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Mike & Tommy tackle the controversial idea of killing your data team, questioning whether centralized BI teams have become expensive bottlenecks, and exploring how embedding analysts into product teams could deliver faster, more impactful insights.https://medium.com/dashboards-suck/kill-your-data-team-why-product-teams-should-own-data-bddd991dcff8Get in touch:Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver sits down with product veteran John Cutler to explore why creating great products remains one of the hardest things organisations do. They dive into why so many companies adopt off‑the‑shelf models (“Spotify”, “SAFe”, etc) and still struggle, and how the secret often lies not in what you build but how you build it—specifically the game you design for how you work.Chapters00:00 — The stigma around “how you work”00:54 — Introducing John Cutler (again)01:25 — What John's building at Dotwork02:46 — From fun to formal: doing discovery at scale04:04 — Why process became a bad word05:10 — The “cavalier PM” mindset06:28 — Empowered teams vs. harsh realities08:00 — What great pockets of practice have in common09:03 — Managing up vs. doing the right thing10:24 — Playing the game vs. designing the game11:20 — What makes a great internal game12:33 — Defining success: thriving, surviving, progressing13:46 — Environmental design: why leaders hesitate15:10 — Making intentional design less intimidating16:42 — Tools, rituals, and the power of checkpoints18:23 — The behaviour design playbook20:41 — Removing blockers: access, repetition, reflectionWe're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...
An opportunity to sit down with Darragh to discuss the ideas and strategy behind building out Fin. - 10 year Intercom engineering leadership veteran sits down to discuss building out Fin – The #1 AI Agent for customer service.- Learning how to apply knowledge and industry to AI.- The challenges of building an AI native product from the ground up.- The important of building a world-class AI team and being non-negotiable with the profile of person.If you're keen to share your story, please reach out to us!Guest:https://www.linkedin.com/in/darraghcurran/https://www.intercom.com/careers/Powered by Artifeks!https://www.linkedin.com/company/artifeksrecruitmenthttps://www.artifeks.co.ukhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/agilerecruiterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/enginearsioTwitter: https://x.com/EnginearsioAll Podcast Platforms: https://smartlink.ausha.co/enginears00:00 - Enginears Intro. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
I ask Kent -- how to get a full-stack role at a great product-focused team given the AI scenario around. I added a mini-question as well that -- I want to build my own small things on the side, may be they can turn out to be a SaaS business, so will a full-time role be viable to let me do my own small things on the side...? Looking forward to your thoughts Kent! -- Vivek Getting a Developer Job in the AI chaos
Shipping product features fast feels like winning—until you realize you've deployed seven half-baked features that users tolerate instead of one they actually love. The MVP methodology promised speed and learning, but somewhere along the way it became an excuse for shipping incomplete products and calling it "strategy."Join hosts Chuck Moxley and Nick Paladino as they tackle one of product development's most polarizing debates: the Minimum Viable Product. Drawing insights from companies like Duolingo and referencing their previous conversation with Nakul Goyal from Carfax, Nick and Chuck explore whether MVPs encourage smart learning or just create a culture of half-finished products. They dissect the difference between "low minimum" and "high minimum" approaches, expose how "finding the green" leads to cherry-picked data, and reveal why product bloat happens when teams try individual valuable features without measuring what they displaced. Most importantly, they argue that the real problem isn't MVPs themselves—it's whether your culture is built around making customers happy or making the wrong people happy. Key Actionable Takeaways: Redefine "minimum" based on customer value, not developer speed - The developer defines what's technically achievable fastest, but minimum should prioritize what creates viable user value, not just "does it work"Use production data to guide iteration, not cherry-pick success metrics - Avoid "finding the green" by searching for any positive indicator; instead, let real user data guide your vision and be willing to kill 6 out of 7 tested featuresMeasure diminished value when adding new features - Product bloat occurs when you validate each new feature individually without assessing how it reduces the value of existing features it displaces or pushes down the pageNick & Chuck's previous conversation with Nakul Goyal from Carfax: https://youtu.be/-Torg078AtE Want more tips and strategies about creating frictionless digital experiences? Subscribe to our newsletter! https://www.thefrictionlessexperience.com/frictionless/Download the Five Step Site Speed Target Playbook: http://bluetriangle.com/playbookNick Paladino's LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/npaladino Chuck Moxley's LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chuck-moxleyChapters: (00:00) Introduction - The MVP controversy (01:00) Defining minimum viable - What does it really mean? (02:00) Minimum lovable vs minimum viable - Nakul Goyal's approach (03:00) Who defines minimum and how? (05:00) Product bias and "finding the green" (08:00) Product bloat - When features cannibalize each other (10:00) Low minimum vs high minimum approaches (12:00) Revolut case study - When testing breaks the experience (16:00) Duolingo's approach - Getting streaks wrong then right (19:00) How to measure "lovable" - The data question (21:00) Culture matters more than methodology (23:00) Conclusion
On today's episode of LaunchPod, we've got something special for you. Normally, you'd have to join us in person at one of the dinners we host for product leaders to hear this talk from Oji Udezue. But the response has been so great, we had to bring him onto the show again. Oji has previously held product leadership roles at Typeform, Twitter, Calendly, and Atlassian. Today, he's joining us to share a major problem in product delivery that he's seeing as AI adoption increases across teams. In this episode, we discuss: * The “three-speed problem,” as Oji calls it – how AI will bring about a 10x increase in engineering velocity. But where does that leave product management and go-to-market teams if they can't keep up? * Why AI is a BS term, as it's really five new AND distinct capabilities – and how to use those as a framework for smarter product strategy * And how his “shipyard model” for product teams will ensure you keep up and thrive, even as AI reshapes how we build software Links Oji's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojiudezue/ ProductMind: https://www.productmind.co/ Building Rocketships: Product Management for High-Growth Companies: https://www.productmind.co/building-rocketships-book Resources Oji's past LaunchPod episode: https://www.productmind.co/building-rocketships-book Claude: https://claude.ai/ Cursor: https://cursor.com/ Windsurf: https://windsurf.com/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 1:21 Building Rocket Ships by Oji and Ezinne Udezue 1:55 What is the shipyard model in product? 5:20 The evolution of technology: Why AI is just a new technology level 7:50 The 5 flavors of AI 13:23 The limiting function of development is no longer the speed of engineering – but what is it now? 17:05 Solving the three-speed problem 21:32 Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Oji Udezue.
