The Product Development Podcast

Adam Wakeling

Get the full story on what makes a great product, with 1-1 conversations from leading Product, Marketing, Sales, Engineering and Leadership professionals. Hosted by Adam Wakeling, Product Manager.

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Episodes

Improve your communication skills with visual mapping | Christoph Steinlehner, Product Coach
Jul 25 2024
Improve your communication skills with visual mapping | Christoph Steinlehner, Product Coach
Christoph Steinlehner is a Product Management coach who helps product managers and leaders that are feeling stuck in their work caught and struggling to facilitate between different perspectives in a business.In today's episode:The challenges of effective business-product communicationHow visual mapping can help improve communicationThe MAPPER method walkthough—Christoph's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/csteinlehner• Website: https://csteinlehner.com/•  Substack contributor: https://mapperclub.substack.com/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheProductDevelopmentPodcastIn this episode, we cover: (00:00) Preview(00:54) Intro(02:01) Main challenges in effective communication(03:40) X-department perspectives in communication(05:20) The bigger picture(08:28) What is visual mapping?(11:48) Differences in types of visual maps(16:18) Walkthough of MAPPER method(25:20) Reflection part of MAPPER(26:03) Similarity to Event Storming (27:53) Challenges in implementing MAPPER(33:21) Resistance to new frameworks(34:50) Leveraging AI with the MAPPER method (39:04) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
Using AI to uncover product data insights | Mo Hallaba, CEO of Datawisp
Jul 8 2024
Using AI to uncover product data insights | Mo Hallaba, CEO of Datawisp
Mo Hallaba is CEO of datawisp.io, an AI-based analytics tool to help non-technical teams understand their product and users better. He was previously working in financial services and the e-sports industry. In today's episode:The challenges of data-informed decision makingHow AI can help solve some of these challengesThe limitations of AI—Mo and Datawisp's contact info:• Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/electronicmo• Website: https://www.datawisp.io—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheProductDevelopmentPodcastIn this episode, we cover: 00:00 Preview01:23 Intro02:25 Mo's background04:04 How e-sports teams use data05:55 Challenges with using product data08:31 AI removing technical barriers09:49 Culture of caring about data11:58 Scooter app example in datawisp13:35 Exploration of data14:30 Correlation vs causation15:47 Limitations of AI in creativity19:42 Getting buy-in for change 22:19 AI data solutions26:01 Gen AI blended with product data29:54 Difference perspectives on UX32:55 The more data the better 36:50 Transparency of data and insight logic37:51 Usefulness of having technical knowledge39:30 Final thoughts41:12 OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
A Brief History of Digital Publishing and Future Tech & Tactics (Jonny Kaldor, CEO of Pugpig)
Jun 11 2024
A Brief History of Digital Publishing and Future Tech & Tactics (Jonny Kaldor, CEO of Pugpig)
Jonny Kaldor is CEO and Founder of Pugpig, a web and app developer for publishers. He was previously CTO at News UK.In today's episode:• A brief history of digital publishing• The current state of the digital publishing market• Successful tactics and tech that publishers should employ —Jonny's and PugPig's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkaldor • Website: https://www.pugpig.com Report mentioned in episode: https://www.pugpig.com/the-media-collective-on-retention-economics/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheProductDevelopmentPodcastIn this episode:00:00 Preview00:56 Introduction02:00 From print to digital03:17 Types of publishing04:00 How things have changed in publishing08:00 News Media as first movers13:00 Products for consumer magazines16:28 Utility as a tool for consumer magazines17:52 Creating daily and weekly user habits24:00 Digital editions and 'finishability'27:38 Print vs Digital UX28:40 Audience profile of mobile apps32:56 What makes a great digital publishing platform34:00 Publishing apps versus the 'big' apps36:00 Use of audio40:00 Repurposing content41:00 The need for publishers to invest in editorial43:35 Insights on gating tactics52:10 The importance of the Friends Zone54:26 Jonny's takeawaysFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
AI and the State of Product Management | Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia (Founder & CEO, Product School)
Feb 1 2024
AI and the State of Product Management | Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia (Founder & CEO, Product School)
Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia is Founder and CEO of Product School, and an entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience building global companies and digital products.He founded Product School in 2014, which is the global leader in product training with a community of over two million members. All of its instructors are real-world Product Leaders working at top Silicon Valley companies including Google, Meta, Netflix, Airbnb, Uber, and Amazon.In today's episode:• How Product Management has changed in 2024• Impact of AI in product development• How to navigate the current product job market—Carlos's contact and company info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/villaumbrosia/• Website: https://www.productschool.com/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode:(00:00) Coming up(01:40) Introduction(02:21) Carlos's background(04:14) Pull to Product Management(06:12) How PM tools have changed(08:12) First steps into Product Management(09:22) The current job market challenges(12:28) The Product career ladder(15:22) How the PM role has now changed(19:22) Building a great product in 2024(23:28) The rise of generative AI(25:44) First steps in implementing AI Product strategies  (30:00) Importance of AI technical knowledge for PMs(32:50) Risks of AI(37:33) Final thoughts(38:35) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
How to become Evidence-Guided | Itamar Gilad (Author, ex-Google, ex-Microsoft)
Nov 13 2023
How to become Evidence-Guided | Itamar Gilad (Author, ex-Google, ex-Microsoft)
Itamar Gilad is author of Evidence-Guided, which outlines a new product development meta framework called GIST. Itamar is also a speaker and a coach, previously working at Microsoft and Google. During his time at the latter, he came up with the idea for the tabbed inbox, which is now a core feature of the email product.In today's episode:• The risk of opinion-based development (Google +)• A run through of Itamar's new GIST Evidence-Guided framework• How to become evidence-guided in your company—Itamar's contact and company info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itamargilad/• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItamarGilad• Website: https://itamargilad.com/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Preview(00:45) Introduction(02:40) The story of Google+ and why it failed(05:23) The story of Gmail tabbed inboxes and why it succeeded(08:40) Tabbed Inbox timeline(09:58) GIST introduction(11:44) How long it took to create GIST(12:59) Difference between data- and evidence-guided(14:11) Goals in GIST(17:10) The challenge of the right Northstar metric  (19:30) Why Meta/Facebook's Northstar is not ideal(21:16) Ideas in GIST (23:10) Collaboration in ideas (25:00) ICE for prioritization/evaluation (27:25) Impact in ICE explored(29:30) How to calculate confidence in ICE(33:36) The right level of confidence (35:35) Tabbed inbox research and analysis(40:32) Example steps/AFTER framework (43:12) PMs stuck in execution/feature factories  (47:32) Empowering others in Product Discovery(51:02) Tracking Tasks to Goals (52:52) How to integrate GIST into your business (57:44) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
Building a Product-Led Growth company | Krish Ramineni (Co-Founder, Fireflies.ai)
Nov 8 2023
Building a Product-Led Growth company | Krish Ramineni (Co-Founder, Fireflies.ai)
Krish Ramineni is Co-Founder of Fireflies.ai, which helps teams transcribe, summarize, search and analyze voice conversations. He previously worked at Microsoft and has been featured within Forbes 30 Under 30. He is also passionate about Product-Led Growth.In today's episode:• Fundamentals of Product-Led Growth (PLG)• How Fireflies.ai scaled with PLG• How to implement PLG into a business—Krish's contact and company info:• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krishramineni• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishramineni/• Twitter: https://twitter.com/krishramineni/• Fireflies.ai: https://fireflies.ai—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction(00:47) Krish's background(04:18) What is Product-Led Growth (PLG)?(07:47) B2B vs B2C in PLG(13:28) Acquisition, Retention and Monetization(17:25) Aha moments and customer empathy(19:55) Challenges implementing PLG(23:30) How Fireflies.ai approaches PLG(25:53) First version of Fireflies.ai(28:53) How AI product SMEs can compete with Google and Microsoft?(32:48) Frameworks that Fireflies.ai leverages(35:26) Where to start with PLG implementation(38:09) Product-Led Sales(39:30) PLG to PLS funnel(40:46) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
Mastering Productivity: Insights for PMs and Beyond | Bijan Shahrokhi (Founder, Product Monkey AI)
Sep 24 2023
Mastering Productivity: Insights for PMs and Beyond | Bijan Shahrokhi (Founder, Product Monkey AI)
Bijan Shahrokhi is Creator of PM Exercises and Product Monkey AI. He is a product management executive with 10+ years of experience in building disruptive technologies. He was previously Head of Product at O(1)Labs, working on Mina Protocol, the world’s lightest blockchain, an L1 project.In today's episode:• The key pillars of productivity• How to be more productive in our lives (for PMs and everybody)• Emerging productivity tools—Bijan's contact and company info:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bijan_sha• Product Monkey AI: https://productmonkey.ai/• PM Exercises: https://www.productmanagementexercises.com/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction(02:32) Bijan's view of productivity as a concept(04:18) Where to start with being more productive(09:53) The next steps(12:34) Discussion around prioritisation(17:50) Differentiation between team and individual productivity(19:22) Tactics and The 5AM Club(25:18) Using mini milestones(26:30) Importance of exercise(30:50) Tactics around improving knowledge(31:46) Using generative AI for productivity(34:02) Bijan's story in founding PM Exercises and Product Monkey AI(40:54) The tension between productivity and redundancy(43:48) Privacy and security around AI(48:28) Emerging productivity tools(50:48) Final thoughts from Bijan(52:03) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
