As a product manager, there are many things to deal with every day, and it is easy to fall into the trap of "whack-a-mole", solving whatever tasks pop up first, which in turn delays important matters. Therefore, product managers must plan ahead and let their thoughts lead the way.
When starting out as a product manager, do you often encounter situations like this? Working overtime until late at night, but still unable to finish the work;
The requirements proposed by the business side are good, but you don't know how to prioritize;
At the beginning of the year, you need to write a work plan, but you are at a loss. This kind of scenario is easy to associate with "whack-a-mole". What does it mean?
We are very accustomed to dealing with the problems that arise in our work. Whoever pops up first, we eliminate them first, which can easily result in important matters being postponed. As a product manager, planning is very important. Don't get overwhelmed by details. Thinking must always be ahead, and product planning should be done in advance.
The Importance of Planning#
From the perspective of career development, in the product manager competency model, reaching a senior level requires product managers to independently complete product planning.
At the same time, as our experience deepens, we are increasingly involved in analyzing and answering unclear/ambiguous product issues, and even discovering problems and new opportunities.
All of these can be accomplished through product planning.
Two Key Aspects of Product Planning#
Setting Goals#
Setting goals determines the direction of the product and requires goal communication to ensure that everyone agrees on the goals and works together towards them.
Finding Paths#
To achieve the goals, it often involves teamwork and a sense of rhythm, with milestones in each stage reaching certain states. Essentially, it is a bottom-up logic of starting with the end in mind. First, determine the goals, and then figure out how to break them down and implement them.
6 Steps of Product Planning#
Reviewing and Summarizing the Current Situation#
What is the purpose of reviewing and summarizing? It is to organize the basic aspects and build a system. This process must go from vague to specific, from the main points to the details. There are two key methods for doing this: quantitative analysis, understanding the performance of the product's basic aspects and key indicators through data analysis, and qualitative analysis, conducting user interviews to understand the current situation of the product through the voices of users.
Finally, what do we expect from this process? One is to identify the problems with the product and recognize its weaknesses; the other is to identify the good experiences and strengths of the product.
Try asking yourself:
- In the products you are responsible for, what are the key directions that can be abstracted?
- What are the key points and milestones in these directions?
- How can these key points and milestones be quantified?
- Based on these data, which aspects are not meeting expectations and which aspects are excellent?
User Scenarios and Needs#
Why focus on researching user scenarios and needs?
This is the core of the product, the foundation of its value.
User scenarios and needs are constantly changing. Taking the channel for obtaining information as an example, it has evolved from newspapers and magazines to portals, blogs, microblogs, headlines, WeChat public accounts, and short videos.
As scenarios and needs continue to change, products also need to iterate accordingly. Try asking yourself:
- Have the user scenarios changed?
- What user scenarios and needs are not being well met?
Industry Changes#
The perspective of the industry can be divided into two aspects:
We need to be familiar with products in the same industry, as the saying goes, "know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
At the same time, we need to pay attention to changes in related products within the company, learn from them, and keep an open mind. Try asking yourself:
- What are the advantages of competing products in the same industry?
- Compared to last year, what new trends have emerged in the industry?
- Are there any new lines or models related to our products within the company?
Direction of the Department/Business#
After working in the education industry, I found that it is different from the internet industry; the difference lies in the fact that we are not at the upstream of this business line.
In the internet industry, as a product manager, you understand the users the best and you are at the upstream. Everyone follows the product's thinking.
But in the education industry, we are not the ones who understand students and parents the best. We need to focus on the upstream business thinking and direction, closely aligning with the main business path. We need to timely obtain and digest top-down strategic thinking and top-level design. Try asking yourself:
- How long has it been since I last talked to the business side? What are they currently focused on?
- What are the core indicators that the business side is most concerned about? How is our product closely related to these indicators?
- Which parts of the product I am responsible for are closely related to the business direction?
Summarizing Problems and Defining Goals#
The first four steps are a divergent process that helps us find problems. This step is a convergent process that integrates all the information together, extracts the major core problems to be solved, and the problems become the starting point. Once the problems are identified, you will find that the goals also become clear.
Setting Milestones#
The first five steps are about finding goals.
Setting milestones is the second key point: finding paths.
The significance of milestones is to give the team a sense of purpose and rhythm, knowing at what point in time and what major events will be completed.
In each version, there is a main theme that stands out. Regularly review the progress of milestones with the team to avoid starting strong but ending weakly. Try asking yourself:
- Of all the things planned, what is essential for the smallest MVP loop?
- How many lines of work are there? What is the main theme of each version? A single image can clarify the relationship between the two key paths and the 6-step method.
Conclusion#
Product planning is a pain point for many product managers.
In the three stages of a product, supporting the business, driving the business, and leading the business, becoming a driver and leader is the aspiration of many product managers.
Mastering the tricks behind product planning becomes a powerful tool for our continuous advancement. Today, I shared the two key aspects and six steps of product planning:
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Two key aspects: setting goals and finding paths
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Six steps:
- Reviewing and summarizing the current situation
- Changes in users (user scenarios and needs)
- Changes in the industry
- Changes in the department/business direction
- Summarizing problems and defining goals
- Setting milestones
Finally, I would like to share a summary of planning ideas.
