Road 3 » Agile Product Management

Two New Ways to Keep an Eye on Pivotal Tracker

2009-12-01T21:41:25Z

Pivotal Tracker, in addition to being a great project management tool, is really all about communication. Tracker at its best will help keep feedback loops tight, make project status more transparent, and surface issues quickly. It works best when you keep an eye on it all the time.

When I am managing a project with Tracker, I keep it open on a separate monitor at all times. When you can't do that, iPivotal (App Store Link) is a recently-updated iPhone app that lets you view multiple projects, collaborate with the team, see progress and velocity, and do it all in real-time. iPivotal is also completely open source.

Are you ever at your desk and have a quick idea for a user story to add to your project? Thomas Vie has created a Mac OS X Dashboard Widget to help you quickly capture the story and inject it into your Tracker project. Learn more in his blog post.

Armchair Product Management

2009-11-19T21:00:16Z

The MSN Encarta dictionary has an entry for the term "Armchair Quarterback":

arm·chair quar·ter·back (plural arm·chair quar·ter·backs) - noun.

viewer who criticizes conduct of games: somebody who is certain that he or she can make better calls than the coaches or players while watching a competitive sport on television
giver of unwanted advice: somebody who offers unwanted advice about how to do something or tries to supervise an activity without being asked

Wikipedia simply lumps Armchair Quarterback in as a related idiom in the entry for the term "Backseat Driver."

I've often used the term "Armchair Product Managers" to describe people who loudly proclaim their opinions of how a product should function. Now, customer feedback is always welcome and important, and there is always value in having passionate and opinionated users. I'm not trying to discount the value of hearing opinions. The distinction here is really one of tone.

Users who demand a feature and declare the idiocy of not including it in the first place are oversimplifying. Product Management is the practice of mitigating risk. Clearly, product managers would like to make as many customers happy as possible. Product Managers also have to meet schedules. Revenue forecasts, market seasonality, technological complexity, difficulty of implementation, and competitive pressures are all at play in feature decisions. Ruthless prioritization is the primary tool of a good Product Manager. Unfortunately, the feature that an Armchair Product Manager demands (nay, exclaims the idiocy of not including), likely simply fell victim to prioritization.

I was brought to think about all this today when I read the blog entry Running iPhone Apps in the Foreground by Dan Provost on his interesting new blog The Russians Used a Pencil. In my opinion, Mr. Provost is not an Armchair Product Manager. I find his suggestion to be an excellent example of how to provide good customer feedback. His feature suggestion is:

Constructive. This is an improvement that would likely be useful to many users.
Not just a complaint--it's a suggested solution. (He even mocks it up!)
Humble. He acknowledges the potential technological hurdles that he has likely glossed over.
Elegant. He solves the challenge in a simple way (rather than by demanding a fundamental change like background applications and switching).
Polite. (I said it was about tone. Note that no one is called an idiot.)

Others have already applauded the content of Mr. Provost's excellent suggestion. Let me be the first to applaud it's delivery.

Twitter's Bold (and Bright) Product Management

2009-11-14T00:53:40Z

As I write this, Twitter is in the process of rolling out a new feature to users. It's called Re-Tweet. It's actually a feature in support of a use case that has been around for a long time. Twitter users often will re-post (or "re-tweet") tweets that other users have posted, in order to share them with their followers. Depending on the user's preference (and possibly the Twitter client application they use), these Re-Tweets could be formatted in various ways.

Twitter will now have a native (and therefore standard) way to post and display these re-tweets, and earlier this week Evan Williams (Twitter CEO) posted a blog entry on Why Retweet Works the Way It Does.

I'm writing about this now to highlight this as an example of great product management. And here is why:

Users want it. As a use case that grew completely organically (as have other things on twitter like the "@reply"), there is no doubt that the feature will be useful.
Twitter is being thoughtful about it. It would have been easy to slap a "RT" button on the site and be done with it. Instead, the good folks at Twitter thought hard about what would make Re-Tweets more useful and interesting, both to those who post them and those who view them.
It's innovative. Rather than just automate one of the ways that people re-tweet, they took the time to go back to basics and understand what people were trying to do: they wanted to share interesting things. Once they understood this, they took the time to design a feature that did it in an elegant way that would be most interesting and least annoying to those who view them.
They are being transparent. No site as popular as Twitter can make a change this big and not suffer some controversy. Take a look at what happens anytime Facebook makes a change to their user experience. Here, Twitter has made a bold move, explained what they are doing and why, and are prepared for feedback.

