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Nov 2023
1h 7m

#89 - Melissa Perri // Author of "Escapi...

Tobias Schlottke - alphalist CTO Podcast
About this episode
CTOs Guide to Product Strategy and ProductOps

Craft the ideal product strategy in this CTO podcast episode with Mellisa Perri, author of “Escaping the Build Trap” and “Product Operations”.Find out how to become truly product-led: from your strategy to your metrics to your tooling. Listen to find out:

  • How to balance qualitative 😍 and quantitative data 🧪 in product
  • Were the mass layoffs caused by overhiring? 🫠Is it a natural part of growth or can companies avoid over scaling?
  • What does the ideal product strategy 🎯look like?
  • What is ProductOps⚙️ and why you need it
  • + how to handle your fellow exec’s "greatest idea ever" (AKA Build Trap Alert)

🚧 WARNING: LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST MIGHT CAUSE YOUR PRODUCT STRATEGY TO ACTUALLY BE SUPER FOCUSED AND USED. ONLY LISTEN IF YOU ARE NOT SCARED OF RESULTS.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: codecentric, Sipgate and WorkGenius.

Quote:

> I think product management is this careful combination of always balancing the qualitative with the quantitative. It's about synthesizing a ton of data and trying to figure out which direction do we go in.” - Melissa Perri,alphalist CTO podcast #89

Timestamps (approx): 00:00 Intro 02:08 Melissa Perry's Education and Early Career 04:18 Her Forray into Product Management 05:07 Her stint as Software Developer 06:31 How people-centric agile transformed their team culture 07:32 Melissa Perry's Initial Experience with Product Management 08:08 When expectations did not match actual usage analytics 09:00 Lean Project Management 09:26 How her Product Thought Leadership Career took off 10:44 Product Management: Balancing Qualitative and Quantitative Data 11:48 The Build Trap 13:17 How to ground an executive's AMAZING idea in product management 18:58 How Organisational Structure could be a blocker for Product Management 22:41 How to get out of the Build Trap 24:26 Overhiring? Role Consolidation 26:36 How to avoid over scaling / overhiring 30:54 What is the ideal Product Strategy 31:27 Do all companies need Product Strategy? 33:26 The Importance of Strategic Intent in Company Strategy 33:50 Examples of Top 3 Strategic Priorities 34:23 Aligning the Whole Company with Strategic Intent 35:04 Example of Adapting Products to Achieve a Strategic Intent 35:41 Product Strategy Prompts 36:19 How to build a product strategy 36:51 How to clarify your Company Vision 37:11 Defining Strategic Intent 37:33 The Importance of Product in Strategic Decision-Making 38:08 Being Realistic 42:48 The Role of Product Operations in Product Management 43:27 The Importance of Data and Insights in Product Operations 45:59 Understanding Your Customers through Market Research 48:42 The Role of Process and Governance in Product Operations 01:01:34 The Importance of Aligning Tech and Product Roadmaps 01:02:39 The Value of Building Relationships in Leadership

About our sponsors

codecentric

The codecentric Culture and Career Podcast is unique for a company podcast. It is just employees talking freely about their daily life - from IT consulting projects they are working to imposter syndrome. We support this because we think it's pretty cool that codecentric simply lets the colleagues talk about everything, no matter what it's about - project business, Imposter sydrome, further education or parental leave in the consulting business. For us it is definitely worth a recommendation. Listen in - the codecentric Culture and Career Podcast. Note - its in German. Just go to: www.link.alphalist.com/cc

--

Sipgate

Sipgate is a cloud-based all-in-one telephony solution that will satisfy your company's pretty much every use case.

From sales to customer support - having a good connection with your customers has never been easier.

The NEW Sipgate App comes with AI-powered features, noise-canceling, and a seamless integration with other business tools like all major CRMs - Your sales team will love it.

Their intuitive user interface makes business calling even more efficient and is available on any device or operating system. Great for hybrid teams.

Plus, as a German company - they know all your GDPR needs.

Sounds good? Well, keep listening as it gets better:

As an alphalist CTO podcast listener, you get € 500 worth of free credits when you sign up at https://link.alphalist.com/sipgate and use the code: sipgatealpha in the form there.

WorkGenius

Tired of sifting through countless resumes and struggling to find the right tech talent? Look no further! WorkGenius has just acquired Expertlead, known for its innovation in matching tech freelancers with top-tier companies and offering peer-to-peer live coding assessments. Now, they bring even more efficiency to your hiring process. Whether you're a startup or an established enterprise, WorkGenius is now here to turbocharge your hiring process. Say goodbye to the guesswork and endless interviews. WorkGenius matches your candidates experienced senior developers and puts them through tailored, enjoyable, and fair technical interviews. Your company will get the cream of the crop - the most sought-after talents in the industry- while saving your hardworking Tech and HR teams valuable time. Start your journey with WorkGenius - head over to https://link.alphalist.com/work connect with an expert, and find the perfect match for your engineering needs.

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