Comments on: Sell your requirements to development

By: David Locke

David Locke — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:10:57 +0000

So we are selling to sale and engineering. Could we market to them as well? Could we use a curriculum marketing campaign to sell them and continue to sell them on an ongoing manner?

How much of the product roadmap do you reveal, particularly when you are in a fast follower situation?

The product manager learns from the user, so the product doesn’t have to teach the user. But, the product manager has to turn around and teach engineering and sales. Teaching and selling are the same thing.

By: j

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:45:11 +0000

I am looking for info on product requirements. If I want to sell a new type of UMBRELLA, what specific info needs to be on product and on product packaging?

By: Product development is not a democracy: How To Be A Good Product Manager: Product management tips

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:24:47 +0000

[...] If you want to be a good product manager, rely on leadership rather than voting to drive product development. Of course, product managers can not and should not be dictators, and there are many things product managers must do to engage and utilize the entire product development team, like selling requirements to development and involving others in creating product plans. [...]

By: Derek Morrison

Derek Morrison — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 19:37:44 +0000

I have just written an article on my blog entitled “Product Management and Knowledge Sharing”. I touch developer/engineers working closely together so that requirements etc…can be fully understood. I also touch on Scrum – an agile development method – and how it may or may not aid in knowledge sharing – please have a read and let me know if you have had any positive of negative experience of Scrum (or any other agile process) aiding in bringing product managers, business users (e.g. sales, marketing and e-marketing) together and therefore foster knowledge sharing that results in cutting edge products and really cool features that generate revenue. I’ll be pleased to hear your thoughts and experiences.

By: Scott Sehlhorst

Scott Sehlhorst — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 23:41:09 +0000

Great article, Jeff.

You’ve definitely nailed one of the two key dynamics – motivation. As you say, when people know why what they’re doing matters, they will be more motivated to do it (as long as you’re asking them to do the most important stuff).

The other affect comes from providing context. People simply operate more efficiently (less second-guessing, etc) when they understand the context in which they are working. Things like “this may not be the most important feature, but that use case is worth $10 million, and this feature is required for that use case.”

Great article – now stop covering your topics so effectively, so I can add to the conversation without just saying “go read Jeff’s thing.” Seriously, tho – good stuff, I enjoy reading it!

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:33:40 +0000

So true – - product development are human beings who like to feel part of the solution, not just a clog in the wheel.

Allowing them to understand what the product is for and why will motivate them much more than just their core function. The PM must evangelise to the development team!