I was recently a ‘guest’ on Dan Hon’s new online event type thing – How People Work…LIVE!. The session is on Youtube – I will never, ever look/listen at that but maybe you will. It was a pretty nerve wracking occasion given some of the folks who attended (at least three of whom I was directly referencing) and the format which was very free-flowing and podcast-y. Which I do like but it does spike the adrenaline somewhat.

Dan has upcoming conversations with Pavel Samsonov and Russell Davies (and yesterday did one with Erika Hall). All big upgrades on me but not bad company to be in at all!

What I was there to talk about was primarily how I often find myself – in my regular role as product ‘unc’ – spending more time coaching product and agile delivery people about the [dark] art of advocating for your work and influencing decision makers / colleagues than any more specific ‘product management’ practice. The product people I work with are regularly far smarter than I am and often have a better grasp on the latest product thinking around frameworks and workshops and tooling. They read the right books, listen to the right podcasts and go to the right meet-ups.

The problem they tend to face is that they believe doing good work is sufficient. A sort of ‘if you build it they will come’ mentality.

For Discoveries they produce reports and decks that number in the 100s of pages/slides. Comprehensive, detailed, well researched and rarely read. Dozens of recommendations. Endless appendices. They provide a record of the work done – proof of time well spent – but miss the finer point of the mission for them as ‘product people’ (and others but I primarily worry about this profession). If you are working a Discovery (or Alpha) then the outcome you are seeking is getting the recommendations you are making accepted – by whatever authority is going to do that…because much as we talk about ‘empowered’ teams if you are working in the Civil Service – or any other large bureaucracy – it isn’t going to be you signing things off.

So I spend my time talking about the need to ‘socialise’ your work early and often. Taking Giles’ advice and getting used to sharing early drafts. Having conversations about the emerging findings at any opportunity. Recommendations should not be a surprise to anyone they are going to affect once that final draft lands. Not if you want anything to be actioned.

Watch/listen to Audree about taking the time to identify and understand the individuals (and committees or whatever) that have influence over your work and learn how you can influence them. What do they care about? What motivates them? Who do they listen to? What formats do they prefer getting briefed via (I can guarantee it is not a 200+ page report.) 

I cannot count the amount of times I have shared ‘Finding the “So What?” How to get to the Doteveryone Definition of Done’. It is the single most useful document for any product person structuring the outputs of their Discovery or research work if their hope is that anything will come of it. It provides a clear framework that has worked for me time and again. The challenge is I find it goes against almost every instinct of almost everyone I’ve introduced it to initially. They want to showcase everything and it is all of equal priority. The trade-offs are too hard. They have learned too much. This however is the job. Product people prioritise and make trade-offs. Then they ‘sell’ them in.

The 18F Guides and blogposts were/are brilliant at acknowledging that you needed to think about relationships and influence and building consensus with execs and stakeholders and even colleagues in different corners of your organisation. Product management is often People management. 

(thanks again to the team that saved all that content from the DOGE vandalism) 

While massive reports might not be the ‘thing’ there is no getting away from the fact that more often than not our thinking is communicated by talking over slides (shared on Microsoft Teams or Google Meet more often than not!). Yet many – maybe the majority of – people remain really bad at it. Now not everyone is comfortable with public speaking and doing it online is often a horrible experience (talking to yourself with no feedback 😬) but you can take the time to make it less of an ordeal…and it does take time to do this stuff well.

Invest in Russell’s book, or its little sibling. Or go to ‘Doing Presentations’ where Giles has curated a list of blogposts and advice that should see you through. One thing though – slides are for blooming presenting. Stop chucking soooooo many words on them.

Oh and read the ‘Agile Comms Handbook’.

Sometimes we call all of this kind of work ‘dark arts’ or Machiavellian or political. The reality is though that it is the work. If you cannot get the greenlight to move things forward then all the prior work is for nought.

…and that is the most important bit of wisdom I have to impart to this next generation of product people who make me feel so very, very old.