The Future of TV and Streaming Experiences | Jonathan Courtois (Senior Principal Engineer, Sky)
Sep 13 2023
The Future of TV and Streaming Experiences | Jonathan Courtois (Senior Principal Engineer, Sky)
Jonathan Courtois is a Senior Principal Engineer at Sky (UK), leading the development in C++/Qt of the immersive UI experience of Entertainment OS, the operating system powering Sky Glass and Sky Stream.In today's episode:• What makes a great Product and Engineering relationship through the lens of a Senior Principal Engineer• How Sky how approaches product feature development• The future of TV and streaming experiences—Jonathan's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-courtois-8a9ab98/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction(01:33) What the Senior Principal Engineer does at Sky and Jonathan's professional journey(05:55) Having a strong alignment with business direction(06:54) The Engineering and Product relationship(09:38) How Squads and Crew function at Sky(11:07) Some tactics on product-engineering alignment(13:04) Advice to Product Managers(14:36) Typical product feature development approach at Sky(20:11) Trimming MVPs(24:00) Accessibility within product development(24:52) The future of TV and streaming experiences(32:32) The power of generative AI (34:30) Social Media (36:22) The end of traditional TV?(37:46) Where the ad money goes and impact of individual content creators(41:39) What emerging tech Jonathan is most excited by (43:51) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
An Introduction to Event Storming and Event Modeling | Rafal Maciag (Founder & CEO, ModelingEvolution)
Aug 14 2023
An Introduction to Event Storming and Event Modeling | Rafal Maciag (Founder & CEO, ModelingEvolution)
Rafal Maciag is Founder and CEO of ModelingEvolution, which helps businesses and organisations implement effective, high-quality software solutions. The company's Modellution product provides a collaboration platform for Event Storming and Event Modeling.In today's episode:• The foundational concept of Event Storming and how it serves as a catalyst for collaborative transformation• How to integrate Event Storming and Event Modeling concepts into a business• Rafal's story of founding a company and lessons learned—Rafal's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafalmaciag/• ModelingEvolution: https://www.modelingevolution.com/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction(00:56) Putting everyone on the same page(02:32) What is Event Storming?(08:40) Examples of 'events'(12:39) Enabling Customer Journey Mapping(16:00) How often to conduct Event Storming(23:48) 'Movies' in Event Storming(26:17) Who organises everything?(28:10) Challenges of implementation of Event Storming(29:54) How organisations are working with ModelingEvolution(31:24) What Rafal has learned from founding a company(33:37) Building the right things(36:14) Final thoughts from Rafal(38:00) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
From Ideas to Impact: A Deep Dive into Product Discovery | Gabrielle Hayes (Co-Founder, Product x Agile)
Jul 16 2023
From Ideas to Impact: A Deep Dive into Product Discovery | Gabrielle Hayes (Co-Founder, Product x Agile)
Gabrielle Hayes is a Product and Agile Coach. She is co-founder and instructor at Product x Agile, which brings expertise to product teams in the form of human-centred, on-demand, self-paced courses.She is also passionate about all things Product Discovery, which is the main topic of today’s episode.In today's episode:• The fundamentals of successful Product Discovery• How Product Discovery fits in the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC)• How to influence change in an organisation for better product discovery outcomes—Gabrielle's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielleahayes/• Product x Agile: https://www.productxagile.com/• Product x Agile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/product-x-agile/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Podcast Introduction(00:46) What is Product Discovery?(01:28) Iterative approach to Product Discovery(02:44) Kano analysis model(04:09) Where to start with Product Discovery(06:04) Having a dynamic product team(08:40) Framework for discovery efforts(11:20) Impact of Customer Success teams(12:55) Reaching non-owned audiences(15:40) What questions to ask your customers(19:21) Deeper empathy with customers and users(22:10) What to do after the MVP launch(23:30) What to document in discovery(26:15) How to approach feature prioritisation(29:00) The role of innovation within Product Discovery (32:20) Utilising AI for Product Discovery(35:15) Pressure of being in a 'feature factory'(38:04) Influencing leadership to enable more Product Discovery efforts(40:43) About Product x Agile(42:44) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
