Cagan argues that a fairly standard organizational structure has emerged for product organizations, and that its shape affects behavior even though role definitions matter more. He contends that a CEO/COO or division GM…
“I'm working with a design intern this summer. It's a lot of fun. She doesn't have a design background. She's right out of college, a dual major in Linguistics and Brain and Cognitive Science. She didn't even know what interaction design was before she saw”
Cagan argues that teams who genuinely value product discovery still waste time when they lack a plan, so they should write a Product Discovery Plan spelling out who is involved, what must be done, what resources are…
Marty Cagan shares an explicit product manager job description tailored to empowered product teams, where PMs are accountable for outcomes rather than just delivering features. He explains that the PM owns making sure a…
This edition of Lenny Rachitsky's newsletter answers two reader questions. First, with input from Jackie Bavaro, it argues that early-career PMs should prioritize shipping wins, learning best practices, building…
Teresa Torres shares a short, personal reflection prompted by a quote from Brett Martin about his decision to step away from his startup Sonar. Her core point is that founders sometimes must concede a battle to win the…
Chandra Janakiraman, shared with Lenny Rachitsky, presents Strategy Blocks, a step-by-step product strategy framework. It has a 2-year 'small s' strategy built from preparation, sprints, design work, writing, and…
Marty Cagan marks 40 years since starting his career in software engineering, reflecting on the long run of work he found rewarding and the lessons it taught him. He argues that learning and experience compound over…
Marty Cagan answers common follow-up questions about product vision, clarifying how it differs from a roadmap and how it should be scoped, owned, detailed and maintained. He argues a vision should describe a desired end…
Seed fundraising is presented as one of the most high-stakes and confusing parts of a founder's job, and this guide, co-written by two seed investors who have been involved in over 1,000 seed rounds, aims to make it…
Marty Cagan describes "Product Manager Charm School," a foundational training program for new product managers covering communication skills and external interaction. Originating at HP and expanded at Netscape, it…
Chris Jones argues that organizational transformation, like product development, should be rolled out incrementally rather than all at once. Because people adopt change at different speeds, a sweeping rollout can…
Marty Cagan argues that the typical product portfolio planning process used by companies past the startup stage is deeply frustrating, and that few organizations are satisfied with how they choose projects and allocate…
Marty Cagan argues that moving to the product model rarely requires a reorganization, because org design is largely orthogonal to whether a company adopts product principles. He describes the two dominant org models…
Hiten Shah revisits his 2015 observation of "infectious enthusiasm" in founders and argues its source is not charisma but a prior, settled decision to pursue the work regardless of outcome. He contends that investors…
This essay recounts how Datasite, a SaaS provider for dealmaking, rebuilt its outdated platform under pressure to keep clients from leaving. When the platform failed during a beta launch with an Irish client, the…
Lenny Rachitsky compiles favorite life mottos shared by podcast guests, asking them for a motto they return to often. The post is a collection of short inspirational sayings and the reflections behind them, intended as…
Marty Cagan explains that his upcoming book TRANSFORMED needs a name for the way the best tech companies work, and he tentatively settles on the 'product operating model' or 'product model.' He notes that the industry…
Lenny Rachitsky argues that most job postings are dull and that a standout posting is a high-return investment for attracting applicants and strengthening brand. He shares several examples from companies like…
Lenny Rachitsky compiles practices from six companies known for work trials (Linear, Automattic, 37signals, Gumroad, Auth0, PostHog) into a guide covering what work trials are, why they help, example projects, time and…
Teresa Torres and Petra Wille argue that many organizations do not have a clearly written product strategy, and that the strategy actually in play is often implicit and revealed by what teams build and learn. They…
Marty Cagan argues that engineers often make excellent product managers because they understand what is technically possible, and that the move from engineering to product management requires specific mindset and skill…
Marty Cagan argues that 'The Innovator's Dilemma' describes a symptom of large-company decline rather than its root cause. Drawing on Ben Horowitz's 'Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO' framing, he contends that startups are…
A guest post by product leader Tamara Hinckley offering a step-by-step playbook for building a parental leave coverage plan. It walks through timing the rollout with stakeholders, choosing a leave timeline, assigning…