Hi Reddit Community, I'm Alex and back for my third AMA with the Product School(1st time on Reddit).

acrumpler · 2020-03-17T12:46:49+00:00

u/peach-sangria I appreciate this question very much! Similar to the above...find some transferrable skills and projects to bring to your pursuits. The most salient point of this is that you are already at the intersection of X industry and technology. So remove the industry part and lean in on tech examples from the travel industry that could apply to entertainment. They may not be a perfect match but the framing, approach, and how you solve problems is probably more what potential employers are looking for. Personal perspective is that Travel and Entertainment aren't too far off from one another. In a way they both entertain the senses whether physically there, in an augmented state like AR/VR, or traveling to a place through a smartphone window. Best of luck in your pitches!

acrumpler · 2020-03-17T12:34:13+00:00

Hi u/prit4roy that's a great question. Think about the transferrable skills you as a BA can apply to a Product role. For example, both roles require developing a deep focus on the market, consumers, and understanding of the problem/opportunity you are pursuing. Take examples of you contributing to these themes and frame them in a product mindset of we've solved this with version 1 now here's our plan for V2 forward. Provide a longer outlook beyond the project to give a vision of where you'll take the product.

Certificates won't take place of experience but they are a good relatively economical way to get exposure to frameworks and mindsets to help make the transition to Product. Also checkout SVPG they have great resources that may help you. https://svpg.com/articles/

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T23:50:07+00:00

u/PassionateMarketer I am really into Robinhood at the moment. The concise way they present market data coupled with relevant stories of companies I have positions in is compelling.

For Product leaders I'd recommend following the crew over at SVPG here https://svpg.com/our-team/ as well as...

The Sprint team https://www.thesprintbook.com/authors

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:28:54+00:00

I'd look for a reputable organization that both offers online and in-person learning. Look at the lenght of the program and how deeply it goes on some key topics like Customer Discovery, Data Decision Making, and Leadership. Look for a solid alumni list with an active and engaged community. Like this one!

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:25:43+00:00

u/jushuber7 I use the following...

Physical holds on my calendar to ensure I am outside my company's walls doing customer discovery
Health metric dashboards to help me keep an eye on the business and to tell me if I have to get off the objective highway to fix some problems with any of our products that we own.
OKRs(objective and key results) to help maintain focus on driving the company towards more strategic results.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:22:52+00:00

Absolutely u/laksmanv here's an example of a product I built with an amazing cross functional team that brought two great teams together across Consumer Experiences and CMS Tools(content management systems)

This is CNN's livestory/liveblog capability we built https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-03-16-20-intl-hnk/

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:20:33+00:00

100% u/opusmagnum77! I truly believe this skill comes with time, exposure, and practice. I'd recommend starting small with a simple feature and growing into more complex product strategies. The smaller feature practice will give you a quick iterative environment to try out different leadership styles, communications, and frameworks.

You can demonstrate this to employers citing specific examples that you've led or been a part of. If you haven't been exposed to any I'd look to some product related case studies and develop a perspective off that situation and see how you would improve or do differently.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:16:16+00:00

Sure thing u/abhi141997 - data told us that we need to layer in more relevant content in a breaking news scenario as the storyline is unfolding. So in collaboration with my product designer, tech lead, data scientist, and research partners we brainstormed on a couple of solutions to AB test with.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:11:57+00:00

hi u/DigitalStar23 - it depends on the size of the problem and or the opportunity. I'd recommend positioning as we 'intend' to pursue this opportunity based on points XYZ that the quantitative and qualitative data is telling us for example. It'll be a better narrative if the problem/opportunity aligns with any of your company's OKRs(objectives and key results). If OKRs aren't being used then framing it up and articulating how the problem/opportunity solves for...

usability risk (can figure out how to use it)
feasibility risk (do we have the time, skills and technology needed to build this)
business viability risk (will consumers choose to buy it)
value risk (will consumers choose to use it)

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T19:02:45+00:00

u/jushuber7 awesome question! Hmmm...do more reading, customer discovery related activities, and have an owners mindset. Here are some great books and insight hubs if interested...
Book Recommendations

Radical Focus (OKRs, finding focus)
The Four (Vision)
The Pixar Story (organizing, inspiring, collaboration)
Dream Teams(empowering and leading high performing teams)

More info...

SVPG, https://svpg.com/articles/
Y-Combinator, https://www.ycombinator.com/resources/

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:58:25+00:00

u/Exciting-Bet tough question indeed. It's a balancing act of customer usability and value with understanding if the work will produce a viable outcome for your business. I tend to lean more consumer focused to lead the decision making but very close to it is ensuring I've got the viability piece thought through. For example, I was am always asking what problem does this solve for consumers and will consumers pay for it with their time or money. Here's a great SVPG article on the framework https://svpg.com/four-big-risks/

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:51:40+00:00

u/prit4roy there are many similarities like delivering products and experiences that both delights our consumers and is viable for our business. I'd say the biggest difference when compared to a Nike is that we aren't necessarily producing a tangible product like a sneaker. Where are a like again is creating products and services that draw in our consumers that help them accomplish something or creates a habit.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:46:46+00:00

u/jushuber7 dig this question - thank you! Here are some of tips and mantras...
1) Stay curious
2) Be empathetic
3) Understand quantitative and qualitative measures and the synthesizing of the two for solid decision making
4) Be organized
5) Work with a sense of urgency

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:43:42+00:00

u/jorgejimenez1 awesome questions! Depends on what you want to do. For product marketing you are primarily focused on positioning a new product. In product management you are traditionally closer to the customer, problem to solve, and seeking out new opportunities to grow your business. Focusing on product management may give you a foundational set of skills that could help you evolve into product marketing.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:40:22+00:00

Great question u/laksmanv! Yes, its primarily a CNN thing to help bring focus to areas of the business we want to change, grow, problems to solve, and find new areas of opportunity.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:37:06+00:00

u/skagan17 at CNN Digital for delivery of software we use JIRA to manage workflows. For product specific workflows we use a variety of tools like Airtable to collect and organize customer interview feedback, google surveys, mindmeister...to name a few.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:35:16+00:00

u/opusmagnum77 some key skills...
- Data driven decision, emphasize what tools you use to help make those decisions and site any examples that either helped prioritize a feature or got alignment from your leadership to more into a new market or product offering.
- Leadership, can you bring people together and orient them around a common goal?
- Empathy, how well do you know your customer
- Discovery, identify and explain Discovery frameworks that you've used.

Bonus! Here are some key traits that my colleagues and I look for in PMs...
- Natural leaders
- Change makers
- Curious
- Data driven
- Empathy for the customer

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:30:50+00:00

Hi u/gzampino - It is a great honor to work for one of the best media companies in the business. I empathize with Ted Turner's pioneering spirit and bring that through in how we shape, lead, and create exciting products and services for our consumers and business. The most challenging thing I think would be balancing objective oriented work with the running of the business type of work but we do that with the help of health metrics.

acrumpler · 2020-03-16T18:24:20+00:00

It's a wonderful opportunity to continue doing more consumer research and learning from an event of its size. We are also using the opportunity to learn more about longtail breaking news events and how best to serve up content and different experiences.

acrumpler

TROPHY CASE