Kumar Utsav’s Post

I recently spoke with a product manager about their product strategy. Here's a 5-step framework I employ: 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:  Establish the overarching goal 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: Outline the components to attain it 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬:  Identify pivotal actions to execute 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬: Determine how to gauge progress 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:  Implement small, measurable steps for testing Hope this helps when refining you product strategy. --------------------------------- If you are building or scaling a product and want to talk about your tech, feel free to drop me a line. #productstrategy #productmanagement #scaleups #tech

A comprehensive product roadmap is core to scaling your product. It should include these key components: ‣ Goals ‣ Initiatives ‣ Features ‣ Timelines Here’s a few extra pointers for creating an effective roadmap: 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:  Frequently update your roadmap to reflect progress and shifting priorities. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Engage stakeholders early and often to ensure alignment. 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲:  Use visual aids to make your roadmap easily digestible. 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠:  Keep the roadmap flexible to accommodate changes. A clear and dynamic product roadmap is essential for guiding your team and scaling the business. Hope these help! ------------------------------------- If you are scaling your tech business and want to talk about your tech or resourcing hit me up! 📩 #scaleups #productroadmap #product

What Barriers Are Stopping You from Launching Your MVP Journey? Answers: https://lnkd.in/gGB7NDzP #MVP #ProductDevelopment #InnovateTogether Hey there, fellow innovators! 🚀 I’ve been reflecting on a pretty concerning trend lately: so many brilliant ideas just never seem to reach the MVP stage. 🥺 It's like watching a rocket ready to launch, but then—nothing. So, I wanted to pause and ask you, what do you think is holding you back from building your Minimum Viable Product? Is it one of these common challenges? Lack of technical skills 🤖: Sometimes, the tech side can feel like a whole new language. If you're not a developer, it can be daunting to figure out where to even start! Limited budget 💰: Building an MVP can be expensive, and tight finances can really put the brakes on your plans. Many great ideas fizzle out here due to funding constraints. Uncertainty about features to include ❓: The classic “analysis paralysis.” You might have a thousand ideas, but it can be tough to narrow them down to just the essentials. Fear of failure 😟: Let’s be real, nobody wants to put their heart into something only to watch it flop. That fear can be a massive roadbl...

What Barriers Are Stopping You from Launching Your MVP Journey? Answers: https://lnkd.in/gqsenhn6 #MVP #ProductDevelopment #InnovateTogether Hey there, fellow innovators! 🚀 I’ve been reflecting on a pretty concerning trend lately: so many brilliant ideas just never seem to reach the MVP stage. 🥺 It's like watching a rocket ready to launch, but then—nothing. So, I wanted to pause and ask you, what do you think is holding you back from building your Minimum Viable Product? Is it one of these common challenges? Lack of technical skills 🤖: Sometimes, the tech side can feel like a whole new language. If you're not a developer, it can be daunting to figure out where to even start! Limited budget 💰: Building an MVP can be expensive, and tight finances can really put the brakes on your plans. Many great ideas fizzle out here due to funding constraints. Uncertainty about features to include ❓: The classic “analysis paralysis.” You might have a thousand ideas, but it can be tough to narrow them down to just the essentials. Fear of failure 😟: Let’s be real, nobody wants to put their heart into something only to watch it flop. That fear can be a massive roadbl...

Achieved Product-Market Fit? Congratulations, You're at the Starting Line! 🎯 You've done it - thorough research, iterations and pivots, you've achieved product-market fit. The uphill battle is won, time to sit back, right? Well, not so fast. 🔍 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐌𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠) 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭. Why? Because markets continually shift in unpredictable ways as new competitors, technologies and customer behaviors emerge. 🧗♂️ 𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞-𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞. How? 🚫 By not following the footprints of Intel or Kodak or Nokia! 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 → Falling Madly in Love with Your Customers 1. Not just a casual fling, I’m talking head-over-heels obsession. 2. Know their dreams, their fears, their late-night cravings. 3. Use qualitative and ethnographic research to grasp the deep motivations, mental models, and jobs-to-be-done that shape their world. 💡 You can never know your customers too well. Period. → Becoming a Mad Scientist 1. Don't settle for localized A/B tests that optimize tactics. 2. Rather stress-test your entire product strategy through low-cost probes and market experiments. 3. One question I love asking: “How can we disrupt ourselves in 6 months or less?” 🔍 Your next breakthrough is hiding in your biggest 'oops’ → Build an Innovation Factory 1. The above two strategic plays will not function without defined processes. 2. Sustained success requires a portfolio of innovative ideas continuously advancing through your pipeline. 3. Set processes to surface, pressure-test, and prototype assumptions and ideas. You need a system that churns out the future, not just fixes the present. 🏁 Achieving product-market fit is not the goal, but simply the starting line. For Product Managers, out-innovating and out-adapting the ever-changing market forces is the only way. #ProductMarketFit #CustomerObsessed #Innovation #ProductManagement #StartupSuccess

Is going to market fast really worth the long-term cost? Often driven by investors and the need for immediate revenue, there’s strong pressure on startups to get products out quickly, sometimes even before they’re "ready." Launching an MVP may attract early adopters but what happens to a brand when a product doesn’t meet expectations? There are pros and cons to early launches, such as getting early user feedback to guide product development. However, if a product isn’t meeting user standards and expectations, it can tarnish the brand’s reputation. In some cases, it may be better to delay until the product truly reflects the quality customers want and expect. Marketing’s role here is about managing expectations—transparently communicating that this is an MVP while building a story or narrative that keeps users excited for what’s to come. Sales teams need to find early adopters who are open to giving feedback rather than pitching it as a final, polished product. In my experience, this is rarely the case. A product is often marketed and sold with benefits that don't match customer expectations. Is speed worth the risk, or should quality always come first? What do you think?

