Inspired
Description
Learn to design, build, and scale products consumers can't get enough of
How do today's most successful tech companies¯Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla¯design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently than most tech companies. In INSPIRED, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides readers with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization, and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love¯and that will work for your business.
With sections on assembling the right people and skillsets, discovering the right product, embracing an effective yet lightweight process, and creating a strong product culture, readers can take the information they learn and immediately leverage it within their own organizations¯dramatically improving their own product efforts.
Whether you're an early-stage startup working to get to product/market fit, or a growth-stage company working to scale your product organization, or a large, long-established company trying to regain your ability to consistently deliver new value for your customers, INSPIRED will take you and your product organization to a new level of customer engagement, consistent innovation, and business success.
Filled with the author's own personal stories¯and profiles of some of today's most-successful product managers and technology-powered product companies, including Adobe, Apple, BBC, Google, Microsoft, and Netflix¯INSPIRED will show you how to turn up the dial of your own product efforts, creating technology products your customers love.
The first edition of INSPIRED, published ten years ago, established itself as the primary reference for technology product managers, and can be found on the shelves of nearly every successful technology product company worldwide. This thoroughly updated second edition shares the same objective of being the most valuable resource for technology product managers, yet it is completely new¯sharing the latest practices and techniques of today's most-successful tech product companies, and the men and women behind every great product.
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MARTY CAGAN, widely recognized as the primary thought leader for technology product management, is the founder of the Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG). He served as an executive responsible for defining and building products for some of the most successful companies in the world, including Hewlett-Packard, Netscape Communications, and eBay.
Content
Preface to the Second Edition xvii
Part I Lessons From Top Tech Companies 1
Chapter 1 Behind Every Great Product 5
Chapter 2 Technology-Powered Products and Services 7
Chapter 3 Startups: Getting to Product/Market Fit 9
Chapter 4 Growth-Stage Companies: Scaling to Success 11
Chapter 5 Enterprise Companies: Consistent Product Innovation 13
Chapter 6 The Root Causes of Failed Product Efforts 15
Chapter 7 Beyond Lean and Agile 23
Chapter 8 Key Concepts 25
Part II The Right People 31
Product Teams 32
Chapter 9 Principles of Strong Product Teams 33
Chapter 10 The Product Manager 41
Chapter 11 The Product Designer 53
Chapter 12 The Engineers 59
Chapter 13 Product Marketing Managers 63
Chapter 14 The Supporting Roles 67
Chapter 15 Profile: Jane Manning of Google 71
People @ Scale 74
Chapter 16 The Role of Leadership 75
Chapter 17 The Head of Product Role 79
Chapter 18 The Head of Technology Role 87
Chapter 19 The Delivery Manager Role 91
Chapter 20 Principles of Structuring Product Teams 93
Chapter 21 Profile: Lea Hickman of Adobe 103
Part III The Right Product 107
Product Roadmaps 108
Chapter 22 The Problems with Product Roadmaps 111
Chapter 23 The Alternative to Roadmaps 115
Product Vision 121
Chapter 24 Product Vision and Product Strategy 123
Chapter 25 Principles of Product Vision 129
Chapter 26 Principles of Product Strategy 133
Chapter 27 Product Principles 135
Product Objectives 137
Chapter 28 The OKR Technique 139
Chapter 29 Product Team Objectives 143
Product @ Scale 146
Chapter 30 Product Objectives @ Scale 147
Chapter 31 Product Evangelism 151
Chapter 32 Profile: Alex Pressland of the BBC 155
Part IV The Right Process 159
Product Discovery 161
Chapter 33 Principles of Product Discovery 165
Chapter 34 Discovery Techniques Overview 171
Discovery Framing Techniques 175
Chapter 35 Opportunity Assessment Technique 179
Chapter 36 Customer Letter Technique 183
Chapter 37 Startup Canvas Technique 187
Discovery Planning Techniques 191
Chapter 38 Story Map Technique 193
Chapter 39 Customer Discovery Program Technique 195
Chapter 40 Profile: Martina Lauchengco of Microsoft 205
Discovery Ideation Techniques 208
Chapter 41 Customer Interviews 211
Chapter 42 Concierge Test Technique 215
