This week, Product Faculty hosted Esha Shukla, Senior Product Supervisor at WhatsApp, for a particular #AskMeAnything session. Esha talks about being a data-informed PM, her go-to prioritization frameworks, and important PM abilities like communication and person focus.

Meet Esha

Esha Shukla is invested in sharing her insights, learnings, and recommendation for brand new or aspiring PMs within the trade. Presently, she is a Senior Product Supervisor for WhatsApp Group Messaging. Earlier than this, she was a Product Supervisor for the Fb app, centered on constructing merchandise for Ladies in Rising Markets. Previous to that, she was a Product Supervisor at Meetup, engaged on their organizer subscription crew to guide revenue-driving pricing modifications, and labored on their occasions crew to assist join members to occasions that might curiosity them.

What is going to you counsel to somebody who desires to enhance him/herself as a knowledge pushed PM? How do you get good at it?

This can be a nice query, and generally a slippery slope. I’ll clarify:

Being data-informed vs. data-driven are two very various things. Knowledge-informed is leaning into information and analysis but in addition supplementing these with some ideas to make sure what you’re constructing goes to be worthwhile to the person within the long-term, not simply short-term. Knowledge-driven generally means you may check a few options and choose the ‘winner’ primarily based on experiment outcomes. This may generally result in not-so-great choices for the person (as a result of it’s possible you’ll find yourself prioritizing what issues extra to the enterprise primarily based on metrics you had in thoughts). Tips about being data-informed:

1. Chat together with your information scientist/information analyst and perceive what sources of information the crew makes use of, and the way. This can assist you may have extra productive conversations.
2. Be sure to work with analysis and design to determine product ideas that can be utilized along with counting on information.
3. Extra broadly – there are a selection of on-line programs obtainable as effectively for those who’re searching for to get higher at utilizing technical instruments that information analysts usually use.

Examine this out: 5 Causes Why Product Managers Should Perceive Knowledge

How do you go about A/B testing and making information pushed choices in your position?

That is an attention-grabbing query! At my earlier position on the Fb app, we did loads of a/b testing, usually to make choices on which model of the move (e.g account registration) was performing higher.

I labored on launching a function known as ‘Lock your Profile’ to 13 rising markets which helps customers defend their privateness by making certain their previous and future content material is shared with buddies solely. We knew by analysis that bringing consciousness to this function when you’re creating an account could be useful to customers within the long-term. Nevertheless, including an additional step was regressing the completion move.

This can be a good instance of why I say you need to couple UXR + information to make a ultimate name. If we had caught to simply what the information instructed, we wouldn’t have added that step, which in the long run positively helped extra customers undertake this function that made them really feel safer!

Are there any prioritization frameworks or different PM frameworks that you just suggest?

Nice query! There are loads of them, and it additionally will depend on what you’re utilizing the framework to prioritize. Nevertheless, at a excessive degree, I believe the next two frameworks have actually helped me:

1. Visualize your trade-offs, and use the traffic-light technique: As Product Managers, now we have to make trade-off choices virtually every day. Numerous these instances, now we have to current our advice to some stakeholders (accomplice groups, management, your individual crew and many others.) to get alignment. Everyone seems to be conversant in outlining standards to check in opposition to the choices, however I believe there’s something about visually presenting trade-offs that may assist make these choices actually shortly and spotlight your advice.
2. Outline product + design ideas in your product, and use them to make the proper choices in your customers: Numerous instances sticking to strict frameworks doesn’t do a lot good. I’ve discovered establishing ideas for what you need your product to do, and never do is a extremely great way of making certain any determination you’re making is in one of the best curiosity of the person, and adheres to these ideas that you just sought buy-in out of your crew on!

Learn subsequent: 3 Important Steps to Mastering Prioritization

How can PMs introduce new options that the customers themselves haven’t realized they want but?