There are lessons here for all product managers. Well done, Twitter team.

Working Moms: Mobile App Opportunity

2009-10-05T20:52:23Z

A new study from Scarbarogh Research shows that moms who work outside the home are a very appealing demographic for mobile applications and services.

Working moms' mobile phone bills are 21% higher than the average, and they are 42% more likely than average to download content to their phones.

I've been thinking recently about the opportunity for mobile apps going forward. As more and more users find themselves with smartphones, the opportunity for broader applications and new markets becomes attractive.

LINK: Scarborough Research Report: Shopping Insights on Today’s Working Mom
ARTICLE: Mashable: Working Moms Are the Mobile Power Users in the U.S.

Intuit's QuickBooks gets an App Store

2009-09-28T20:31:58Z

The new version of Intuit's QuickBooks accounting application has a link to the Intuit Partner Platform (IPP). IPP allows Intuit and other third parties to add functionality to the QuickBooks desktop application.

The online apps add a variety of functionality like payroll services, payment processing, and special offers. The most interesting is probably the Marketing Center, where small business owners can plan and implement email marketing campaigns utilizing the customer info they have stored in QuickBooks.LINK: Intuit: What's new in QuickBooks 2010
LINK: Developer info on the Intuit Partner Platform
ARTICLE: VentureBeat: Intuit’s Small Business Software Quickbooks 2010 Gets an App Store

The Minimum Viable Product

2009-08-14T19:49:05Z

I frequently talk to consulting clients about getting down to the Minimum Viable Product. What is the smallest product you can deliver? The least amount of code you can write? The smallest investment you can make? The idea is to get something out there that tests your idea and solicits feedback before you get too far. This concept is central to my tech talks and presentations (see an example here).

It's a simple idea, but a hard one to put into practice. Kent Beck does a good job of explaining why:

"By far the dominant reason for not releasing sooner was a reluctance to trade the dream of success for the reality of feedback."

ARTICLE: Kent Beck: Approaching a Minimum Viable Product

Pivotal Tech Talk: Agile Product Management

2009-07-21T23:13:58Z

I recently had the opportunity to speak at Pivotal Labs. I gave a presentation titled "Agile Product Management: Advice for Entrepreneurs." After working with lots of different startups over the last few years, I've come to identify some of the common habits and mistakes of entrepreneurs, and here I assembled them into some tips and advice.

This presentation was tailored to an audience that is familiar with agile development methods (and specifically Extreme Programming or XP), but I think the main advice should apply to almost anyone with an idea for a startup.

Enjoy the video, and I'd love to hear your feedback.

VIDEO: Pivotal Tech Talk: Agile Product Management: Advice for Entrepreneurs - Drew McManus, Road 3

What's Smart About Smartphones? The Profits.

2009-07-20T22:59:07Z

Smartphones still represent a very small percentage of cell phones, but they are where the money is being made:

Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry "accounted for only 3% of all cellphones sold in the world last year but 35% of operating profits, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff. The disparity will become even starker this year when, he estimates, the two will take 5% of the market in unit terms but 58% of total operating profits."

Even more interesting to me is the upside: It's clear that we are at the bottom of a steep growth curb. What will it mean to the market--not just for phones, but for mobile apps and web apps--when everyone who is carrying a phone is carrying a smartphone?

ARTICLE: Wall Street Journal: Apple, RIM Outsmart Phone Market

How big is The Cloud? And where is it?

2009-07-03T03:00:35Z

Interesting article from the New York Times Magazine about data centers, those "increasingly large, powerful, energy-intensive, always-on and essentially out-of-sight" places on which we have become so dependent. They're truly remarkable when you stop to think about them. Do you ever stop to think about them?

"Much of the daily material of our lives is now dematerialized and outsourced to a far-flung, unseen network. The stack of letters becomes the e-mail database on the computer, which gives way to Hotmail or Gmail. The clipping sent to a friend becomes the attached PDF file, which becomes a set of shared bookmarks, hosted offsite. The photos in a box are replaced by JPEGs on a hard drive, then a hosted sharing service like Snapfish. The tilting CD tower gives way to the MP3-laden hard drive which itself yields to a service like Pandora, music that is always “there,” waiting to be heard."