In this episode, Dave West sits down with Darrell Fernandes, executive advisor at Scrum.org to explore the The AI Teammate Framework: A Four-Step Framework for Product Teams, featured in a new whitepaper. They discuss how to treat AI like a true teammate—onboarding it with context, guiding interactions through user stories, and establishing governance to manage performance.Darrell emphasizes the importance of structured AI adoption, comparing it to onboarding human team members, and highlights how a disciplined approach can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and even protect jobs. From writing AI job descriptions to building prompt libraries and governance strategies, this episode offers actionable insights for teams navigating the evolving AI landscape.Listen now to learn how to bring AI onboard as a true teammate.For more, there is a live webcast coming up next week that will also be available as a recording. Learn more. Topics covered:Introduction to the AI Teammate FrameworkWhy a framework?The need for a structured, holistic approach to AI in teamsAI as a Team MemberTreating AI like a teammate rather than a toolThe importance of onboarding and providing contextComparing AI onboarding to human onboardingThe Four Steps of the FrameworkIdentify AI's Role – defining the problem and writing an AI “job description”Onboard with Context Management – giving AI access to product, customer, and process contextInteract Using User Stories – structuring collaboration through clear, outcome-based interactionsGovernance and Performance Management – ensuring accountability, compliance, and efficiencyChallenges of Working with AIContext management and maintaining prompt librariesBalancing AI experimentation with structureCost, scalability, and efficiency concernsLessons from the Early Days of Cloud ComputingParallels between the AI adoption curve and cloud evolutionThe shift from unregulated enthusiasm to disciplined governanceFuture of AI in Product TeamsThe importance of a disciplined, thoughtful approachHow structured AI collaboration can enhance — not replace — human workActionable Next Steps for TeamsRead the white paperAssess current onboarding and management practicesApply the four-step framework to integrate AI effectively
In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith speaks with Vidya Dinamani, product veteran, coach, and Co-founder of Product Rebels, about how to tell if your team is truly product-led or just paying lip service. With over a decade of experience coaching hundreds of teams, Vidya shares her insights into the critical elements of product maturity, the most overlooked barriers to effective product work, and how Product Rebels' diagnostic framework is helping companies move from chaos to clarity. Chapters00:00 – The customer conversation gap01:28 – Meet Vidya Dinamani and Product Rebels03:35 – Why they built a diagnostic, not an assessment04:45 – Mindsets, competencies, and the missing piece: resources06:28 – AI readiness: the new fourth pillar07:40 – What it really means to be product-led09:59 – How teams are using the diagnostic13:10 – Breaking down the four pillars16:01 – Why access to customers remains a key obstacle17:38 – Patterns, or lack thereof, in product maturity20:26 – AI readiness in context23:59 – A case study: product maturity at scale27:52 – Final thoughts on assessment vs namingWhat we learned from Vidya Most product teams lack customer access: 70–80% of PMs Product Rebels encounter say they've never spoken to a customer.Being product-led requires more than intent: It demands mindset, core competencies, supportive resources—and now AI readiness.Diagnostic, not assessment: Their tool isn't about performance reviews; it's a heat map that reveals where to begin your transformation.AI is not a bolt-on: AI readiness is most effective when integrated into the broader product maturity conversation, not treated as a silo.Start with one thing: Rather than trying to become product-led across the board, identify a single focus area and build momentum from there.Internal PMs need customer framing too: Even teams building internal platforms need customer advocacy and insight.Featured Links: Follow Vidya on LinkedIn | Product Rebels We're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...
AI is fundamentally reshaping how digital products are conceived, built, and delivered—and the shift isn't just technical, it's cultural. Jyothi Nookula, a seasoned AI product leader with experience at companies like Netflix, Meta, Amazon AWS, and Etsy, joins Galen to unpack what makes AI-native products so different from conventional ones, why building them demands new evaluation frameworks, and how product teams can evolve their skills and mindset to keep pace.Whether you're dealing with unpredictable model outputs, shifting success metrics, or a team with uneven comfort levels around emerging tech, Jyothi offers grounded, real-world strategies for staying user-centered, experiment-driven, and confidently collaborative in the face of rapid change.Resources from this episode:Join DPM MembershipSubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jyothi on LinkedInCheck out Next Gen Product Manager and Jyothi's website
In this episode of Always Be Testing, host Tye DeGrange sits down with Amro Naddy, VP of Product and General Manager at U.S. News & World Report, where he leads digital transformation, innovation, and audience growth initiatives across one of the most trusted names in media.With a background spanning product strategy, growth, and media leadership, Amro brings a thoughtful lens to how legacy brands can evolve without losing credibility. He shares how U.S. News balances data-driven optimization with editorial integrity — and why connecting product, marketing, and content strategy is crucial for long-term success.Together, they dive into the future of product-led growth, what it takes to lead cross-functional teams in a complex organization, and how to measure what really matters when building products for millions of users. Amro also reflects on leadership lessons — from building psychologically safe teams to navigating change in organizations that have been around for decades.This episode is a masterclass in modern leadership, where innovation meets trust and experimentation meets purpose.
How does a retail giant like Sam's Club stay ahead of the tech curve? In this podcast hosted by EY Platform Operations Lead Justin Leibow, Sam's Club VP of Product Sharon Plasser will be speaking on the transformative power of AI and building high-performing product teams. Sharon shares her insights on navigating product leadership, driving innovation, and creating a culture of curiosity and trust that empowers teams to solve complex challenges.
This special episode of Product Rebels brings you highlights from a recent webinar hosted by Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani, and featuring product veteran Ravi Mehta. With AI hype reaching fever pitch, many product teams are being pushed to “do AI”—without clear strategy or outcomes. In this candid conversation, we break down what's really working in teams today. Learn the Inspire, Validate, Structure, and Ship framework designed to move your team from idea to impact with clarity. If you're a product leader navigating how to integrate AI meaningfully, this episode offers practical steps, real examples, and a refreshing no-fluff approach.
Our latest episode explores the moment AI stops being a tool and starts becoming an organizational model. Agentic systems are already redefining how work, design, and decision‑making happen, forcing leaders to abandon deterministic logic for probabilistic, adaptive systems.“Agentic systems force a mindshift—from scripts and taxonomies to semantics, intent, and action.”