Attention-grabbing query! I suppose I might begin with first making certain you actually sought out to resolve a person want by the function you constructed. The explanation I say it is because for those who’re prioritizing a very powerful person ache factors, the options could be extra shortly discoverable (both in product or by phrase of mouth). Now, that’s to not say which you could’t do extra within the app/product to carry consciousness to the function. beginning place is to see adoption of the function, and if it’s decrease than anticipated, work together with your Person Analysis crew to determine why! (i.e. not fixing person want, or discoverability).

What’s the easiest way to get distant jobs?

Very well timed query with the present job market. In tech particularly, loads of firms have already began specifying of their itemizing if the place is open to full-time distant. I might lean into job posting boards akin to LinkedIn, Certainly and many others and examine if they’ve a strategy to filter for distant positions. One other manner to do that would to be ask these in your community that is perhaps working at firms you aspire to be at, to determine if they’re open to distant work!

On PMing remotely: Set Up Your Group For Distant Product Discovery

I’ve just lately joined a startup. My accountability is to construct the product and maintain it on monitor. How would you suggest I strategy the position? 

Wow – first off, congratulations in your new position. Working at a startup might be very fulfilling and a fantastic studying and progress expertise. I might begin by speaking to some stakeholders within the firm to know what’s the firm mission, and what drawback you’re attempting to resolve and for whom.

When you perceive this, you possibly can accomplice with UXR (or if this crew doesn’t exist, discover a strategy to create a spotlight group/speak to your audience) to know ache factors. Whereas brainstorming options, use the suitable goal standards to prioritize what you’re constructing. This could possibly be influence to the person, influence to the enterprise, degree of effort, severity of the issue and many others. To make sure all the pieces stays on monitor – I might suggest utilizing a undertaking administration software akin to Asana!

What are the highest 5 suggestions for an ideal resume?

Good query! Just a few suggestions (that I personally comply with) for writing an efficient resume are under:

1. Spotlight the result of the undertaking, not simply inputs: It’s necessary to clarify what occurred because of your involvement within the undertaking. E.g. Income improve by 5% by the launch of function X, that solved Y drawback.
2. Don’t use acronyms!: Re-read your resume and make clear acronyms it’s possible you’ll assume are generally utilized in your area. This particularly issues as a result of as PMs we’re generalists and normally can work throughout several types of merchandise.
3. Be succinct: Sounds easy, however is far tougher to do! You have to guarantee your bullet shouldn’t be very lengthy in any other case it’s simple for the reader to get misplaced.
4. Use hyperlinks!: In case your merchandise had a press-release, or any article printed, hyperlink them! It may be helpful context for these to click on by and study extra.
5. Spotlight your PM Expertise: Whereas writing about initiatives, discover a manner to make use of verbs that spotlight your PM Expertise (e.g. influencing with authority, consideration to particulars and many others).

What skillsets ought to aspiring PMs with enterprise a background deal with enhancing?

The wonderful thing about the PM occupation is that there isn’t an easy path to it. This implies you’ll usually encounter PMs from varied backgrounds. Firstly, don’t really feel intimidated. I believe a enterprise background can are available very helpful for this position! Just a few abilities that you might work up:

1. Listening is a PM’s superpower – Creating belief in your crew to talk their opinions begins with you reflecting earlier than reacting! As a PM, you’re employed carefully with a number of features (e.g design, engineering, information science, advertising and many others) to collectively resolve a person drawback. Every of those stakeholders carry their very own experience and opinions to the desk. Typically they could differ from yours, and even, the present crew technique & imaginative and prescient. Being fast to react or decide concepts may cause your crew to not brazenly share their opinions with you which is able to damage the creativity of options the crew explores within the long-term. You’ll be able to apply this by working together with your colleagues/mock interviewers to make sure you’re constructing empathy.
2. As a PM, you need to discover ways to search buy-in by affect vs. authority, and the way you current your story could make an enormous distinction in whether or not you’ll be able to get everybody on board with the strategic course or not. As a enterprise main, I believe you may have a head-start right here already – apply doing this extra!
3. Make investments time in understanding how frequent merchandise work (i.e fundamental technical particulars): For those who’re interested by PMing for a particular area, take some product examples and attempt to perceive how the app /product works. Numerous youtube movies on this! Don’t get overwhelmed – you don’t should have a technical background to excel as a PM, however having the ability to communicate the main points together with your engineering crew will certainly go a good distance!

