5 Traps you want to avoid in your first 90 days as a PM
+ exclusive updates on what's going on in the Soch Planet
Kya haal hen, Soch fam!
We know product management is no less than navigating a maze of uncertainties and within those dark lanes lie some perils. Today, we shall be highlighting those so that hum jin pitfalls me gir k yahan pohnche hen, aapko unse bachaa sake.
Without further ado, here’s a snapshot of what this edition entails:
Traps you want to avoid in your first 90 days as a PM
Sochology Eduseries
SochCafe Updates
SochCast Blasts
Slack Shugal
Let’s dive in then, shall we? We won’t let you drown, don’t worry.
5 Traps you want to avoid as a PM in your first 90 days
TRAP I:
🚩 Stuck so deep in documentation, that there was no real time to interact with "the people" or "the product"
In some orgs, the first thing hiring managers would do once you join a product team is put you under a stack of never-ending documentation.. and while it can prove to be a valuable aid in consolidating concepts better, it should not consume more than 10% of your initial days.
TRAP II:
🚩 You are working in a silo
Ah, as multidisciplinary as product management is, there just can not be one way to do things. Which is why DO NOT assume your 'methods' and 'outcomes' are what is expected in this new organisation as well. Communicate clearly with your stakeholders and managers as to what they want to have accomplished at the end of each 30 day period, and circle back every 2 weeks to eliminate gaps in expectations.
TRAP III:
🚩 Imposter Syndrome
And.. there it is. Slowly creeping in as you navigate through this new company with a bunch of complete strangers.
"Am I doing enough?"
"What if I wasn't capable enough to do this?"
"This backlog is beyond anything I can ever fix!"
Take a deep breath, and tell yourself to take things slow. Deep down when you signed up for it, you knew you could do it -- the only problem with now is that you are not sure if what you're doing is what is expected of you. For this very same reason, I emphasized on creating synergies with your teams and reporting authorities, such that you can gradually work your way up to achieve those outcomes.
TRAP IV:
🚩 You are introducing changes to the backlog without getting everyone's buy-in
I know you are passionate about making a difference, and want to act upon your instincts right away. 75% of the time, you also maybe right. But, hold on to them until you have enough data/reasoning to back it up and then strive on acquiring the right approvals. Acting 'quick' is not needed in your initial tenure so much so as acting 'responsible'.
TRAP V:
🚩 You want to work on the strategy/pricing before getting a good grip on the product itself
The pressure to stand out by the end of your first 90 days is real. But one wrong move and you're going to be doing more harm than good. Even for senior product positions, I would recommend taking a stab at strategy and pricing ONLY if you've understood your customer segment, laid out your Jobs-To-Be-Done and have nearly figured out your North Star. These are great artefacts for you to produce at the end of your 90 day period, and strengthens your footing as a pragmatic decision-maker.
🧠 Sochology EduSeries: Webinars for PM Learning
Upcoming Session: Sochology # 12 - Alejandro Simkievich
Make sure to join us next week as Alejandro Simkievich - founder of Produkando (http://produkando.io), a beta product that helps founders and product managers write documents to support strategic product initiatives and validate key assumptions - takes stage to share his wisdom.
Date: March 02nd, 2023 @ 8 pm Pakistan time.
Topic: Differences between going from 0 to 1, and from 1 to 2.
Past Sessions
In case you missed it, make sure you catch the past Sochology sessions on our Youtube channel e.g.
Episode 11: JJ Rorie, author of the book IMMUTABLE: 5 Truths of Great Product Managers, shared ways on Improving our Judgment & Decision Making for Better Products.
Episode 10: Zeeshan Syed, author of the course Tech Talk for Non-Developers, expanded on how Product Managers can be fluent in speaking tech.
Episode 9: Reham Fawad, senior product leader at PointClickCare, spoke about the importance of data when storytelling.
Episode 8: Christian Idiodi, partner at SVPG, shared what it takes to be a great Product Manager.
🎙 SochCast Podcast Episodes
Fresh out: Role of AI in Future of Products
This week, Abdul sat down with Ali Rehan, Director of Engineering at Motive. They dove deep into the role AI will play in the future of products, how AI product management is different from other types of PM roles & the ethics of AI. This is a must-listen for those who are planning to venture into this field.
Watch now on Youtube Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts
Past Episodes
In case you missed it, a couple of interesting episodes we recommend:
Teaching Product Management featuring Clement Kao.
Clement talked about the traits of great Product Managers, how AI will change things in the future & makes some great reading recommendations.
Watch now Spotify Google PodcastsProduct Management in Fintech featuring Shazil Pervez.
Shazil spoke about the future of fintech, how Pakistan progressed on this front and the differences between Fintech PMs and other types of product roles.
Watch now Spotify Google Podcasts
🤝 Soch Cafe Meetups
Karachi Soch Cafe
Free up your calendars in the last week of February — we got to have our own Palentines Day for our mutual love of product, right pals?
Miltay hain phir over a hot, crisp topic.
Lahore Soch Cafe
Our Lahore chapter leads are ready to host you on the 10th of March! Are you ready for a mazaydaar gupshup session?
Stay tuned to our page for more updates.
💬 Slack Discussions
Interesting Threads
On Slack, we saw a lot of mentions of AI and ChatGPT along with interesting threads around product roadmapping tools.
What roadmapping tools are you using these days? Have your say by joining our Slack group: slack.productsoch.com.
Jobs Posted
Are you in the market for jobs? Well, our Slack group’s #job-portal channel has been blowing up with interesting vacancies. For example, these employers are looking for product peeps with solid soch:
If you or someone you know is looking for options, you might want to jump into our Slack.
May the Soch be with you.
Salaam,
Sarrah Moiz