Product manager, entrepreneur, and author Ali Rakhimov joins Laurier Mandin to talk about how better communication can make even the most ambitious products take flight. From building payment kiosks for K–12 schools to leading multimillion-dollar initiatives at Macy's, Ali shares how simplicity, idioms, and “stupid” questions can cut through complexity and bring teams together. This conversation dives into how to keep innovation alive, avoid “boiling the ocean,” and use AI as a force for clarity, not chaos.Episode Highlights:00:02:00 — From the classroom to product leadership: How Ali's early years in K–12 shaped his management style.00:04:40 — Building, failing, and pivoting: The scrappy road trip that led to a startup exit.00:06:30 — The power of idioms: Why metaphors like “Elephant in the Room” and “Boil the Ocean” make teams communicate better.00:09:00 — Asking the “stupid” question: Turning imposter syndrome into clarity.00:12:10 — Focus vs. shiny-penny syndrome: How to simplify and ship without killing ambition.00:16:00 — AI hype and reality: What teams get wrong—and how culture determines success.00:21:00 — Learning curve to lifelong learning: From calculators to ChatGPT, adapting to new tools.00:27:40 — Making pigs fly: How Ali proved the impossible possible in K–12 fintech.Links:Find out more about Ali Rakhimov and buy "When Pigs Fly": Ali.inkSubscribe to Laurier Mandin's daily emails and buy "I Need That": LMandin.comLearn about Graphos Product, read the blog and get all podcasts with transcripts: GraphosProduct.com
What if AI could turn every product manager into a superhuman innovator? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by NEOGOV CPO Denise Hemke, Kraftful CEO and CPO Yana Welinder will be speaking about how AI is transforming product teams from siloed roles to integrated "product builders". She offers a rare insider's perspective on how emerging technologies will reshape product discovery, prioritization, and development in the next few years, drawing from her experience leading an AI-powered product insights platform.
Today, we're joined by Zac Hays, CPO at Luxury Presence, a fast-growing real estate tech platform that made a huge bet on AI adoption across the company.. In this episode, we discuss: Luxury Presence's 30x Value Principle and how they rethought goals and projects to have exponential-level impact The AI design sprint process that allowed the company to 20x product velocity How their mandatory AI bug triage policy has cut resolution time by 80% Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacthepm/ Zac's AI-Powered Design Print Playbook: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-powered-design-sprint-playbook-v01-zac-hays-iu1dc/ Luxury Presence: https://www.luxurypresence.com/ AirOps: https://www.airops.com/ Userbrain: https://www.userbrain.com/en/ Chapters 00:00: Intro 03:31: How Luxury Presence started tinkering with AI 08:15: Automating bug fixes (the 80% reduction) 10:50: Zac's "AI Design Sprint" process 14:00: Using AI to tackle tech debt and codebase rewrites 19:04: Building an "autonomous" AI marketing team 22:22: Conclusion Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Zac Hays.
The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
James Gibson is Head of Revolut Business. Under his leadership, Revolut Business now processes over $33 billion in monthly transaction volume and generates more than $1BN in annualised revenue. AGENDA: 04:10 Is Consulting the Worst Background for Aspiring PMs 07:09 How Revolut Hires for it's Product Team 17:21 How Revolut Sets Goals: What Works, What Does Not 19:37 How Revolut Structures Their Product Teams 22:13 How Revolut Structures Product Review Sessions 27:23 New Bets Process at Revolut 29:11 How Revolut Balances Super Users and General Customers 36:55 How Revolut Drives Product Velocity and Efficiency 39:26 Future of Product with AI 44:56 Quick Fire Questions and Reflections
Today, we're joined by Michael Krafft, CPO at FoundersCard, a membership community for entrepreneurs and executives offering exclusive perks and VIP treatment. Previously, Michael worked in investment banking, led product teams at American Express, and played a key role in turning around Alight, an HR-tech firm, ahead of its IPO. In this episode, we discuss: How Michael uses AI to be a 1-person Product team at a profitable startup with more than 250K members His AI-driven discovery engine that automates interviews, segments users, and turns feedback into roadmap-shaping insights Why working as both a leader and IC lets him move from idea to prototype to product in record time with tools like V-Zero and Lovable The simple test that boosted paid conversions by 50%—and how he runs growth experiments far beyond his team's size Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-krafft/ FoundersCard: https://founderscard.com/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:04 How AI Drove Down CAC and Fueled Growth 06:06 Using AI to Analyze Customer Interviews 09:10 Turning Feedback Into Roadmap Insights 12:13 AI-Powered Discovery Engine for PMs 15:17 One-Person Product Team With AI Tools 18:20 Scaling Insights Beyond Human Bandwidth 21:23 Automating PRDs With AI 24:25 From Idea to Prototype in an Afternoon 27:28 Running Growth Experiments With AI 30:31 Conversions, Retention, and AI Testing 33:33 Customer Insights That Shape the Roadmap 36:36 Paid Conversion Boosts With AI 39:37 Final Takeaways for Product Leaders Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Michael Krafft.
Beau Martonik visits Hoyt's headquarters with Evan Williams and Jeremy Eldredge. Jeremy reflects on his 21-year journey at Hoyt, highlighting the strong culture and employee loyalty that drive their innovative products. The discussion also covers Hoyt's meticulous manufacturing process, the dry fire test, the trick pin for pin gapping, hunting stories, and much more! Topics: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:50 – Jeremy's First Podcast Appearance 00:08:17 – Employee Tenure and Company Culture 00:11:08 – Evan's Background 00:14:58 – Evan's Start At Hoyt 00:17:46 – Manufacturing Process Insights 00:24:53 – Mechanical Team, R&D Team, and Product Team 00:31:16 – Bow String Quality 00:35:26 – Dry Fire Test Explained 00:40:51 – Bow Mishaps and Field Stories Resources: Hoyt Links: https://hoyt.com/ Instagram: @eastmeetswesthunt @beau.martonik Facebook: East Meets West Outdoors Shop Hunting Gear and Apparel: https://www.eastmeetswesthunt.com/ YouTube: Beau Martonik - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQJon93sYfu9HUMKpCMps3w Partner Discounts and Affiliate Links: https://www.eastmeetswesthunt.com/partners Amazon Influencer Page https://www.amazon.com/shop/beau.martonik Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Modern software teams typically rely on a patchwork of tools to manage planning, development, feature rollout, and post-release analysis. This fragmentation is a known challenge that can create friction and slow down software development iteration. It's especially problematic for cross-functional teams, where differences in roles, expertise, and work culture can further complicate collaboration. There is The post Empowering Cross-Functional Product Teams with Tobias Dunn-Krahn and Doug Peete appeared first on Software Engineering Daily.
