Question answer
Q 1: After half a year, you went from a layman to a product supervisor. What makes you say that you are a product supervisor? If you change jobs, do you think you can get the title and salary of product supervisor that matches the public's perception of the industry?
P: My current title of "supervisor" can be described as "sincere fear". The supervisor is based on the approval of the leader and the trust of colleagues, which means more responsibilities and obligations, more risks and more reasonable suggestions, not just a product manager who needs to be informed of the design function. At present, I can only do these. Of course, my understanding of strategy, commerce and business is still not in place, and every iteration is a challenge to myself, forcing me to move forward. If you change jobs now, you should be able to compete with an intermediate product manager. What is lacking is time.
Does Drum encourage changing careers or being an inexperienced product manager?
P: I have seen and communicated with many students who want to be product managers and have no experience or transferred from other positions in the middle. Without exception, they are all students who have a strong interest in product managers, but not all of them are very suitable people. No experience is acceptable, but no product thinking is an important reason for all kinds of negative contradictions. Many people will realize it just by thinking, so the failure rate is extremely high. The most important thing in product thinking is not to take yourself as the starting point. Internet waves wash sand, unsuitable product managers will eventually be submerged, and suitable ones will definitely stand at the forefront. The key is that you can keep up with this speed, not do whatever you want.
Q3: Why do I work for a long time, but my experience is still not growing fast?
P: I'll just say one of the most prominent reasons here. I think everyone has heard the story of a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan and 8,000 yuan. No matter where you are, whether it is a public institution or a startup company, you can do 8000 things with a salary of 3000 yuan, and your ability will grow rapidly. If you care about temporary gains and losses, you will lose more. This is what I am doing now. The growth of experience depends on the stupidest method, thinking more, trying more, doing more and producing more results. Many product assistants stay on "thinking and doing" without thinking deeply and doing deeply, so the results are low and the opportunities are few.
Q4: We have reached the bottleneck. How to break through?
P: ideological bottleneck and work bottleneck. Ideologically, my approach is to communicate sincerely with the leader, throw out my own problems and problems I see for discussion, and bring his ideas and suggestions to me, thus breaking through the wall of my own thinking. At work, I specialize in training certain skills, doing more and forcing myself to do it. If I persist, I will break through.
Product method and system
Methods generally refer to the means and actions taken to obtain something or achieve a certain purpose.
This scheme is concrete, thorough and operable from the aspects of purpose, requirements, ways, methods and progress.
A system generally refers to a whole composed of similar things in a certain range in a certain order and internal relations.
Whether the chicken comes first or the egg comes first, the industry is arguing endlessly; Whether it is the existing system supplement method or the existing method to form the system, each has its own advantages. The former is suitable for large companies and has a formed system (working system, theoretical system, etc.). ), can make people get started faster; The latter is suitable for small and medium-sized companies, and needs product managers to constantly explore and summarize, and finally form their own product system. This paper mainly introduces the latter, first find the method, and then form the system.
How is the method formed?
Many students report that they don't have a good solution to the problem. In fact, there are many ways to solve the problem. Your question is whether it is efficient. So a set of problem-solving processes: problem-method-result.
We use different methods to achieve practical results, and these methods are the solutions we encounter in our daily life. For example, "how to embed data", we find methods (code embedding point, visual embedding point, no embedding point), then design and implement functions, and finally track and evaluate the effect later. When the whole process goes further, it is the increase of experience and the formation of a method (knowing and knowing how to bury data) for Xiaobai.
However, the situation we often encounter is more complicated, and skilled people can achieve the effect directly through one method; And unskilled people need to try in various ways to achieve the final desired effect, and this is how the "gap" is generated.
Tip: a classmate gave me feedback: I worked hard and worked overtime a lot, but I didn't get recognition!
When it comes to the final result, the average student is finished. He formed a method to solve this problem through the final result of method 1- result 1- method 5, but he didn't know the existence of "method 2" and didn't further think and optimize the original method, so he still used a similar method to solve the same kind of problem next time, and the result was that the efficiency could not be improved.
So the key to the formation of methodology is to find a method and then optimize it.
(1) Find a way
I won't say much about how to find a way, just put a mind map I use.
(2) Do optimization
The method needs to be repeated to find out the shortcomings and make further optimization in order to improve the efficiency in the next problem solving process. This is also a process of product manager promotion and a way of behavior.
In the resumption of the project, you can think about the method of resumption, that is, the interviewer often asks, "What would you do if the project was redone for you?" For this kind of problem, an experienced person can speak freely, because he knows everything; Inexperienced people need to think carefully, but the scene will not give you a chance to think comprehensively.
