TPMA Event Recap
Well, the TPMA thing last night at Metro Hall was kinda dry. Sales processes & workflows. Spicy.
Just as I was about to speak up that PMs really want to deal with Sales people as little as possible - and typically any info that’s coming in from reps in the field is generally riddled with holes to make the rep that provided it look good, Russell Foy from Ryma beat me to the punch.
He had some great comments that were 100% spot on. The bottom line is, consultants usually want to implement deep processes that are “measurable” and “gather data.” A consultant was presenting. While I’m sure he’s very good at his job and has a lot of experience, let’s be honest. The real world works a little bit different; at least, in start-ups it does.
I hope to make it to the next TPMA event to see if the presentation is a little bit more lively - but if the discussion from the audience promises to be similar, I’m there.
Thanks to the folks at the TPMA for putting the event on. I’m a big supporter of building the product management community, and now that I’m back in Toronto if you ever need help, I’m there.
Ask a Good Product Manager
I wanted to draw some more attention to a new blog that Jeff Lash has launched called Ask a Good Product Manager. Jeff is doing some great things for the community (and is a great PM) and made me realize I need to get my blogging butt back in gear here.
Also, as an aside, I will be at the PM seminar in Toronto tonight for the TPMA. If you are available to come / are in the area, look for me — I’ll be there eating a lot of pizza.
Hit the Ground Running
We are finally back on the ground here in Toronto. We have a place to live, and I’ve put in my first week at the new gig. Rachel and I have been taking the Go Train in every day this past week, and then the TTC after that. Commuting so much after 2 years of a 10 minute drive into work has been an adjustment to say the least.
But the new condo is right in the city, so no more Go Train come Tuesday.
So, that leads me to the first order of business. I ask that you take a look at the PlanetEye beta. Yes, you need to register (it’s a quick process to do so), and we’re trying to get as much feedback as possible before we take the beta public in the next week or so. The team has worked tirelessly on the site over the last several months, and I am looking to jumping right in and helping them out.
You can also bet that each piece of feedback sent in through the “feedback” link on every page goes right to my inbox. Here’s proof:
So, other than shilling for more users and valuable feedback, what else am I working on in my first week / first month / etc? And to answer what you may already be asking, yes I am taking my own advice.
Except I figured out I left one critical thing off that list initially - getting a backlog in place. There are so many ideas floating around, just internally alone, it’s crucial to get a good system for logging them all. You want the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I’ve already taken first passes through a product definition and narrowed in on key things that need to be addressed. But the big thing that I love is taking an approach that really aligns well with my philosophies. Being able to step back a little bit and assess next steps is imperative. You may find that you want to fix bugs. You may also find that you want to add in some short bursts of features. You don’t know unless you discuss with the team and figure out what’s best.
We are moving in to the new apartment on Monday (which is Family Day here in Ontario), and it will certainly be nice to have our lives settled again and get into a normal routine. I’m already starting to build a passion for the PlanetEye product and am seeing many problems were going to be able to attack this year.