Modern software teams typically rely on a patchwork of tools to manage planning, development, feature rollout, and post-release analysis. This fragmentation is a known challenge that can create friction and slow down software development iteration. It’s especially problematic for cross-functional teams, where differences in roles, expertise, and work culture can further complicate collaboration. There is The post Empowering Cross-Functional Product Teams with Tobias Dunn-Krahn and Doug Peete appeared first on Software Engineering Daily.
If you were the CEO of the company where you work, would you fund the work your team is doing? In the early pages of Matt LeMay's latest book, Impact-first Product Teams, readers confront this existential question. And it hits pretty close to home: am I worthy of my company's investment? As he explains to … The post 169 / Matt LeMay's Keys to Delivering Impact That Propels Your Business Forward appeared first on ITX Corp..
Today on LaunchPod AI, we're talking with Sierra Hahn-Ventrell, Director of Product Management at Apartment List. In this episode, we discuss how they: Analyze customer interviews with ChatGPT, even uncovering a missed insight that led to a full product strategy reset Built an AI Slack bot to flag issues in a new customer-facing tool before they become big problems And transformed sales enablement and automated documentation using NotebookLM and Claude Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahnventrell/ Apartment List: https://www.apartmentlist.com/ Tools ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/ Claude: https://claude.ai/ NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google.com/ Storylane: https://www.storylane.io/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:47 AI Slack Bot for Property Management 03:59 Hackathon Project and Implementation 07:20 Challenges and Solutions in AI Integration 10:19 NotebookLM for Sales Enablement 13:10 AI in Product Strategy and Market Fit 16:52 Pushing AI to Its Limits 17:44 Using ChatGPT for Product Strategy 18:36 Guiding AI for Accurate Market Analysis 20:53 Leveraging Gong and AI for Sales Insights 24:40 Automating Documentation with AI 26:41 Balancing Innovation and Control in AI Adoption 31:36 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPodPodcast)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket's Galileo AI watches user sessions for you and surfaces the technical and usability issues holding back your web and mobile apps. Understand where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr). Special Guest: Sierra Hahn-Ventrell.
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David Cancel is a seasoned entrepreneur, author, and technology leader best known as the founder and Executive Chairman of Drift, the leading platform for conversational marketing and sales. With a career spanning five successful startups, including Performable, Compete, and Ghostery, David has built a reputation for creating high-growth products and scaling world-class teams. David shares how his upbringing in an entrepreneurial household influenced his career and how Drift was born out of a desire to modernize outdated sales and marketing tools that no longer fit today's buyer-centric landscape. He explains that traditional lead capture methods, like forms and email nurture sequences, are obsolete in a world where customers expect real-time, 24/7 access to solutions. David emphasizes that true innovation isn't just about software — it requires a complete cultural and data model shift, similar to how the social graph disrupted CRMs. David advocates for embracing mentorship and collective knowledge rather than learning every lesson through struggle, as the most important insights often come from others, and the earlier we internalize them, the better. Website: Salesloft LinkedIn: David Cancel Instagram: dcancel Previous Episode: iam330-serial-entrepreneur-creates-hypergrowth-products-and-product-teams Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE. I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!
Join us in this episode with Jessica Nelson Kohel, founder and CEO of PMX Group, a niche product consultancy. Jessica discusses the intersections of product coaching, training, and consulting, and provides insights into the benefits of bringing outside perspectives into product teams. From supporting founder-led companies in scaling their product orgs to aiding new VPs of Product, Jessica shares engaging stories and valuable lessons on effective team dynamics, leadership, and immersive discovery processes. Learn about the importance of trust, the nuances of CEO-product leader relationships, and the power of collaborative coaching for product excellence.00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:27 Jessica's Background and PMX Group00:56 Transitioning to Consulting02:01 The Value of an Outside Perspective04:18 Challenges of Being an FTE05:54 The Rise of Super ICs09:08 Coaching and Upskilling Product Teams11:33 Immersive Discovery Approach17:31 Building Trust and Accurate Diagnosis20:23 Engaging with Stakeholders23:31 Supporting New Product Leaders42:49 Peer Coaching and Team Support
What happens when your lead engineer leaves and takes the product knowledge with them? In this episode, Ashok Sivanand tackles some of the most pressing product and engineering questions straight from the community—including how to prevent panic-inducing knowledge loss, when founders should or shouldn't vibe code, and how to choose between building full-service or self-serve platforms. Ashok is joined by producer Doug Branson for a first-ever audience Q&A format that covers real problems from real teams. From unit test-driven documentation to AI-assisted code exploration, this episode gives both quick fixes and long-term strategies for building resilient teams. Plus, learn the Lexus vs Scion framework that product leaders are using to determine their go-to-market path when serving both advanced and beginner users. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... How to prevent engineering burnout and knowledge bottlenecks The pros and cons of vibe coding for technical founders Using AI tools like Copilot to debug and document Choosing between full-service vs self-serve platform tools Aligning product strategy with internal team maturity Mentioned in this episode GitHub Copilot Cursor Reddit Product Management Community Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow. Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence
Join us this week on the Product Thinking Podcast as we explore the intersection of digital innovation and product management with Jose Quesada, VP of Product Management for Mobile and Web at American Express. With over 15 years of experience, Jose provides valuable insights into transforming digital experiences within the financial industry and the pivotal role of experimentation in fostering innovation.Jose shares his approach to creating a culture of safe experimentation, the seamless integration of digital and physical financial products, and the importance of developing soft skills in product management. He offers a compelling perspective on how digital transformation is reshaping customer interactions and product strategies at American Express.You'll hear us talk about:- 11:25 - Embracing ExperimentationJose discusses the importance of using experimentation as a tool to reduce uncertainty, encouraging his team to innovate and learn from mistakes without fear.- 25:31 - Data-Driven Product StrategyJose emphasizes the significance of a dual-track approach in product development, balancing immediate business outcomes with future-focused discovery.- 33:24 - Building Psychological Safety for InnovationJose shares strategies for fostering a team environment where making mistakes is part of the learning process, thereby driving innovation and growth.Episode resources:Jose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josequesadamedina/Careers at AMEX: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/careers/Check our new course: https://productinstitute.com/p/mastering-product-strategy-overviewTimestamps:00:00 Coming Up01:23 Intro03:00 Dear Melissa08:38 Entering product14:53 Outcome-Driven Teams25:41 Making Data Work34:28 Embracing Change41:44 Future Of Digital Products