The above is just one method of optimization. How to ensure the effectiveness of the method can be carried out from the following aspects:
Methods Pre-discussion, brainstorming, expanding thinking and providing multi-method consideration.
Method-scheme, which filters out useless information and inapplicable methods, and the main person in charge participates;
In the process of project implementation, record the problems found, how to solve the problems and solutions;
After tracking the actual effect, the advantages and disadvantages of reverse reasoning are discussed.
Re-examine the project, evaluate the currently used scheme and correct the use of methods.
system
Just now, I talked a lot about the experience and theory of methods. Here is the relationship between system and methods.
A product manager will have many methodologies when he grows up, but he may only have 1-2 product systems. For example:
Product system: the general direction includes strategic thinking method, business model method and business development method; The small direction includes five elements: SWOT (PEST), various functional design methods, user experience and even personal methods.
In short, there are many classifications, and different types of product managers have different methods, and the system is this big collection, and product managers can use methods to solve daily or unknown problems at will. See the picture above for details.
Personally, the system is not fully formed, because doing things is still based on finding methods, rather than using a certain method at will based on a system.
So the method is obtained through practice, but the system needs to be accumulated over time to achieve.
About working methods
The improvement of work skills needs more practice, but it is really difficult to break through the improvement of work ideas.
Sometimes when thinking about a problem, we often fall into a strange circle of self-thinking, and find that there is something wrong with the product, or a design is not in line with the actual use, or the development direction is in conflict, and so on. And I can't come up with strong evidence to explain this problem at the moment, or my ideas are inconsistent with those of the leaders. This is a problem that many product managers encounter, but the final solution is mostly based on the decision of the leader, and then it is constantly revised in the actual implementation process, and the result is not ideal.
Yes, most of the functions or products we designed can't meet the requirements.
1, multiple feedback
Managers want to know the operation of the company clearly every day, and when they think of it, they can know the specific details and the working progress of each team. But in most cases, he doesn't know these details, so the product manager should clearly understand these contents, give more feedback when he has time (not snitch), and let the leader know clearly what can and can't be done.
Actual scene: the company organized a meeting and I reported the product design scheme. After the leader heard it, the boss said something about the product direction, focusing on several points; The director then added several key points of functional design and several functions that must be completed. Two days later, when I reported to them how to coordinate these tasks, I completely forgot what he said-this is real-time decision.
2. Talk more.
The company's business development is unfavorable, and the management is most worried. The product manager should also bear part of the responsibility. At this time, I will use the afternoon time to actively communicate with my boss or supervisor to discuss problems. One is your own problems, find your own shortcomings, and then gradually correct them; The second is to find the company's problems and discuss solutions. Both are indispensable. Only when the product manager's ideas are in place can we design suitable products, and the company can get on the right track according to a certain model, so as to have a rapid development.
But people often don't listen to any advice when they are confident, but when they are lost, they want to grab a straw desperately. The more we reach this period, the more we should develop a cautious attitude. This is the last step to turn the corner and fall into the abyss, because smart people find the core of the problem and solve it. Confused people, confused people, do it for the benefit. The product manager should ensure that this will not happen.
Step 3 summarize more
At present, there are very few product managers who can summarize, and even less can summarize in detail. In the process of summing up, you can easily find the problems in the original PRD design, which requirements are not necessary but mentioned earlier, which ones are not needed, which ones are wrong and which ones can be optimized! The iteration of each version is a step-by-step accumulation, and the final product is stable.
How does the product manager plan?
There is no doubt that product managers need promotion, but there has never been a standard view on how to improve themselves. Large companies have their own training system, which takes a long time and has a long cycle. Small companies are uneven, the system is complex and changeable, and there are countless methods. Therefore, it is up to the individual to improve the ability of a product manager faster.
Here I would like to mention two plans, which complement each other and are indispensable. One is "self-planning" and the other is "work planning", which I have been thinking about for a long time in my work and study. Self-planning is to drive external work planning internally, which in turn drives self-planning.
For example, I want to improve my communication skills. I decided to let my colleagues know my thoughts better within 1 month. I want to tell the core, slogan and development direction of the product accurately, so I plan to explain it within 10 minutes of each meeting. Every argument should find arguments, control emotions and think from the perspective of others. Then in the work, the focus of the phased work will be on: understanding the needs, cross-departmental communication, paying a return visit to users, preparing PPT speeches and so on.
1, self-planning of product manager
Self-planning is a phased plan to improve one's ability, mainly to improve one's internal level and thinking level. This is a purposeful and spontaneous habit. It is more like a life plan, which can help you clearly point out what kind of abilities you can acquire in the future and what the focus of your future work is.