ARTICLE: New York Times Magazine: Data Center Overload

When You're on the Road, How Smart Is a Smartphone?

2009-06-15T12:05:23Z

This entertaining article is actually much easier to follow in the print edition of the June 2009 issue of Condé Nast Traveler, but the online version is still worth reading. The magazine set out to find how various smartphones might help a traveler in a foreign and confusing city.

Can the new generation of smartphones give travelers an edge? To find out, we sent three reporters to famously forbidding Moscow in the dead of winter--one armed with an iPhone, another with a BlackBerry Bold, and the third with only a guidebook. Their mission: to complete a series of challenges that put their tech tools (and their wits) to the test. The winner might surprise you. (Hint: She doesn't require batteries).

The reporters using the smartphones suffered slow network connections, dead batteries, incomplete online data, and spent more time wrestling the technology than seeing the sites. The reporter without a smartphone relied on the hotel concierge and the kindness of strangers, and had a colorful and entertaining trip.

ARTICLE: Condé Nast Traveler: Smartphone Smackdown

How Important is Ease of Development?

2009-06-12T23:21:44Z

If you ignore the needlessly provocative headline, VentureBeat has an interesting article about the relative ease of development of the various mobile platforms. The article quotes my friend Chris Sepulveda of Pivotal Labs extensively:

The iPhone has had a vice-like grip on developers, because it’s been so fun to develop on. Developers can build awesome looking applications, with few barriers. With developers flocking to it, the iPhone is brimming with applications — all of which has driven sales of more than 40 million iPhones and iPod Touches.

But developer Christian Sepulveda of Pivotal Labs, said that has changed. Sepulveda said he’s advising his clients to start on the Pre. The phone’s operating system, called WebOS, offers the most compelling place to build and test a prototype, for both cost and technology reasons, he said.
Clearly, the Palm Pre is so new on the market, and so few phones have been sold, that developers would be crazy if they developed for WebOS and didn’t try to get distribution on other phones, such as the iPhone. But because WebOS is the easiest platform to build, test, review and iterate on, most developers can then port their work over to other phones where more attention can be put into making it work for that particular device.

ARTICLE: VentureBeat: Has the Palm Pre Already Beaten the Iphone?

Introducing LikeMe Mobile for the Palm Pre

2009-06-08T02:43:54Z

We're proud to have been a part of the team to bring LikeMe Mobile to the new Palm Pre smartphone.

The LikeMe Mobile app will help you find great places to eat, drink, and meet people. It doesn't just show you places that happen to be nearby--it shows you places that have been recommended by people like you. Using the same sophisticated algorithm that is at the heart of The LikeMe Network, LikeMe Mobile can find recommended places wherever you happen to be with your Palm Pre. Through a partnership with Village Voice Media, the largest publisher of metropolitan digital media in the US, you can even access local "Best Of" listings to find the Best Hangover Breakfast in Denver, the Best British Pub in New York, or even the Best Cheap Pitcher of Margaritas in San Francisco.

We at Road 3 worked with LikeMe to conceptualize the app, define the feature set, and manage the design and development process. Thanks to Palm's sophisticated new WebOS, development was a snap and we were able to deliver the app in a very short period of time. We worked with our close partners Pivotal Labs for software development and UE Architects for design. And of course, we worked closely with the good folks at Palm.

Go pick up a Palm Pre and LikeMe Mobile!

Here Comes the Palm Pre!

2009-06-04T23:22:15Z

Many of you have figured out that we've been working on some stuff for Palm's upcoming Pre smartphone. While we can't talk about it quite yet (the Pre launch is this Saturday), there has been some great press coverage today. A few excerpts:

"On June 6, Apple will get a powerful competitor in this category. It's a beautiful, innovative and versatile hand-held computer that's fully in the iPhone's class. It's called the Pre, and it comes from Palm, the company that pioneered the hand-held computer in the 1990s." - Walt Mossberg

"The Pre, which goes on sale Saturday, is an elegant, joyous, multitouch smartphone..." - David Pogue

The reviews are great, and we're looking forward to being able to say more. Stay tuned!