I used to be as soon as given suggestions that I’m too customer-focused. The place do you draw the road?

I believe being customer-focused isn’t a foul factor! I might complement influence to the person with a number of different standards that might steadiness for making certain what you’re constructing may even profit your organization in the long term!

Scrum or Secure or Kanban or Circulation? What do you favor?

I haven’t significantly caught to any of those particularly in my roles. It’s a bit extra fluid to determine what timeline you wish to use to set objectives and accordingly work on roadmap planning + execution!

What recommendation would you give to somebody simply beginning off within the Product Administration area?

Nice query! PM being a generalist position can generally really feel overwhelming while you’re simply beginning out. Just a few issues to remember:

1. Imposter syndrome is regular – It’s not simply you! Even when skilled PMs change roles they face this. Discover folks in your crew / community which you could chat about this with!
2. Discover a product chief who’s prepared to mentor you. I believe that is the easiest way to study and develop as a PM. Discover a PM buddy, one which you could depend on that can assist you navigate your new position!

Simply starting to find out about Product? Right here’s a useful resource to get you began: The Final Product Administration Information

How do you check market urge for food for a particular product earlier than placing engineering crew’s effort in it?

This can be a nice query. Discovering product-market match for a product is maybe a very powerful factor. Earlier than you go too down the trail of constructing one thing, you must all the time discover methods to make sure what you’re planning to construct will resolve the person wants in an anticipated manner. For those who don’t have a prototype – attempt to body the questions a bit extra excessive degree and use tough mocks to see how customers react!

How do you talk assertively when presenting new concepts? Particularly when talking with Product/Government management.

I might say you must have 110% conviction in what you’re presenting to have the ability to persuade product/government management. Apply the artwork of storylining to assist with this.

Mastering storylining to affect others & search buy-in – Storylining is the artwork of structuring your concepts so you possibly can succinctly convey key factors which allows faster determination making leading to higher enterprise outcomes! I did teaching with Davina Stanley, who’s the co-author of the So-What Technique (nice learn!), and she or he helped me find out how storylining isn’t just a software to supply readability of thought in written or verbal communication, however somewhat needs to be used as a framework to prepare your concepts!

As a PM, you need to discover ways to search buy-in by affect vs. authority, and the way you current your story could make an enormous distinction in whether or not you’ll be able to get everybody on board with the strategic course or not. I check with the templates she offers in her guide relying on the situation I’m getting ready the story for (e.g. the pitch (for proposals / technique), motion jackson (strolling by a plan), To B or to not B (explaining which choice is finest), site visitors gentle (for updates on a undertaking) and many others.) and all the time guarantee I’m answering the ‘so-what?’ query upfront within the dialog!

For somebody who has B2B product expertise, what would you advise them to achieve B2C expertise with out quitting their job?

I used to be in an identical boat! I had B2B Product Administration expertise working at Citibank, and wished to transition to B2C. It positively took loads of No’s to know that I ought to lean into my expertise in B2B and discover one thing tangential in B2C the place I can carry some experience. That is how I switched to Meetup, of their Funds PM position, as a result of I had funds expertise working at Citi. Discover the area you’re in (on the B2B place), and seek for comparable roles in B2C the place you possibly can carry one thing to the desk!

Any ultimate suggestions?

Thanks a lot for having me! Closing recommendation for aspiring Product Managers could be to have conviction in your self and don’t be afraid to use to that PM position you see even for those who meet solely ~50% of the factors. If I recall my early days as a PM, I positively didn’t advocate for myself sufficient! You’ll hear loads of No’s earlier than you hear that one Sure, however maintain going and it’ll be price it!