Beyond the code: Github for Product Management

Beyond the code: Github for product management

Hello! My name is Anne Thomas I’ve recently co-founded a company called Shop Critique. We help Shopify merchants figure out what to fix on their sites. 2

What’s product management? Everyone has a different definition it seems!

Product management does not equal Project management 4

“ My personal definition of product management is making sure everyone on the team is informed about the direction of the product and feels a sense of ownership 5

Do you need an official product manager? Not exactly… but you might want to consider it!

You’re already managing your product! 7

Why Github? ● ● ● It’s free! You’re already using it to store your code repositories Finding out the “why” is a lot easier - context for developers Alternatives ● ● Trello Gitlab ● ● ProductBoard Roadmap ● ● Zenhub ProductStash 8

Some caveats. ● Non-technical people can get overwhelmed by Github ● Specific detailed timelines aren’t easily tracked in Github (eg. Gantt charts) ● In order to vote/ comment on an issue, you need to be added to the repo 9

Questions … so far? Anything you want me to clarify or things you’ve always wondered about product management? 10

Ok, you’re intrigued. How does this work? Time to meet the fictional startup.

The scenario Imaginary Shopify app company ● Spelling and Grammar app ● Shoppable Instagram app ● Grffnck.com website 12

Quick intro to Github interface 13

Overview of our three repos 14

Internal vs External feedback Internal issues - Created by people on your team Can expect (or at least hope for) detailed info External issues - Submitted by customers/users Not always the clearest Beware the squeaky wheel Look for multiple reports 15

1 Setting up internal roadmap Visibility is KEY.

2 Adding issue templates Make it easy for people to submit feedback.

3 Using labels for organization How to keep track of all the things!

4 Gather external feedback Feature requests and bug reports

5 Emoji voting Make it easy for your team to submit feedback.

6 Prioritize and organize By using your data, your vision and a little bit of your gut.

Putting it all together. ● ● ● ● ● Submit features from Google form or internal Add labels to new issues Vote/comment on issues Prioritize issues and add to Roadmap Development team completes work in Github with project boards 22

Whew… questions? 23

Product management resources ● ● ● ● ● Inspired https://www.mindtheproduct.com/ https://www.romanpichler.com/blog/ https://svpg.com/ https://medium.com/@joulee 24

Github resources ● ● ● ● ● ● Kamino issue duplicator Refined Github extension GitHub Help Intro to Git Git Cheatsheet In-depth Git book 25

Thanks! Let’s connect! You can find me at @alfalfaanne & anne@shopcritique.com If you have a Shopify store, I would LOVE to talk with you! 26