that we had set up to validate our OWN work. .We had to restart. ..

51. The DRIFT JOB framework @maggiecrowley J O B JOB TO

    BE DONE ORGANIZE BUILD

52. Each step has a gate @maggiecrowley JTBD: storytime ✅ Organize:

    kickoff ✅ Build: early access ✅ Ship it!

53. Failure is ok, even expected @maggiecrowley JTBD: storytime ✅ Organize:

    kickoff Needs more definition

54. JTBD: one piece of the mission @maggiecrowley Which problem can

    you solve that will have the greatest impact on the mission?

55. The template @maggiecrowley

56. @maggiecrowley .We’re still in the problem space.

57. Gate: storytime @maggiecrowley What questions need to be answered in

    order to solve for this JTBD?

58. 1. Everyone has to have read the one pager to

    start 2. The entire build team is in the room: PM, design, developers, other people with context 3. PM takes the room through the story, the background, customer examples (bonus points for video clips) 4. Group discussion to generate open questions: what do we need to know in order to solve this problem? .Everyone has to speak.. 5. End the meeting by assigning open questions, with deadlines Gate: storytime @maggiecrowley

59. Organize: figuring out the solution @maggiecrowley

60. Gate: kickoff @maggiecrowley 1. 30 minutes or less 2. Run

    by the dev team 3. Devs describe exactly what they’re going to build, including the areas where they will need to make new decisions 4. Devs propose the first “in production” date, including things that might put that date at risk 5. Team .COMMITS. to the date .Open questions? . .Kickoff failed, go back. .to the organize phase..

61. Build: deliver the solution @maggiecrowley

62. Gate: early access program (EAP) @maggiecrowley Hiten Shah

63. @maggiecrowley .The point isn’t the process. .The point is .accountability:.

    to create .a structured way to evaluate your .progress along the way.

64. @maggiecrowley That’s it!

65. @maggiecrowley .Get to know your customer (really). .Hit timelines with

    missions & dates. .Use a process to make it repeatable.

66. @maggiecrowley .Get to know your customer (really). .Hit timelines with

    missions & dates. .Use a process to make it repeatable. Everyone can do this.

67. – Talk title from Marty Cagan @maggiecrowley “Product is hard”

68. THANK YOU What questions do you have? @maggiecrowley