How people think product strategy works: - Create a product vision - Set out some OKRs - Build a roadmap - Voilà, you've got a product strategy! How product strategy actually works: - Deep customer research - Deep market research - Deep competitor analysis - Picking the right customer segments - Finding the right problems to solve - A good differentiation plan - Lots of trade-offs - Deciding what you WON'T do - Aligning with other teams - And then you still need a vision, goals and a roadmap! Vision and goals are the easy part. Building a winning product strategy takes hard work. That's why most startups don't have one!

🚀 What is an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)? 🚀 In today’s fast-paced tech world, building a complete product before testing the market can be risky. That's where the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) comes in. What is an MVP? An MVP is a lean version of a product that includes only the core features needed to solve a problem for early adopters. It allows businesses to test their concept, gather user feedback, and iterate without burning through too many resources. Why focus on MVPs? 1. Faster Time to Market: Launching early means you can start gathering valuable feedback sooner. 2. Reduced Risk: By testing your idea with a small group of users, you reduce the risk of investing in features that customers don’t need. 3. Cost-Effective Development: Building a smaller version of your product helps you focus on what matters most, reducing unnecessary costs. 4. User-Centric Improvements: Real-world feedback helps shape your product into something that truly resonates with users. Success Stories: Did you know that companies like Airbnb and Dropbox started as MVPs? They tested the core idea, iterated based on feedback, and eventually became the giants we know today. In a nutshell, an MVP isn’t about building a ‘half-done’ product—it’s about launching with focus, learning fast, and scaling smart. 🔄 What do you think? Ready to build your MVP? Let’s discuss how to make it a success! 💼 #MVP #LeanStartup #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #Business

👋 Hey, Product Folks! In Case You Missed It [2-8 Dec, 2024] is here! This week’s roundup is all about tackling challenges, sparking creativity, and mastering product strategy. Let’s dig into three big questions that stood out: 1️⃣ “Imposter Syndrome in Product Management,” by Product Voyagers — A practical guide to overcoming the hidden hurdles of doubt. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eKYT5a6x 2️⃣ “Creativity Is the Only Thing,” by Fabricio Teixeira (UX Collective) — Insights into sparking innovation and thinking differently. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e-WRFpNW 3️⃣ “Mastering Product Strategy,” by Aakash Gupta & Melissa Perri — Lessons from Melissa Perri on creating strategies that stick. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e68-ttMa 4️⃣ “The PLG Myth,” by The Product-Led Geek — Why even product-led companies need a robust sales strategy. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ergqqQJS 5️⃣ “The Duolingo Playbook,” by Sean Ellis & Ethan Garr, Gina Gotthilf — Growth secrets from one of the most successful ed-tech startups. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eMEzbMe6 6️⃣ “Recognizing Failure,” by Steedan Crowe 🇨🇦 — How to spot signs of failure early and pivot effectively. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/en53we8T? 7️⃣ “Growth Newsletter #229,” by Demand Curve — A fresh take on scaling efficiently. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eHvKmeiB 8️⃣ “Navigating the Future of Product Teams,” by a16z — Insights on leveraging team dynamics to build success. 🔗 Need to subscribe to their newsletter: 💭 What stood out for you? Share your thoughts! Let’s keep building smarter, together. 🥂 Cheers,

💡#100DaysofBecomingPM - Day 18 🚀 Building Minimum Viable Product (MVP)🚀 🧐 What is MVP? An MVP is a crucial strategy in product development that allows us to quickly validate our product by building the most essential features to attract real users and start gathering feedback. Introduced by Eric Ries, the creator of the Lean Startup, the MVP concept is all about efficiency and learning. 🤔 Why MVPs Matter: 🔸Minimize Risk: Focus on essential features to reduce the chances of product failure. 🔸Maximize ROI: Save time and resources by getting to market quickly and iterating based on 🔸user feedback. 💥 Creating an MVP: 🔹 Identify Core Features: Solve the main pain points of your target users. 🔹 Build and Launch: Develop a simple, no-frills version with only core features. 🔹 Track Metrics: Measure Product Adoption and User Feedback to validate your product. 🔹 Iterate: Use feedback to improve and expand your product. 👈 When to Use MVPs: ♦️Testing ideas, features, or products before significant investment. ♦️Bootstrapped startups validating ideas before seeking investment. ♦️Corporations entering new, crowded markets. Today’s lesson emphasized the power of the test-measure-learn approach. This methodical process ensures we build products that truly resonate with our users, minimizing risks and maximizing our chances of success. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue my journey to becoming a product manager! 🚀 cc : buildspace #alterok #buildspace #s5 #100DaysOfProductManagement #LearningJourney #ProductManagement #Day18 #FromScratch #CareerGrowth #Innovation #ProductDevelopment #ContinuousLearning