Lessons from the experiences of a hi-tech product manager
This is part of a series on Product Management based on my experiences.
You’re leading a meeting to advance your product or feature. Grooming a new feature, for example, where you review the new development that you want to be started. Developers are there, a system architect, designers.
Someone’s microphone is unmuted. You see it coming from a mile away.- It’s that uber-technical, detail-focused attendee about to derail your meeting. Your flow will be smashed. While you’ve been busy providing context and explaining the feature, he’s been working out options of how to implement it. In his mind he sees a decision tree of assumptions we take, and the cost of the solution based on which branch we take. A stick will now be thrown into the spokes of the bike you’re on. He’s already identified edge cases your explanation didn’t address, and potential problems with performance and delivery. Soon you will see the snake-like path of a crack in your window. The mm-hmm of a throat being cleared comes on the line, and there it goes: Sorry to interrupt, but I have just one question.
You know that’s not true. It’s the first question. As I explain the feature more, the rationale, you will have more questions. Questions whose detailed answers will become less and less relevant. The interrupting question is a placebo. A mountain built on a needle. It does not matter now, actually, because we’ll be going down a different branch of your solutions tree.
It is not a real issue, since it’s a technical issue based on the wrong problem- a problem outside the purview of the business context and relevant use cases. But you, interlocutor, are interjecting so early, without fully understanding the problem, or the solution. You’re running to the solution space and finding issues with your imagined solutions, before visiting the problem space.
And you’re disrupting my meeting. Other people here need to hear the whole story, the entire business context, and my proposed solutions. Going down the rabbit hole of technical solutions will burn up the entire rese of the meeting.
Understand — I want your involvement, I need your help, your knowledge, your experience. I appreciate and value it. I will not brush you off or dismiss you, which will only alienate you. So what’s my move now? Give you the microphone? Address all your technical concerns, which will take the rest of the time of the meeitng? Set a continuation of this meeting?
Indiana Jones Escape
At the last second I managed to save the meeting from a frustrating barrage of details. I asked the attendee to set a time to review the issues identified., so we could address them one by one. It was that easy. Deferring the poison-darted questions will leave enough time to resolve them before they even sting. The questions will dissolve, become irrelevant. Turn the poison into placebo. And we- collectively- can stay on focus.
Thanks for reading.
About this article
This is part of a series on Product Management based on my experiences.
About The Author
I’m a UX Designer turned Product Manager, with experience in startups, freelance, and international B2B companies. Writing helps me reflect & continuously learn. Connect with me on Twitter.