In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy speak with Faith Forster about the art of aligning product work with commercial outcomes. From redefining velocity as a function of customer value to implementing impact models that quantify ROI, Faith outlines practical frameworks to help product teams think commercially without compromising user value. She also explores the evolving role of AI in product development, the necessity of syncing planning cycles with business units, and why happy teams are the cornerstone of faster, better delivery.Key takeawaysVelocity = Value: Product velocity isn't about coding speed—it's about reducing time to customer value to improve ROI and lower opportunity cost.Impact Modelling: A disciplined approach to estimating commercial outcomes before development helps product teams understand and justify their work.AI Integration: Teams are expected to primarily use AI tools within three months to boost delivery speed and build organisational capability.Viability from Day One: Pricing and revenue potential must be considered from the outset—not after feature completion.Cross-Functional Alignment: Successful planning requires synchronising product cycles with finance, sales, and marketing calendars.Happy Teams, Better Results: Reducing friction between design, engineering, and product roles directly impacts delivery speed and feature quality.Chapters00:00 – Redefining velocity: Why speed isn't just about code01:05 – Faith's journey from Dex to Legal03:02 – Introducing the commercial value talk04:51 – Understanding the P&L from a product lens08:07 – Why team cost-awareness matters10:00 – Building better impact models12:25 – Increasing ROI through value velocity16:37 – The AI imperative: Adoption, anxiety, and accelerationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
In this episode of All Things Policy, Swathi Kalyani, research analyst with the Geospatial Programme at the Takshashila Institution and Akhil Siddharth, Part of the Product Team for the Health Campaigns Management platform at eGov Foundation — helping governments in Africa run better vaccine and health campaigns, dive deep into the transformative intersection of geospatial technology and public health delivery across Africa. The conversation explores how spatial data analytics are revolutionising healthcare access and delivery in African nations, making critical services more efficient and equitable. They discuss the growing adoption of geospatial solutions in public health infrastructure, geospatial technology as India's emerging soft power tool and the challenges and opportunities ahead. All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.Find out more on our research and other work here: https://takshashila.org.in/...Check out our public policy courses here: https://school.takshashila.org.in
Some of the biggest product breakthroughs didn't come from startups — they came from intrapreneurs. In this episode, we speak with Scott Jones, a career intrapreneur who has launched new lines of business at Lenovo, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Realeyes, a computer vision AI company serving some of the world's most influential platforms. Scott shares a detailed, experience-backed look at what it takes to make innovation work inside companies that weren't built for speed. He breaks down the mindset, team dynamics, and cultural rituals that allow new bets to thrive — and provides practical guidance for founders, executives, and investors looking to bring this approach into their own organizations. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... How Scott went from analyst and musician to AI product leader A modern definition of intrapreneurship — and why it matters now Key personality traits and behavioral markers of strong intrapreneurs Why ambiguity is a feature, not a bug, in high-growth environments How leaders can foster a culture of experimentation (rituals, roles, and goals) Strategies for validating new product ideas quickly and credibly How to communicate innovation progress to stakeholders with different styles Realeyes' identity verification tech and the future of online trust How personal trauma and spiritual practices influence Scott's leadership approach Mentioned in this episode Realeyes - Where Scott works as VP, Product Pranayama (breathwork practices) - Intro guide from the Art of Living Foundation: Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner - Official site with book info and resources: Linchpin by Seth Godin - Publisher page for the book: SHINE by EOS - Book info (note: EOS books are often sold through their coaching platform): Paramahamsa Yogananda - His foundational book Autobiography of a Yogi on the Self-Realization Fellowship site: Scott's linkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottjeezey Scott's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scottjeezey/ Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts — including video episodes on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5-star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.
How have product teams transformed over the past 15 years and where are they headed next? In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Saxe, VP of Product at Smartling, to explore the evolution of product leadership, AI integration, and the growing expectations of today's enterprise customers. With three decades of experience, Andrew shares practical lessons from building smarter teams, scaling development, and making AI actually work for users. You'll hear how Smartling reimagined the translation experience using AI, how product now touches every part of the customer journey, and what it takes to stay competitive in a faster, more complex market. For detailed takeaways, show notes, and more, visit: www.pragmaticinstitute.com/resources/podcasts Pragmatic Institute is the global leader in Product, Data, and Design training and certification programs for working professionals. Learn more at www.pragmaticinstitute.com.
Strategy and product teams are both key to achieving product success. But what exactly do we mean by strategy, and to what extent should product teams shape strategic decisions? These are the questions I discuss in this episode.
In this episode, I sit down with Christina Wodtke, a professor at Stanford University, for the second time on the show, to explore the intersection of game design and product management. Christina shares her insights on how principles from game design can transform product development processes, making them more engaging and effective. We also dive into the role of AI in shaping the future of product management education and the unique challenges and opportunities it presents.Christina discusses her approach to integrating AI into her curriculum and how it's helping future product leaders understand the real-world implications of evolving technologies. Together, we uncover the importance of balancing user experience with business objectives and how the two can coexist to create products that are not only functional but also meaningful.Don't miss this insightful conversation that bridges the gap between creativity and strategy in product management!You'll hear us talk about:05:33 - The Power of Engagement in Game DesignChristina explains how game design principles such as engagement and emotional experience can be applied to product design to fulfill user needs and expectations.12:25 - Continuous Feedback IntegrationThe importance of regular and early user feedback in the design process and how it prevents teams from becoming too attached to their initial ideas.41:08 - The Reality of AI in Product ManagementDiscussing the gap between AI's potential and its current capabilities, and how product managers can effectively leverage AI while focusing on core product values.Episode resources:Christina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinawodtke/Christina's blog: https://eleganthack.com/Check our new course: https://productinstitute.com/p/mastering-product-strategy-overviewTimestamps:00:00 Introduction03:16 Dear Melissa06:35 Game design and emotional engagement13:36 Balancing goals and ethics in product design18:14 Building habits of testing and scaffolding feedback22:30 How AI is changing prototyping and team dynamics28:53 The role of expertise in an AI-powered world40:15 Getting into product management in the age of AI
How can product leaders transform a single-product company into a multi-product powerhouse? In this podcast hosted by Barbara Bermes, EcoVadis former CPO Madhur Aggarwal will be speaking on scaling product teams and driving strategic growth. Madhur shares insights from his experience tripling EcoVadis' revenue and expanding their product suite, offering valuable lessons for product leaders looking to drive meaningful business outcomes.
