Mistakes Corrected
Just starting a new role has made me more reflective than usual…
I have made a fair few mistakes but ultimately they have pushed me forward and helped to improve my knowledge within Product. A few mistakes I think are worth mentioning and sharing:
- Not enough time learning the core product
- Engaging engineers too late in the game
- Neglected “Self-Study”
Not enough time learning the core product
In a previous role I was siloed into very specific area within a monolithic product. I did extremely well in my own space and helped to build a good ‘product within a product’. What stopped me from building a truly great product was the knowledge of the overarching monolith. It meant decisions were harder and I was more reliant on other peoples time.
Now moving forward I make a strong effort to get a really good grasp on the core product upfront. I do things as droll as watching user training videos on repeat for a few weeks and reading through user guides. Great resources and well worth the time spent.
Engaging engineers too late in the game
I came across this in multiple product books and resources but didn’t really factor it in early roles. It is sometimes easier just to sit there by yourself or with another stakeholder and draw up your requirements without involving anyone else externally, I definitely fell into this early on.
Engineers are a great resource and often have the best ideas to move the product forward. They spend most of their time in the workings of it and have a great perspective. They can also easily tell you if you are way of the mark and give a more realistic approach of what can be achieved. Now I try to involve as many key individuals as possible from the start.
Neglected “Self-Study”
I didn’t really make time for self-learning to increase product domain knowledge until recently and I think that was a huge mistake. Now I am definitely an autodidact in the product space. I really enjoy the process of learning something new and applying it to my everyday process in my role. It is extremely rewarding. The sooner you get on this path the better!!
If you have had made some key mistakes that have ultimately made your role better please share and comment for others!
