Book Review: The Product Manager’s Desk Reference

So for those of you who have been coming to this site for a while, you may have noticed that I’ve been “Currently Reading” the same book for quite a long time. This is because the latest product management book I read is the 700+ pages “The Product Manager’s Desk Reference” by Steven Haines. (Although, I must confess that I’ve also snuck in some other lighter reading during this time.)

As the title suggests, this comprehensive body of work on the profession of Product Management is definitely a reference book. It is not a book you can just sit down and plow through (or at least, I was not able to do so). So, with this in mind, I will point out some of the highlights of the book and provide my take on some of the thoughts carried within it.

I like the premise of this book, which is to establish the Product Management function as a recognized discipline with its own processes and methodologies. As the author points out in his introduction, most of us end up in Product Management by accident. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and most likely with only a portion of the skill sets required to be an effective product manager.

As such, the book begins with a thorough overview of Product Management as a discipline. The author breaks down the term “Product Management” and discusses “product” and “management” to later be able to bring them together into a meaningful conclusion on the value that product management brings to an organization. The author aptly points out that Product Management involves activities ranging from maintaining “The Product Master Plan” to working with “Cross-Functional Teams” and “Keep Score” of your product’s performance. I especially appreciated the section on finance, having very little background in this area. Some great quotes from Module 1:

• “Managing means getting things done … period.”
• “Product Management is business management at the product, product line, or product portfolio level. Products are like small businesses inside of a bigger business.”

• “Stay calm, even when your hair’s on fire.”

• “Decision making, in a nutshell, is how we solve problems.”

Module 2 is possibly the most important section in the book and you will understand why when you hear the title: “Making the Market Your Primary Focus.” One of the key take-aways from this section is that the product manager should be the expert of the market. I couldn’t agree more with this. Yes, in the ideal world (i.e. in companies with lots of money), there is an entire department whose only job is to do market research. However, in most cases, it falls on the product manager and it’s a super important activity. The author points out on p. 187: 

“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of ongoing research for product managers.”

In this module, I also I thoroughly enjoyed the sections on customer visits and being the “voice of the customer.”

Module 3 focuses on launching a new product (or new product features) into the world. Here is where you really see the author’s love of process and methodology shine through. There is a lot of stuff here! This module discusses in detail the Product Management Life Cycle Model from New Product Planning to Launch. This is a must-read section for new product managers or product managers who don’t have a very good process. Of course, not even Super PM could manage all of the different aspects outlined in this section, so don’t freak out. Focus on the important stuff: Just-in-time Requirements, Business Case, overseeing the Cross-Functional team, and Launching the product. One caveat: Coming from a fairly agile environment, I find the process a bit heavy and would be interested in the author’s take on lean development methodologies.

There is life after launch! In fact, most product managers will live most of their life in “maintenance mode.” Module 4 is all about what a good product manager should do in the post-launch phase. The book provides a detailed methodology for a Post-Launch Audit, which is always a good idea. The author promotes having an “impartial auditor” audit the launch process. What worked as planned and what didn’t. I’m a big fan of retrospectives where the cross-functional team comes together and talks about the same and produces action items for next launch. The book also has a fine introduction to win-loss audits (or analysis). The chapter of “Running the Business” is really good. I especially enjoyed the sections on “Unforgettable Customer Experiences” and “Customer Loyalty.” I recently founded a Customer Experience Working Group at my company to be responsible for the overall customer experience for a given offering. It’s important for everybody to realize the difference between user experience and customer experience.

Module 5 is called “Professionalizing Product Management.” It provides two chapters: One for the hands-on product manager and one for the manager of product managers. I found some good advice in the latter chapter. As the author points out, it is important to establish a Product Management community within your organization. Where I work, we have a SharePoint site with all templates, process documents, competitor information, etc. We also have weekly meetings to talk about not just our day-to-day deliverables by report back from conferences, training sessions, and customer visits. It’s a great learning experience for all! 

Module 6 is packed with useful templates to support the Product Management processes and methodologies described in this book.

This is definitely a book that every serious product manager should have handy and reference as appropriate. As I mentioned above, it would be interesting to understand better how to apply some of these methodologies to the agile development approach. It would also be great if the author could prioritize some of the responsibilities described in the book. Because, frankly, there is no way any one product manager could produce all the documentation in this book and still have a life. However, if you have a need to learn about ending a product’s life or forecasting or creating a balance sheet (or any other PM topic), look no further.

Thanks Steven for the most complete source of Product Management information I have every seen!