Most PMs still think velocity = impact. They're wrong. If no one on your team owns adoption, retention, or revenue—then growth isn't anyone's job. Jayson Robinson joins Convergence.fm to unpack why most product teams are built to ship—but not to grow. From leading growth at Toptal and BairesDev to advising SaaS companies and launching enterprise products at M&S, Jayson has seen where traditional product orgs fall apart—and what high-agency PMs actually do differently. We cover how to spot deadweight roles, when founders need to let go, and what happens when you hire people who are better at agile ceremonies than business outcomes. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why velocity without measurable outcomes is a red flag The critical differences between growth PMs and generalist PMs What high-agency PMs do that process-driven PMs can't replicate How to interview for ownership, not just experience The real reason “translator” PMs are getting phased out What happened when HP focused on output over market alignment How Duolingo's growth org became its engine of compounding retention Why founders who don't let go end up being the ceiling Lessons from Netflix, Shopify, and Linear on org design that scales Mentioned in this episode The HP Way by David Packard — Buy the book Duolingo's Growth Strategy — Lenny Rachitsky breakdown Shopify Product Leadership — First Round article Linear's Product Development Approach — Read on Linear's blog High Agency Hiring — Michael Dearing on First Round Jayson's blog post on the future of PM roles: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jaysonkrobinson_the-product-manager-role-is-speciating-activity-7315760215277121536-1LcF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGxt90BvpkwcznT5WbhfSl0aK9PPNhWLy4 Mind the product talk by ElevenLabs and build measure learn cycle Jason's Linkedin profile Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow. Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence
Are you aiming to drive meaningful product outcomes in a fast-paced tech environment? In this podcast hosted by Jonathan Ozeran, DoorDash former Senior Product Director David Jesse will be speaking on building high-impact product teams through disciplined leadership and customer focus. Drawing from his extensive experience scaling product teams at companies like eBay, Groupon, and DoorDash, David shares actionable insights on how product leaders can prioritize effectively, maintain team momentum, and deliver transformative results.
If you're building a tech product but don't have a technical background, this episode will save you months of wasted time and thousands in unnecessary spend. In this re-release of one of our most popular early episodes, Tech for Non-Techies founder Sophia Matveeva shares the 5 biggest mistakes non-technical founders make — and how to avoid them. Whether you're a founder, a corporate innovator, or leading a new digital venture, these lessons will help you lead product teams effectively and build better tech businesses. You will learn: Why hiring a developer first is a mistake — and who to bring in instead The crucial difference between product metrics and business metrics (and how to use both wisely) How Facebook and WhatsApp built great products by focusing on engagement before monetisation What non-technical leaders must know about giving clear, measurable instructions to product teams What success looks like in the early stages — and why early growth shouldn't be the goal Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Non-Technical Founders' Challenges 02:26 The Importance of User Experience Design 10:36 Understanding Product vs. Business Metrics 16:21 Setting Clear Goals for Product Teams 20:13 Embracing Flexibility in Product Development 24:32 The Journey of Product Improvement Over Growth FREE COURSE: 5 Tech Concepts Every Business Leader Needs To Know Growth Through Innovation If your organisation wants to drive revenue through innovation, book a call with us here. Our workshops and innovation strategies have helped Constellation Brands, the Royal Bank of Canada and Oxford University. Listen to Tech for Non-Techies on: Apple Spotify YouTube Amazon Podcasts Stitcher Pandora For the episode transcript, go here: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/256-top-mistakes-non-technical-founders-make-how-to-avoid-them
In this episode of Culture & Quota, we get brutally honest about what happens when psychological safety issues fester inside your sales and product orgs. We walk you through a practical, no-BS process: how to first admit the problem, measure the financial and productivity drag it causes, and finally—how to decide when and how leadership will address it.We'll break down:Early warning signs from your AE floor and product sprintsHow to quantify the hidden cost of fear-based silenceInternal audit strategies to surface what's not being saidTiming and frameworks for executive interventionProven tactics to rebuild safety without fluff—think trust contracts, fail-forward systems, and leadership modeling vulnerabilityThis one's for CROs, CPOs, Heads of People, and founders who know culture isn't just vibes—it's velocity.
Jessica Zwaan joined us again on The Modern People Leader to unpack how to structure a people ops as a product team. She shared four ways to build an HR squad, how to use a spider diagram for squad design, and why it's smart to pilot just one squad first.---- Sponsor Links:
Most companies have a mission statement. But few are truly mission-driven in practice. In this episode, Jason Fraser joins Ashok to unpack what it actually means to prioritize mission over profit — and how the best organizations are able to do both. Jason reflects on the differences between performative mission language and the kind of operational decision-making that aligns tightly with purpose. He shares the concept of “mission ratios” and how teams can use them to identify where they're constrained, where they have leverage, and how to get disproportionate outcomes from limited inputs. Drawing on examples from Patagonia, World Central Kitchen, and a federal asylum processing team, Jason walks through the tools and frameworks that mission-first leaders can use to improve focus, clarity, and measurable impact. Whether you're running a nonprofit, a B Corp, or just trying to do more meaningful work, this episode gives you language and direction to guide your team's decisions. Plus, Jason shares how to spot the ratios that matter most — and what to do once you find them. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... What really defines a mission-driven organization Mission vs. permission work: how to make trade-offs without guilt Why purpose can actually boost profitability and team alignment Introducing “mission ratios”: the unit economics of social impact Frameworks for identifying your most limiting constraints How to apply the impact mapping tool to optimize outcomes Lessons from World Central Kitchen, Earthshot Prize, and a USCIS case study Tractability vs. leverage: how to prioritize what's actually solvable The hidden assumptions that reduce efficiency and how to challenge them How organizations can operationalize ethics without compromising viability Mentioned in this episode Jason and Janice's book, Farther, Faster, Way Less Drama Jason's workshops and events: https://missionratio.com/events/ Jason's linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfraser World Central Kitchen Patagonia CERO Bikes The Earthshot Prize Climatebase Fellowship Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt Impact Mapping by Gojko Adzic Deloitte Study Target versus Costco Value Chain Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow. Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence
The “AI memo” craze is officially here—and it's more than executive theater. In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat break down how leading CEOs (Shopify, Duolingo, Box, Meta) are using public AI manifestos to jolt their companies into a faster, smarter future—and what product leaders must do next to turn those words into shipping velocity. What we cover: - The 5-Layer AI Memo Framework—ownership, expectations, directives, accountability, constraints—so your decree actually drives behavior. - Experiment → Learn → Share Loops that turn scattered tinkering into org-wide best practices. - Concrete “forcing-function” constraints (team-size caps, prototype-only reviews, head-count ceilings) that accelerate adoption. - Why value creation beats cost cutting—and how to put AI on the roadmap, not just the balance sheet. - Meta's new AI app: a real-time case study on distribution, context, and the missing zero-to-one spark. - Cultural fault lines—leaders, followers, laggards—and playbooks for bringing the middle 80 % over the line (before performance reviews do it for you). Whether you're drafting your own AI memo or figuring out how to implement the one that just landed in your inbox, this conversation delivers the practical moves to convert manifesto hype into measurable product momentum.