Chapter 43 The Power of Customer Misbehavior 217
Chapter 44 Hack Days 221
Discovery Prototyping Techniques 223
Chapter 45 Principles of Prototypes 227
Chapter 46 Feasibility Prototype Technique 229
Chapter 47 User Prototype Technique 233
Chapter 48 Live-Data Prototype Technique 235
Chapter 49 Hybrid Prototype Technique 239
Discovery Testing Techniques 241
Chapter 50 Testing Usability 243
Chapter 51 Testing Value 251
Chapter 52 Demand Testing Techniques 253
Chapter 53 Qualitative Value Testing Techniques 259
Chapter 54 Quantitative Value Testing Techniques 265
Chapter 55 Testing Feasibility 273
Chapter 56 Testing Business Viability 277
Chapter 57 Profile: Kate Arnold of Netflix 283
Transformation Techniques 286
Chapter 58 Discovery Sprint Technique 287
Chapter 59 Pilot Team Technique 291
Chapter 60 Weaning an Organization Off Roadmaps 293
Process @ Scale 295
Chapter 61 Managing Stakeholders 297
Chapter 62 Communicating Product Learnings 305
Chapter 63 Profile: Camille Hearst of Apple 307
Part V The Right Culture 309
Chapter 64 Good Product Team/Bad Product Team 311
Chapter 65 Top Reasons for Loss of Innovation 315
Chapter 66 Top Reasons for Loss of Velocity 319
Chapter 67 Establishing a Strong Product Culture 323
Acknowledgments 327
About the Author 329
Learning More 331
Index 333
"INSPIRED is the authority on how to build a product that customers actually want. It's not about hiring product managers - it's about establishing a culture that puts the user first, and builds the organization and teams around that customer to ensure that you are building the best product possible. From CEOs to APMs, this is required reading."
-Amanda Richardson, Chief Data and Strategy Officer, HotelTonight
"We first started working with Marty when ImmobilienScout was entering growth-stage, and he helped us set the organization up to rapidly scale and grow to become one of the largest and most successful technology startups in Germany. He remained a friend and advisor to the company for many years. His book INSPIRED helped people from all across the company, and the new version is sure to help many more companies."
-Jürgen Böhm, Co-Founder, Immobilien Scout GmbH
"It does not matter if you are a seasoned product leader or a new product manager, INSPIRED will make you realise that you have the best job in the world and can have incredible impact - especially if you follow Marty Cagan's words of wisdom. His book has been the bible of our industry for the past decade, and it will no doubt continue to be so with this latest update containing the most exciting best-in-class product practices.
-Tanya Cordrey, former Chief Digital Officer at Guardian News & Media
"Building a great product that nails Product/Market Fit is always a key first step to any successful start-up. However, organizing the product and engineering teams, in ways that ensures scalability, speed, and quality is usually the next biggest challenge. Marty's insights and lessons learned can be applied to build highly productive teams to manage through dependencies, and build a culture that is positioned to scale. This applies whether your business is in need of a serious course correction, or on a rocket ship."
-Scott Sahadi, Founder and CEO, The Experience Engine
"Marty offers actionable advice on product management without being too prescriptive, making his wisdom applicable in many contexts. He draws from a wealth of experience, illustrating his advice with dozens of real-world stories. If you want to create digital products that people love, this book will get you started on the right path."
-Teresa Torres, Discovery Coach
"We have worked closely with Marty shaping product and building product management organisations in several of our portfolio companies. Marty's insight and advice is leading-edge and world-class."
-Harry Nellis, Partner, Accel
"Early in my career in Product Management, I had the good fortune of meeting Marty Cagan. Since then, he has been an incredible mentor for me and the teams I've led. I have seen, firsthand at multiple companies, how Marty transforms product teams and unlocks sustained innovation and growth. Marty literally and figuratively wrote the book on Product Management for today's technology industry."
-Sarah Fried Rose, Product Leader and COO
"I've been lucky to work with some of the best product managers and product minds in the business. In my experience Marty Cagan is hands down the absolute best product management mind alive today. This book packs years of experience into 250 pages."
-Marty Abbott, CEO, AKF Partners, former CTO, eBay
"Great products delight customers. Marty Cagan has led and inspired countless product teams and in INSPIRED, you will learn how to build those products, both strategically and tactically."
