INSPIRED Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Preface to the Second Edition

  PART I: Lessons from Top Tech Companies CHAPTER 1: Behind Every Great Product

  CHAPTER 2: Technology‐Powered Products and Services

  CHAPTER 3: Startups: Getting to Product/Marketing Fit

  CHAPTER 4: Growth‐Stage Companies: Scaling to Success

  CHAPTER 5: Enterprise Companies: Consistent Product Innovation

  CHAPTER 6: The Root Causes of Failed Product Efforts

  CHAPTER 7: Beyond Lean and Agile

  CHAPTER 8: Key Concepts Holistic Product

  Continuous Discovery and Delivery

  Product Discovery

  Prototypes

  Product Delivery

  Products and Product/Market Fit

  Product Vision

  PART II: The Right People Product Teams Overview

  CHAPTER 9: Principles of Strong Product Teams Team of Missionaries

  Team Composition

  Team Empowerment and Accountability

  Team Size

  Team Reporting Structure

  Team Collaboration

  Team Location

  Team Scope

  Team Duration

  Team Autonomy

  Why It Works

  CHAPTER 10: The Product Manager Key Responsibilities

  Deep Knowledge of the Customer

  Deep Knowledge of the Data

  Deep Knowledge of Your Business

  Deep Knowledge of Your Market and Industry

  Smart, Creative, and Persistent

  Product Manager Profiles

  CHAPTER 11: The Product Designer Product Discovery

  Holistic User Experience Design

  Prototyping

  User Testing

  Interaction and Visual Design

  The Absence of Product Design

  CHAPTER 12: The Engineers

  CHAPTER 13: Product Marketing Managers

  CHAPTER 14: The Supporting Roles User Researchers

  Data Analysts

  Test Automation Engineers

  CHAPTER 15: Profile: Jane Manning of Google

  People @ Scale Overview

  CHAPTER 16: The Role of Leadership Leaders of Product Management

  Leaders of Product Design

  Leaders of Technology Organization

  Holistic View Leadership Roles

  CHAPTER 17: The Head of Product Role Competencies

  CHAPTER 18: The Head of Technology Role Organization

  Leadership

  Delivery

  Architecture

  Discovery

  Evangelism

  CHAPTER 19: The Delivery Manager Role

  CHAPTER 20: Principles of Structuring Product Teams

  CHAPTER 21: Profile: Lea Hickman of Adobe

  PART III: The Right Product Product Roadmaps Overview

  CHAPTER 22: The Problems with Product Roadmaps

  CHAPTER 23: The Alternative to Roadmaps

  Product Vision Overview

  CHAPTER 24: Product Vision and Product Strategy The Product Vision

  The Product Strategy

  CHAPTER 25: Principles of Product Vision

  CHAPTER 26: Principles of Product Strategy

  CHAPTER 27: Product Principles

  Product Objectives Overview

  CHAPTER 28: The OKR Technique

  CHAPTER 29: Product Team Objectives

  Product @ Scale Overview

  CHAPTER 30: Product Objectives @ Scale

  CHAPTER 31: Product Evangelism

  CHAPTER 32: Profile: Alex Pressland of the BBC

  PART IV: The Right Process Product Discovery Overview

  CHAPTER 33: Principles of Product Discovery

  CHAPTER 34: Discovery Techniques Overview Discovery Framing Techniques

  Discovery Planning Techniques

  Discovery Ideation Techniques

  Discovery Prototyping Techniques

  Discovery Testing Techniques

  Testing Feasibility

  Testing Usability

  Testing Value

  Testing Business Viability

  Transformation Techniques

  Discovery Framing Techniques Overview

  CHAPTER 35: Opportunity Assessment Technique Business Objective

  Key Results

  Customer Problem

  Target Market

  CHAPTER 36: Customer Letter Technique

  CHAPTER 37: Startup Canvas Technique

  Discovery Planning Techniques Overview

  CHAPTER 38: Story Map Technique

  CHAPTER 39: Customer Discovery Program Technique The Power of Reference Customers

  Single Target Market

  Recruiting the Prospective Reference Customers

  The Relationship

  Platform/API Products

  Customer‐Enabling Tools

  Consumer Products

  Summary

  CHAPTER 40: Profile: Martina Lauchengco of Microsoft

  Discovery Ideation Techniques Overview

  CHAPTER 41: Customer Interviews

  CHAPTER 42: Concierge Test Technique

  CHAPTER 43: The Power of Customer Misbehavior

  CHAPTER 44: Hack Days

  Discovery Prototyping Techniques Overview

  Feasibility Prototypes

  User Prototypes

  Live‐Data Prototypes

  Hybrid Prototypes

  CHAPTER 45: Principles of Prototypes

  CHAPTER 46: Feasibility Prototype Technique

  CHAPTER 47: User Prototype Technique

  CHAPTER 48: Live‐Data Prototype Technique

  CHAPTER 49: Hybrid Prototype Technique

  Discovery Testing Techniques Overview

  CHAPTER 50: Testing Usability Recruiting Users to Test

  Preparing the Test

  Testing Your Prototype

  Summarizing the Learning

  CHAPTER 51: Testing Value Testing Demand

  Testing Value Qualitatively

  Testing Value Quantitatively

  CHAPTER 52: Demand Testing Techniques

  CHAPTER 53: Qualitative Value Testing Techniques Interview First

  Usability Test

  Specific Value Tests

  Iterating the Prototype

  CHAPTER 54: Quantitative Value Testing Techniques A/B Testing

  Invite‐Only Testing

  Customer Discovery Program

  CHAPTER 55: Testing Feasibility

  CHAPTER 56: Testing Business Viability Marketing

  Sales

  Customer Success

  Finance

  Legal

  Business Development

  Security

  CEO/COO/GM

  CHAPTER 57: Profile: Kate Arnold of Netflix

  Transformation Techniques Overview

  CHAPTER 58: Discovery Sprint Technique

  CHAPTER 59: Pilot Team Technique

  CHAPTER 60: Weaning an Organization Off Roadmaps

  Process @ Scale Overview

  CHAPTER 61: Managing Stakeholders Stakeholder Defined

  Product Manager Responsibilities

  Strategies for Success

  CHAPTER 62: Communicating Product Learnings

  CHAPTER 63: Profile: Camille Hearst of Apple

  PART V: The Right Culture CHAPTER 64: Good Product Team/Bad Product Team

  CHAPTER 65: Top Reasons for Loss of Innovation

  CHAPTER 66: Top Reasons for Loss of Velocity

  CHAPTER 67: Establishing a Strong Product Culture

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Learning More

  Index

  End User License Agreement

  List of Illustrations

/>   Chapter 6 FIGURE 6.1 Root Causes of Failed Product Efforts

  Chapter 8 FIGURE 8.1 Continuous Discovery and Delivery

  “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 p
roducts.”

  —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 that their customers love.”

  —Mike Fisher, CTO, Etsy

  “Marty reminds us of the importance of why we build products. The product mindset and focusing on our customers, builds better entrepreneurs, companies and better solutions for all of us. This mindset is the foundation of building successful product companies at any stage.”

  —Erin Stadler, Discovery Coach, Boomtown Accelerator