Bain Public

Why the Product Manager Should Also Play Dumb

According to Alpha’s 2020 Product Management Insights Report, product management has entered the c-suite. As product management influences more high-level decisions and business strategies, partner alignment/collaboration becomes key. Yet the time and rigor required to gather/validate consumer in...

Product Management: Saying No Without Shutting Them Down

As a product manager, one of the hardest things you have to do is say ‘no’ to ideas, suggestions, requests and urgent demands from customers and internal stakeholders. However, adding the word ‘no’ to your management vocabulary is essential in order to make those difficult product decisions. You ...

Why Empathy Is the Key to Success for Your Next Product Objective

The secret to success in software development is an elusive concept. Some companies spend years chasing it down. But the secret to success isn’t something you can put a price tag on, stack on features, or advertise in a marketing campaign. The best asset for a product manager, and the number one...

You accomplish everything through others

Imagine attempting to persuade a stakeholder and it results in increased resistance. So much talk, so much rationale, so many facts. And because your approach was logical — one that leveraged data, your experience, and expertise — friction and disagreement ensues. The Product Manager title alone...

Seek engagement from your office community to sell your views

You’re the one who will tell people what should be built and why. So why was it so tough to get engagement from the technical teams? Because people need to buy into your vision and engineers should understand the ‘why’ behind their work and how it relates back to delivering customer value. Nothi...