-Shripriya Mahesh, Partner, Omidyar Network
"CEOs, Chief Product Officers, and anyone who cares about creating great products, must read this book. Your customers will love you for it."
-Phil Terry, Founder and CEO of Collaborative Gain, co-author, Customers Included
"Marty is not only a seasoned expert on all aspects of the often ambiguous discipline of product management, his book also provides inspiration, tools and techniques, and really practical help."
-Judy Gibbons, Startup Advisor and Board Member
"Building great products is hard. Marty gives great insight into best practices and skills that really can only be discovered after years of experience and study. Just about every product person I respect learned product management from INSPIRED."
-Jason Li, CEO and Founder, Boolan, Shanghai
"If you want your customers to love your products, INSPIRED is an 'everyone in the company' must read book."
-Jana Eggers, CEO, Nara Logic
"What I really love about working with Marty is that his techniques are applicable to building really great enterprise products - not just new consumer apps. INSPIRED is our true north. Anytime I feel the organization moving sideways, it's time to read it again!"
-Jeff Trom, Founder and CTO, Workiva
"I've known Marty for nearly 20 years. By now, you'd think I'd have heard everything he has to say. And yet, every time I see him, his continued interest in learning about our field means that he always new ideas to share. And with honesty, humanity, frankness, and most of all.perspective that never fails to give me fresh energy and a new approach. Thrilled that he's bottled it for us once more in this new edition of INSPIRED!"
-Audrey Crane, Partner, DesignMap
"Marty's practical approach to building great products transformed the way we approached product development for the radical betterment of the Company and our customers. Just as importantly, his methodology helped shape multiple people's career trajectories both inside the Company and outside of it as they've gone on to drive product development in other organizations - from Fortune 500 companies to other VC backed high growth companies. If you're in a leadership role or on the product team at an organization trying to build products your target audience loves, this should be the next book you read."
-Shawn Boyer, Founder, Snagajob and goHappy
"When I needed to stand up a productive, scalable product management function at Etsy, I turned to Marty. His playbook for establishing product management as a distinct discipline is invaluable for any team working on products powered by software and made by engineers." Rarely is a business book so clearly written and packed full of concrete advice. We used it as our product management guide in scaling Etsy, and I've used it in every company since."
-Maria Thomas, Board Member and Investor
"The art of Product Management is the art of life itself. Surround yourselves by great people, focus on your mojo, build great stuff with integrity, hold strong opinions but lightly. And Marty is one of the best teachers of this art."
-Punit Soni, Founder and CEO, Robin, Former Google APM
"Marty was a coach and mentor for my early years in product management and the book INSPIRED became the go to guide whenever I needed some clarity on the product manager's role, skill set or the daily challenges from product discovery to execution. And it still was a solid reference while stepping up to a product leadership role. Now, in my role as discovery coach, I recommend the book to every new client. It's not a methodology book; this book helps product people to get the right mindset regardless of the frameworks and techniques they are using."
-Petra Wille, Discovery Coach
"Marty's 2nd Edition builds on an amazing base of knowledge and experience, and provides even more insights, lessons, and frameworks that are imperative to every product-based company."
-Chuck Geiger, CTO/CPO Chegg
"Marty has a way of elegantly simplifying decades of experience leading and teaching product organizations to excel in value creation for their customers into one actionable, inspiring, quick read. From organizational assessments, tools for aligning teams against a real user need, to the nitty gritty of pulling off continuous product discovery & delivery, INSPIRED is my go-to reference and recommendation for any Product Leader looking to up their game for the sake of building winning products."
-Lisa Kavanaugh, Executive Coach
"Marty is legendary among the best product leaders for cutting to the heart of where their teams need to improve. His advice is practical, actionable and will excite you and your team to better address customer needs immediately. Your engineers and customers will thank you for reading this book."
-Hope Gurion, Product Leader
"Marty is the go-to expert for how to build great products. He has personally trained and educated product managers from all over the world across every industry. Marty has coached and guided some of the most successful Internet companies of our time. This second edition shares even more from his vast expertise and knowledge about how the best companies in the world are able to build products...