How do you move from dabbling with AI and vibe coding to building real, production-grade software with it? In this episode, Austin Vance, CEO of Focused returns and we transition the conversation from building AI-enabled applications to fostering AI-native engineering teams. Austin shares how generative AI isn't just a shortcut—it's reshaping how we architect, code, and lead. We also get to hear Austin's thoughts on the leaked ‘AI Mandate' memo from Shopify's CEO, Tobi Lutke. We cover what Austin refers to as ‘AI-driven development', how to win over the skeptics on your teams, and why traditional patterns of software engineering might not be the best fit for LLM-driven workflows. Whether you're an engineer,product leader, or startup founder, this episode will give you a practical lens on what AI-native software development actually requires—and how to foster adoption on your teams quickly and safely to get the benefits of using AI in product delivery. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why Shopify's leaked AI memo was a "permission slip" for your own team The three personas in AI adoption: advocates, skeptics, and holdouts How AI-driven development (AIDD) differs from “AI-assisted” workflows Tools and practices Focused uses to ship faster and cheaper with AI Pair programming vs. pairing with an LLM: similarities and mindset shifts How teams are learning to prompt effectively—without prompt engineering training Vibe coding vs. integrating with entrenched systems: what's actually feasible Scaling engineering culture around non-determinism and experimentation Practical tips for onboarding dev teams to tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and Vercel AI SDK Using LLMs for deep codebase exploration, not just code generation Mentioned in this episode Cursor Windsurf LangChain Claude GPT-4 / ChatGPT V0.dev GitHub Copilot Focused (focused.io) Shopify internal AI memo Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow. Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence
As startups grow, product teams often find themselves caught between speed and structure. In this episode of The Product Experience, Charlotte King, Lead Product Manager at eBay, shares practical insights from her work leading teams through this transition at companies including Moonpig, Flipdish, and ThoughtWorks. Charlotte unpacks how to define product's role during scaleup, build team structure around strategic value, and use tools like Wardley Mapping and Team Topologies to support organisational change. She also introduces the DHM model (Delightful, Hard to copy, Margin-enhancing) and discusses how to make strategy tangible for cross-functional teams. This conversation is especially useful for product leaders, heads of product, and founders navigating scale.Chapters1:13 – Charlotte's background2:36 – Product's role in startups, scaleups and enterprises4:35 – What product teams need to succeed during scale6:42 – Defining product's role as the company grows9:00 – Using Wardley Mapping to assess team maturity14:30 – Creating and communicating guiding principles20:30 – Using the DHM model to prioritise value25:48 – Structuring teams with Team Topologies29:03 – Multidisciplinary collaboration in practice30:41 – Lessons from leading transformation32:30 – Final reflections and takeawaysFeatured Links: Follow Charlotte on LinkedIn | eBay | Wardley Maps | What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025' feature by Kent McDonald and Louron PrattOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
In this episode on The Product Experience, we welcome back Matt LeMay—author, consultant, and champion of no-nonsense product thinking. We dig deep into the ideas behind his new book Impact First Product Teams and explore how teams can focus on what really matters: delivering business impact.Featured Links: Follow Matt on LinkedIn and his website | Buy Matt's new book 'Impact-first Product Teams' | Sudden Compass | Randeep Sidhu's episode on The Product Experience: 'Lessons from building the UK's test and trace app'Chapters00:00 – The Myth of Rational Business01:03 – Matt's Accidental Journey into Product02:20 – What Are “Impact-First” Teams, Really?04:50 – Why OKRs Are Often Just Theatre07:12 – Best Practices ≠ Business Value10:00 – Who's on the Product Team, and Why It Matters12:30 – Dealing With Cross-Team Goal Conflicts15:00 – Culture Change via Strategic Goal Alignment17:00 – Proactive Conversations About Impact20:00 – Commercial Awareness for Product Teams24:00 – Platform Teams & Measuring Amplified Impact27:00 – What Do Good Impact-First Teams Look Like?31:00 – Customer-Centricity vs. Business Impact34:00 – Discovery, Metrics & Mission-Critical Goals36:00 – Culture, Strategy & Individual Leverage41:00 – BAU vs. Innovation: Set Clear Expectations44:00 – The Ego Trap in Product Work46:00 – Matt's Final Zinger on Capital and FeelingsOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.
Christine May helped spearhead behavioral science at Noom, shaping it into an engine for user segmentation and accountability. As their former Head of Behavioral Science, she championed Noom's “big picture” motivation model—tying everyday habits to goals—and played a role in scaling one-on-one coaching into a digital system for millions. Now, Christine helps consumer tech startups build habit-forming experiences rooted in evidence-based psychology.In our conversation, we explore:The book club principle: How to embed accountability in features customers actually wantWhy 90% of users reject direct accountability features (and how to solve this)How Noom's lengthy sign-up flow acts as a commitment filterThe counterintuitive confidence level that predicts user successWhat makes fixed-length plans more effective than endless subscriptionsHow to design rewards around behaviors instead of outcomesThe unexpected way social desirability drives product engagementThis episode is packed with practical insights on designing for sustainable behavior change, creating effective accountability systems that users actually want, and the surprising psychology behind what motivates people to stick with challenging goals.Enjoy this episode? Rate it and leave a review. It really helps others find the podcast.Learn more about Kristen and Irrational Labs here.
