The Pragmatic Product Professional

The Pragmatic Product Laura Van Doore Head of Product Design, Fathom @lauravandoore

How could a book about programming written 2 decades ago be applicable to modern product development? @lauravandoore

Building Products in 2019

Pragmatic Adjective Solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed ideas, theories or rules. @lauravandoore

Otherwise we end up with products like this: @lauravandoore

What makes a pragmatic product person? @lauravandoore

Trait #1 BIG PICTURE THINKER They think beyond the immediate problem and place it in a larger context @lauravandoore

Trait #2 DEEPLY REALISTIC They work with the chess pieces that are on the board, rather than the resources they wish they had @lauravandoore

Trait #3 INQUISITIVE They constantly re-evaluate and question current methods, approach & practices @lauravandoore

Trait #4 SKILLED CRAFTSPERSON They deeply care about their craft, and actively invest in new skill development @lauravandoore

Trait #5 SCIENTIFIC MINDSET They make informed decisions and intelligent compromises @lauravandoore

Pragmatic Product Mindset Traits Big picture thinker Realistic Skilled Craftsperson Inquisitive Test & Learn Mindset @lauravandoore

Cultivating a Pragmatic Product Mindset @lauravandoore

1 Speak more than one language

In 1999 Learn as many programming languages as possible @lauravandoore

The limits of languages influence how you think about a problem The Pragmatic Programmer @lauravandoore

In 2019 Building product is a team sport With many roles and players @lauravandoore

Learning the languages of your teammates is a super power @lauravandoore

SPEAK MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE ● Customers ● Engineering ● Product Management ● Design & UX ● Business @lauravandoore

Shared language and skill overlap breaks down barriers @lauravandoore

2 Be a catalyst @lauravandoore

Catalyst Noun A chemical substance that can be added to a reaction to increase the reaction rate without getting consumed in the process @lauravandoore

Be a catalyst Imagine this scenario: ● You have a really clear picture on how to make positive change ● You’ve got a great grasp on the resources you’ll need, and how to bring it all together. ● It’s a slam dunk @lauravandoore

Be a catalyst ● But when asking for permission to get started, you’re met with delays and blank stares ● People form committees ● Budgets need approvals ● Everyone starts to guards their resources @lauravandoore

STORY TIME Stone Soup @lauravandoore

Illustrations by Marcia Brown

BE A CATALYST People find it easier to join an ongoing success @lauravandoore

BE A CATALYST Showing a glimpse of the future helps folks to rally @lauravandoore

BE A CATALYST Sometimes people aren’t aware of the value they can contribute (They don’t know what they can bring to the pot) @lauravandoore

Be a catalyst by helping the people around you see an exciting possible future, with a clear path for how they can contribute @lauravandoore

3 Invest in your knowledge portfolio

Your knowledge & experience are your most important professional assets. Unfortunately, they’re expiring assets. The Pragmatic Programmer @lauravandoore

INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO Diversify The more areas you have knowledge in, the more valuable & adaptable you are. @lauravandoore

INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO Manage risk Tech skills exist along a spectrum from risky, potentially high-reward to low-risk, low-reward skills. @lauravandoore

INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO Buy low, sell high Learning emerging technologies or methods might be risky, but it pays off for early adopters who can end up dominating that area. @lauravandoore

Manage your knowledge investments in a similar way to how you would manage a financial portfolio @lauravandoore

4 Push for progress over perfection @lauravandoore

PUSH FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION You can’t design perfect software There’s no single correct answer when building new features & products. ‘Perfect’ is dependant on the eye of the beholder. @lauravandoore

PUSH FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION Plan to adapt and iterate. Permanently. Customers needs are always evolving, usually needing more and more sophisticated functionality. Product is never done. @lauravandoore

1 Speak more than one language 2 Be a catalyst 3 Invest in your knowledge portfolio 4 Push for progress over perfection @lauravandoore

Pragmatic Product Mantras 4 bite-sized knowledge nuggets @lauravandoore

Don’t live with broken windows Fix bad designs, wrong decisions, and poor code when you see them.

Horses, not zebras Look for expected cause first, rather than searching out something more exotic

No one from Brazil has purchased our product, people must not be interested. Later, user research showed their checkout form validation didn’t allow Brazilian postcodes to pass

Carve stones, but think cathedrals Focus on where the big picture meets the detailed implementation.

When in doubt ask the duck Rubber duck debugging is popular with devs, but is handy for other teams too

Thanks @lauravandoore