ARTICLE: WSJ's Walt Mossberg: Palm's New Pre Takes On iPhone
ARTICLE: NYT's David Pogue: Palm Pre, Elegant Contender
ARTICLE: Gizmodo: Palm Pre Review
ARTICLE: Engadget: Palm Pre Review
ARTICLE: Associated Press: Dazzling Palm Software Beats the iPhone

A Few New Details on the Palm Pre

2009-05-28T23:36:50Z

Roger McNamee of Elevation Partners and Jon Rubinstein of Palm appeared at the All Things Digital conference today to discuss the soon-to-be-released Palm Pre. In addition to a new demo, there was some new information shared. Some interesting highlights:

The Pre has built-in support for Amazon's MP3 store. Amazon's store is a great place for music. Their files are standard MP3 files with no DRM, and the prices are often better than Apple's iTunes Music Store.
When connected to a Mac, the Palm Pre can sync with iTunes, giving you access to the music you may have stored there. No word on how Apple feels about that, but it is notable that it will not be able to use music crippled with Apple's FairPlay DRM (although Apple no longer uses this).
The Pre will also sync with Apple's iPhoto software to put your digital photos on the device.

Some bold moves here from Palm. They clearly saved this information until just before the launch in order to surprise Apple. It will be interesting to see how and whether Apple responds to this.

Palm makes fun of McNamee's earlier overstatement of the Pre's potential, but there is a real challenge ahead. Expectations escaped Palm's control long ago, and the hype machine is fully cranked up in anticipation of the Pre. Anything short of revolutionary is likely to disappoint some reviewers. Still, the market is large and still very new. While early adopters are on competing devices, there are a still lot of people still using simple cellphones that will upgrade to smartphones in the coming years. This should be interesting to watch.

ARTICLE: All Things D: Rubinstein and McNamee: Remaking Palm
VIDEO: All Things D: Jon Rubinstein and Roger McNamee Highlights (Including new demo)
VIDEO: All Things D: Roger McNamee and Jon Rubinstein making fun of McNamee's earlier overstatements

Book: Reality Check

2009-05-19T21:21:47Z

Guy Kawasaki is a master of re-purposing content. If you have read any of his books, followed his blog, or seen him present, then it is very likely that large parts of this book will be familiar to you. Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition is a comprehensive collection of Kawasaki's Greatest Hits. You know them: the 10/20/20 Rule of Pitch Presentations, The Top Ten Lies of Venture Capitalists, and many more!

It's easy to pick on Guy for repeating himself, but the fact is that his advice is practical, commonsensical, and quite useful to entrepreneurs. You'll end up with a bunch of actionable new ideas on how to better manage your startup.

As a bonus, the book has two new forewords. The first is written by Newsweek columnist Dan Lyons:

The Valley is a place like no other place on earth. It's the last true meritocracy in America, a place where a great idea and a willingness to work ridiculously hard can turn a bunch of unknown kids into a bunch of billionaires. This isn't Wall Street, or Washington, DC, or Hollywood, where success depends largely on which people you know and what college you went to. The Valley doesn't care where you went to college or even if you didn't go to college at all. The Valley is simply about ideas. Think you've got a good one? Code it up and give it a shot.

The second foreword is also written by Dan Lyons, this time writing as his alter-ego Fake Steve Jobs:

What is Guy's new book about? To be honest, I have no idea. I didn't read it. I didn't even pretend to read it. Guy is craven enough that he doesn't really care whether I read his book or not. As he put it to me, all he wants is a famous name to put on the cover, and pretty much everyone turned him down and so he had to resort to calling me, and so, fine.

So this is it -- my official endorsement. Reality Check is by far the best book ever written about the Valley. It's an important and necessary work, one that should be required reading in every business school in the country. I wish this book had been around when I was starting Apple in my garage back in 1976.

There's a really super-important lesson, yet one that so many people overlook, especially here in the Valley. Anyway, if these incredibly super-obvious things aren't already super-obvious to you, then you probably need to read a book like this and have someone like Guy Kawasaki teach you how to start a business in terms that a child could understand.

Come to think of it, the forewords are great reading, even if the rest of the book is familiar to you.