As I have analogized before, communication skills are needed in any situation, not just at work, you can train these skills through work. Of course, you can also attend the exchange meeting and book club in private to further improve.
(1) Less planning.
People's energy is limited, and people's hearts are fragile. Once too many goals are set and cannot be achieved, there will be a sense of loss, and then there will be a negative cycle. Therefore, the plan made at one time can only involve 1-2 points, which can be general, but "what I want to do" and "what effect I want to achieve" should be written.
(2) the time should be reasonable
Too short or too long is not good for this plan. Short cycle has no obvious effect, while long cycle is easy to forget. As far as my current plan is concerned, 1-3 months is the best period. At that time, I will find an afternoon to evaluate the work during this period and whether I have achieved my goal, and then continue to make the next stage of planning.
(3) can work independently
Because this kind of self-planning, once it comes to work, some students may feel uncomfortable. They have to work all day and night, so they might as well play when they are free. If you want to broaden your horizons, reading forums and industry knowledge every day can be a good way to kill time.
(4) everything is based on interests.
Doing what you like can be very motivated and willing to pay. If this plan can be related to your current job, that's the best. If there is a big difference, you should do it. For example: running, fitness, reading and so on.
(Basic Product Manager Competency Model)
2, product manager's work plan
Work planning means that at a certain stage, the product manager needs to improve a certain ability, which is more like a process of acquiring ability through work and finally showing the results. This is a quantifiable and wise plan.
(1) Do only one thing at a time.
Half a year's experience tells me that it is very difficult for a person to improve one skill at a time, but by doing so, he can improve himself and get a solution to this problem.
(2) Planning with problems.
Planning should be based on the most important issues at present. With the problem, we can be very clear about what to do, and the planned plan can be implemented as needed. Otherwise, planning with an idea will often lead to unrealistic deviations and expectations when the final result comes.
There was a time when I found that every project expansion could be completely avoided through version summary. It is because of some defects in the workflow that the development progress is blocked, so I learned the knowledge of project management within one month, formulated the system process, document standards, set the deadline and determined the risk points. 1 month later, with the improvement of the system and process, the team greatly improved the project management time, and the boss and director also agreed with this management method.
(3) the time should be short
Whether you are going to improve your ability in some aspect or make a short-term version iteration plan, a month's work plan is enough. In this month, I will focus on this point, such as: demand assessment, I need to carry out SWOT analysis, Kano model analysis, A/B testing, review and so on. How to improve these tasks is what I need to focus on.
(4) Summary+Optimization
Students who have written PRD can find that it is always difficult to write PRD for the first time, and nothing can be written. After writing a few times, they won't ask how to write a document on the forum, and even some students will share how to write a document. These are all a process. We can find all kinds of problems through the summary after each process, and then gradually improve (optimize) and be diligent in writing and summarizing, then your promotion must be very rapid, because you will become more and more skilled and professional.
Finally-talk about the future.
A friend asked me before, how do you plan your future? I said I would be a product manager and then continue to earn money. Later, I thought this answer was a bit too perfunctory, and then I thought about how to plan according to the actual situation of myself and the company.
1, return to basic work
Reorganize the work related to requirements acquisition, requirements evaluation, requirements management and documentation (PRD, MRD, BRD), and gradually analyze each requirement carefully and deeply in a formal process, spend more time thinking and reduce the time to realize functional design. It is estimated to be about 1 month.
2. Lead the team and seek management.
Since the leader began to let me take over the work of the product department (3 people) in September, I suddenly felt a great responsibility and was lax in some work arrangements. I am still not professional in related management knowledge, and my decision-making ability is slightly weak, so I will focus on improving management knowledge and experience and improving members' execution and efficiency. It takes an estimated three months to make a hand.
3. Start horizontal development.
User experience, industry analysis, user research, market expansion, business model, etc. Will be analyzed and applied in practice, each one needs at least 1 month to think carefully, come up with a plan, produce results, and it takes three months to stabilize and improve. So this is completely urgent, because I am basically unskilled and need to gradually improve my ability in one aspect according to the company's business development. So you said at least 3 years experience when recruiting a product manager. )
I don't think it will be easy to do these things well in the next six months. Doing 1 thing per month is my limit, and there are still daily version iterations to do, so there are still many things to do.
What a relief to write here! I have said everything I think. It is my right to share my experience, and it is also an explanation for myself in the past six months.
Finally, thank you for chatting with me recently, which made me gain a lot of knowledge. I wish you a smooth career!