The Pragmatic Product Professional

Transcript

1. The Pragmatic Product
   @lauravandoore
   Laura Van Doore
   Head of Product Design, Fathom
   

   View Slide

2. View Slide

3. How could a book about programming
   written 2 decades ago be applicable to
   modern product development?
   @lauravandoore
   

   View Slide

4. Building Products in 2019
   

   View Slide

5. Solving problems in a sensible way that suits the
   conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying
   fixed ideas, theories or rules.
   Pragmatic
   Adjective
   @lauravandoore
   

   View Slide

6. Otherwise we end up with
   products like this:
   @lauravandoore
   

   View Slide

7. View Slide

8. View Slide

9. What makes a
   pragmatic product person?
   @lauravandoore
   

   View Slide

10. They think beyond the immediate problem
    and place it in a larger context
    Trait #1
    BIG PICTURE THINKER
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

11. They work with the chess pieces that are on
    the board, rather than the resources they
    wish they had
    Trait #2
    DEEPLY REALISTIC
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

12. They constantly re-evaluate and question
    current methods, approach & practices
    Trait #3
    INQUISITIVE
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

13. They deeply care about their craft, and
    actively invest in new skill development
    Trait #4
    SKILLED CRAFTSPERSON
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

14. They make informed decisions and
    intelligent compromises
    Trait #5
    SCIENTIFIC MINDSET
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

15. Big picture thinker Realistic Inquisitive
    Skilled Craftsperson Test & Learn Mindset
    Pragmatic Product Mindset Traits
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

16. Cultivating a
    Pragmatic Product Mindset
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

17. Speak more than one language
    1
    

    View Slide

18. Learn as many programming
    languages as possible
    In 1999
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

19. The limits of languages influence
    how you think about a problem
    The Pragmatic Programmer
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

20. Building product is a team sport
    With many roles and players
    In 2019
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

21. Learning the languages of your
    teammates is a super power
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

22. SPEAK MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE
    ● Customers
    ● Engineering
    ● Product Management
    ● Design & UX
    ● Business
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

23. Shared language and skill overlap
    breaks down barriers
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

24. Be a catalyst
    2
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

25. A chemical substance that can be added to a
    reaction to increase the reaction rate without
    getting consumed in the process
    Catalyst
    Noun
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

26. Be a catalyst
    Imagine this scenario:
    ● You have a really clear picture on how to make positive change
    ● You've got a great grasp on the resources you'll need, and how
    to bring it all together.
    ● It’s a slam dunk
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

27. Be a catalyst
    ● But when asking for permission to get started, you’re met with
    delays and blank stares
    ● People form committees
    ● Budgets need approvals
    ● Everyone starts to guards their resources
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

28. STORY TIME
    Stone Soup
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

29. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

30. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

31. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

32. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

33. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

34. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

35. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

36. Illustrations by Marcia Brown
    

    View Slide

37. BE A CATALYST
    People find it easier to join an
    ongoing success
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

38. BE A CATALYST
    Showing a glimpse of the future
    helps folks to rally
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

39. BE A CATALYST
    Sometimes people aren’t aware of
    the value they can contribute
    (They don’t know what they can bring to the pot)
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

40. Be a catalyst by helping the people around
    you see an exciting possible future, with a
    clear path for how they can contribute
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

41. Invest in your
    knowledge portfolio
    3
    

    View Slide

42. Your knowledge & experience are your
    most important professional assets.
    Unfortunately, they’re expiring assets.
    The Pragmatic Programmer
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

43. INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO
    Diversify
    The more areas you have knowledge in, the more
    valuable & adaptable you are.
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

44. INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO
    Manage risk
    Tech skills exist along a spectrum from risky, potentially
    high-reward to low-risk, low-reward skills.
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

45. INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO
    Buy low, sell high
    Learning emerging technologies or methods might be risky, but it
    pays off for early adopters who can end up dominating that area.
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

46. Manage your knowledge investments in
    a similar way to how you would manage
    a financial portfolio
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

47. Push for progress over perfection
    4
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

48. PUSH FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
    You can’t design perfect software
    There’s no single correct answer when building new features &
    products. ‘Perfect’ is dependant on the eye of the beholder.
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

49. PUSH FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
    Plan to adapt and iterate. Permanently.
    Customers needs are always evolving, usually needing more and
    more sophisticated functionality. Product is never done.
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

50. Speak more than one language
    1
    Be a catalyst
    2
    Invest in your knowledge portfolio
    3
    Push for progress over perfection
    4
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

51. Pragmatic Product Mantras
    4 bite-sized knowledge nuggets
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide

52. Don’t live with broken windows
    Fix bad designs, wrong decisions, and poor code when you see them.
    

    View Slide

53. Horses, not zebras
    Look for expected cause first, rather than searching out something more exotic
    

    View Slide

54. No one from Brazil has purchased our
    product, people must not be interested.
    Later, user research showed their checkout form validation
    didn’t allow Brazilian postcodes to pass
    

    View Slide

55. Carve stones, but think cathedrals
    Focus on where the big picture meets the detailed implementation.
    

    View Slide

56. When in doubt ask the duck
    Rubber duck debugging is popular with devs, but is handy for other teams too
    

    View Slide

57. Thanks
    @lauravandoore
    

    View Slide