Shane Koller joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about adopting a product mindset in HR, how Ancestry's people team built their “product roadmap”, and why even great HR programs fall short when they're not connected.----
Are you struggling to build a world-class product team in B2B SaaS? In this podcast hosted by Cassio Sampaio, SoSafe Chief Product and Technology Officer Gonçalo Gaiolas will be speaking on the secrets of high-performance product management. Drawing from his extensive experience at OutSystems and SoSafe, Gonçalo shares insights on autonomy, founder relationships, and the evolving landscape of product leadership in technology companies.
In this episode of the Ducks Unlimited podcast, host Matt Harrison sits down with longtime friend Jim Ronquest to share their favorite hunting stories. They reflect on the busy months following duck season and discuss the upcoming turkey season. As they reminisce about past adventures, listeners can expect a blend of entertaining anecdotes and insights into the world of hunting. Tune in for a lively conversation filled with camaraderie and anticipation for the spring season ahead!Listen now: www.ducks.org/DUPodcastSend feedback: DUPodcast@ducks.org
Global Agile Summit Preview: Unifying Strategy, Discovery, and Delivery in Product Development With Roman Pichler In this BONUS Global Agile Summit preview episode, we explore a crucial topic that's shaping how we approach product development—sometimes in ways that serve us well and sometimes in ways that hold us back. There's a growing trend in our industry to explicitly separate strategy, discovery, and delivery into distinct activities or even different teams. On the surface, this seems logical: strategy decides the right thing to do, discovery figures out how to do it, and delivery gets it done. But is this division actually helping us? Or is it creating barriers that make great product development harder? The Origins of Product Discovery "I think it's partly based, at least on Marty Cagan's work, and his insight that many teams are very much focused traditionally on delivering outputs, on writing code. And I think his original intention was to say, 'Let's not worry about creating outputs. Let's also make sure that what we creating makes sense.'" Roman Pichler shares insights on how the concept of product discovery emerged as a reaction to teams being overly focused on outputs rather than outcomes. He explains that conceptually distinguishing between product strategy, discovery, and delivery can be helpful—much like organizing clothes into different sections of a wardrobe. However, in reality, these activities must be connected, informing and guiding each other rather than existing as sequential steps. The Risks of Separating Product Strategy, from Discovery, and from Delivery "If we have a group of people who takes care of strategic decisions, a different group focusing on product discovery, and another group—the tech team—who focuses on product delivery, and those groups don't talk as much as they could and should do, then suddenly we have a sequential process and handoffs." One of the primary challenges with separating strategy, discovery, and delivery is the risk of creating handoffs between different teams. Roman highlights how this sequential approach can slow down value creation, lead to knowledge loss, and increase the likelihood of introducing mistakes. This separation can create barriers that ultimately make product development more difficult and less effective. In this segment, we refer to the podcast interview with Tim Herbig on the concept of Lateral Leadership, and how that is critical for product people. Integrating the Work Streams "What I usually use as a visualization tool is three work streams: a strategy work stream, a discovery work stream, and a delivery work stream. The strategy stream guides the discovery stream. The discovery stream guides the delivery stream, and then the delivery stream informs the discovery stream, and the discovery stream informs the strategy stream." Rather than seeing strategy, discovery, and delivery as separate phases, Roman suggests visualizing them as parallel work streams that continuously inform and guide each other. This approach recognizes that strategy work doesn't just happen at the beginning—it continues throughout the product lifecycle, adapting as the product evolves. By integrating these work streams and ensuring they're interconnected through feedback loops, teams can create a more cohesive and effective product development process. The Power of Collaboration "The important thing is to make sure that the different areas of work are not disjointed but interlinked. A key element to make that work is to use collaboration and teamwork and ensure that there aren't any handoffs, or avoid handoffs as much as possible." Collaboration and teamwork are essential to successfully integrating strategy, discovery, and delivery. Roman emphasizes the importance of bringing product people—who understand customer needs, business models, and stakeholder relationships—together with tech teams to foster innovation and create value. This collaborative approach helps overcome the challenges that arise from treating these activities as separate, sequential steps. Building an Extended Product Team "Form a big product team, a product team that is empowered to make strategic decisions and consists not only of the person in charge of the product and maybe a UX designer and a software developer, but also key business stakeholders, maybe somebody from marketing, maybe somebody from sales, maybe a support team member." Roman advocates for forming an extended product team that includes not just product managers, designers, and developers, but also key business stakeholders. This larger team can collectively own the product strategy and have holistic ownership of the product—not just focusing on discovery or delivery. By empowering this extended team to make strategic decisions together, organizations can ensure that different perspectives and expertise inform the product development process. Practical Implementation: Bringing it all Together "Have regular meetings. A specific recommendation that I like to make is to have quarterly strategy workshops as a rule of thumb, where the current product strategy is reviewed and adjusted, but also the current product roadmap is reviewed and adapted." Implementing this integrated approach requires practical mechanisms for collaboration. Roman recommends holding quarterly strategy workshops to review and adjust the product strategy and roadmap, ensuring they stay in sync with insights from development work. Additionally, he suggests that members of the extended product team should attend monthly operational meetings, such as sprint reviews, to maintain a complete understanding of what's happening with the product at both strategic and tactical levels. Moving Beyond Sequential Thinking "Unfortunately, our software industry has a tendency to make things structured, linear, and assign ownership of different phases to different people. This usually leads to bigger problems like missing information, problems discovered too late that affect 'strategy', but need to be addressed in 'delivery'." One of the challenges in adopting a more integrated approach is overcoming the industry's tendency toward linear, sequential thinking. Roman and Vasco discuss how this mindset can lead to issues being discovered too late in the process, after strategic decisions have already been made. By embracing a more iterative, interconnected approach, teams can address problems more effectively and adapt their strategy based on insights from discovery and delivery. About Roman Pichler Roman Pichler is a leading product management expert specializing in product strategy, leadership, and agility. With nearly 20 years of experience, he has coached product managers, authored four books, and developed popular frameworks. He shares insights through his blog, podcast, and YouTube channel and speaks at major industry conferences worldwide. You can link with Roman Pichler on LinkedIn and check out the resources on Roman Pichler's website.