The Pragmatic Product Professional

A presentation at Web Directions Summit in October 2019 in Sydney NSW, Australia by Laura van Doore

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

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

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Building Products in 2019

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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

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Otherwise we end up with products like this: @lauravandoore

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What makes a pragmatic product person? @lauravandoore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cultivating a Pragmatic Product Mindset @lauravandoore

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1 Speak more than one language

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In 1999 Learn as many programming languages as possible @lauravandoore

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

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

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

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

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Shared language and skill overlap breaks down barriers @lauravandoore

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2 Be a catalyst @lauravandoore

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

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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

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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

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STORY TIME Stone Soup @lauravandoore

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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Illustrations by Marcia Brown

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

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

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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

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

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3 Invest in your knowledge portfolio

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

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

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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

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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

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

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4 Push for progress over perfection @lauravandoore

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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

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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

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

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Pragmatic Product Mantras 4 bite-sized knowledge nuggets @lauravandoore

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

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

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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

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

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

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Thanks @lauravandoore