Cracking the Code: How Technical Skills Transform Product Management | Alina Verbenchuk (HypeAuditor, ex-Google, ex-YouTube)
Jun 22 2023
Cracking the Code: How Technical Skills Transform Product Management | Alina Verbenchuk (HypeAuditor, ex-Google, ex-YouTube)
Alina Verbenchuk is Senior Product Manager @ HypeAuditor and was previously Product Manager @ Creator Tools at YouTube and Program Lead at Google. She is also Founder of Verbetcetera, which looks to help empower tech careers through mentorship and consulting for people from various backgrounds. In today's episode:• Exploring how technical skills enhance a PM's ability to work effectively with engineers.• Alina's personal journey of realizing the importance of technical skills in her role as a PM.• Discussing other crucial areas, such as generative AI and agents, in the evolving product development landscape.—Alina's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinaverbenchuk/• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alinaverbenchuk683• Verbetcetera: https://verbetcetera.com/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction(00:53) Reading Alina’s Linkedin post(02:06) Difference between a PM and a Technical PM(04:18) Advantages in more complex products(05:22) Computer Science prerequisite in Google PM interviews(06:54) Importance of communication(07:51) Engineering's respect for having technical skills(10:04) The moment of technical realization(12:30) The start of the technical journey(15:17) Starting with SQL(16:07) Key technical PM areas to learn (18:00) Rise of generative AI and agents(19:27) Verbetcetera(20:45) Thinking about a problem with technical skills(22:47) Difference between Google and smaller companies(26:18) Approaches and time to spend on different goals(28:26) Turning theory into practice(29:45) Favorite parts of technical development(31:18) OutroFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
The MVP Journey: Engineering-Product Collaboration for Iterative Success | Gisela Rossi (Technology Leader)
Jun 5 2023
The MVP Journey: Engineering-Product Collaboration for Iterative Success | Gisela Rossi (Technology Leader)
Gisela Rossi is a technology leader, public speaker and mentor, and currently working as Engineering Manager at HSBC. She was previously Engineering Manager at Pollen, WISE YP Board Member and a Software Engineer at Facebook, among other roles.In today's episode:• What a great Engineering Management and Product Management relationship looks like• Building trust in a development team• How to successfully launch and iterate on a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—Gisela's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giselacrossi• Twitter: https://twitter.com/gise_rossi• Blog: https://giselarossi.co.uk/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Podcast Introduction(00:39) What will be covered in today's episode(01:09) Engineering Manager and Product Manager relationship(05:04) Importance of trust in a team (11:44) Tactics on improving alignment (14:05) What is an MVP?(16:23) Trimming an MVP(21:56) Who defines success of an MVP?(25:00) Building MVPs in challenging financial conditions(33:11) The value of OKRs (33:33) Common mistakes in MVP builds(38:44) Experience working as a mentor (42:29) Outro Follow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling
Customer Lifetime Value Strategies in B2B | Michael Migliore (News UK, TMAC)
May 8 2023
Customer Lifetime Value Strategies in B2B | Michael Migliore (News UK, TMAC)
Michael Migliore is a Lifetime Value (LTV) expert and was Head of Customer Value at News UK, CMO of The Modular Analytics Company (TMAC) and has worked with a number of other organisations on their LTV and growth strategies.In today's episode:• How Marketing and Product teams can work better together• Fundamentals of an LTV strategy in B2B products• How to approach pricing of a B2B product• Ways to reduce churn and where it is positioned in LTV strategies—Michael's contact info:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-migliore-75966636/—Where to find the host, Adam Wakeling:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjwakeling• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wakeling-26494b35/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Podcast Introduction(01:34) Definition of a great product (02:44) The Product and Marketing relationship(07:04) Lifetime Value framework(11:00) How to approach a SWOT analysis(16:04) Pricing and price sensitive (18:20) LTV timeframes - what is a lifetime?(20:12) The dark art of pricing(23:10) The right discounting approach(27:37) Additional pricing tactics(30:54) Marketing input into product feature development(35:00) Marketing and product 'buddies' in a company(35:50) Churn and LTV (39:30) Execution tactics in tackling churn(43:13) What metrics to track in LTV (47:00) Application of AI in LTV(48:45) Creative pursuits outside workFollow the podcast on Twitter: @proddevpodcastGet in touch with the host, Adam Wakeling, on Twitter: @adamjwakeling and LinkedIn: @adam-wakeling