On Project Management and Product Management

The link to the video is at the bottom of the post. — Are there any significant differences between the disciplines of project management and product management? My opinion is that each is a well-established discipline, which goes beyond nomenclature and could at best be complementary. Project managers are professionals who oversee projects with the […]
Is it nurture? Is it nature? Sometimes, we would not know, and that’s good enough

General observation: Each time I travel, I bring with mementoes (usually inexpensive) gifts for each person in the household as well as friends and family. Something to tell them they were on my mind during my trip. My wife does the same. My closest friends do the same. I have observed my siblings do the […]
Risk and luck are both out of our hands

Risks and Luck are two sides of the same coin, sometimes the same exact same side of the same coin but viewed from different angles, or at different times of the day or an epoch or with varying contexts. Whilst I am firmly of the opinion that all causes have an effect and that studying […]
BA Summit 2021

The largest gathering of business analysts and business analysis in the Southern hemisphere is around the corner! This year, like last year, the conference will be virtual. However, it promises to exceed ALL expectations. The speaker line up is epic and so are the topics up for presentations and discussions. The conference is themed and […]
Eleven lessons from 11 years of marriage

There is no substitute for open, honest conversations. ALWAYS keep the environment safe – as open and honest conversations only exist and thrive of the fertile ground of safety. Sometimes, all you need to do is listen. The time for solutioning will come and you will have the opportunity to say what you think could […]
Plussing!

Popularized by the wiz, Walt Disney. Plussing is a concept applied by product managers to make a good product great. It is easy to apply. You have a product in the market that customers are using (or you have just introduced what you believe is the MVP for your product). You ‘plus’ by planning, scheduling […]
Anecdotes

Short, self contained stories or reports of true events or people. Useful as a way to remember key points. Useless as a way of conveying important information. Useless because for those without context of what the anecdote summarises, the risk of misunderstanding rises significantly. So when creating anecdotes, include as much breadth and depth as […]
How big is it?

Is it even real? The problem you are seeking to solve. Does it exist outside of your imagination. And that of your team? Is it in the bug report? Are the customers are asking for it? Are the customers using your product in a way that makes it clear you have a problem, or they […]
MoSCoW

One of my favorite prioritisation tools. Short for: MUST haves. High priority items that the product/opportunity or challenge being addressed MUST have. These are product launch blockers. If you don’t have them in place, you don’t launch. Example: in South Africa and European Union, for any customer facing product, alignment to the privacy regulations (POPI […]
What are you afraid of starting?

A YouTube channel? A course? A new career? A baking class? Sometimes, the fear we feel is healthy and can urge us on albeit carefully. Sometimes, it is crippling and it is the reason we never start or even try. Irrespective of the the type of of fear or the issue that is causing it, […]