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Articles
Steve Johnson
1 min read
Chaos in Planning: A Limerick
When customers request a feature, they’re almost always wrong. When they report a problem, they are almost always right. Empower your...
Steve Johnson
1 min read
Chaos in Strategy: A Limerick
The essence of strategy lies in understanding the problems you will solve for your customers and why your approach is superior to others....
Steve Johnson
3 min read
Product Feature Requests Are Like Marketing Leads
Just as sales sifts through leads, product managers must prioritize requests that are vital, valuable, and viable.
Steve Johnson
5 min read
How to Speak Truth to Power Without Losing Your Job (or Your Mind)
Which of your number one ideas is the number oneiest? Too many companies suffer from a “yes” culture, where product managers and others are
Steve Johnson
5 min read
Unleash the Power of ChatGPT in Product Management
This article is based on a presentation for the Silicon Valley Product Management Association on August 9, 2023. Since reaching millions...
Product Growth Leaders
4 min read
Protect Your Career from AI: A Guide for Product Managers
AI is rapidly transforming the workplace, and many product managers are watching… and worrying. As companies lean into automation and...
Steve Johnson
6 min read
Career Paths in Product Management
Learn how people transition into product management, the career paths within the field, and what it’s like to become a people manager.
Steve Johnson
3 min read
The Importance of Sales Engineering
Sales engineering plays a critical role on the sales team, particularly with complex products sold by a direct sales team.
Steve Johnson
3 min read
Is Product Management a Profession Yet?
Product management has existed for decades, yet many people today think of it as a new job.
Todd Middlebrook
2 min read
The Fundamental Question: "So What?"
Before you spend cycles defining that new product or feature, first make sure you can answer, “So what?”
Steve Johnson
4 min read
How To Merge Products
Merging the features of two products involves careful planning of customer requirements, technical directions, and stakeholder management.
Todd Middlebrook
3 min read
Win-Loss Interviews: Asking the Right Questions to Solve the Right Problems
After many years in product management, marketing, and competitive sales roles, I know how few businesses understand the power of...
Steve Johnson
1 min read
The Strategic Role of Product Management
Learn how agile created role chaos, how Quartz clarifies the product management triad, and how to reclaim product management.
Steve Johnson
4 min read
Don’t Sell; Advise: Embrace the Role of Trusted Advisor
The best salespeople don’t sell; they advise. Discover how product managers and consultants can adopt this approach to drive success. The...
Steve Johnson
4 min read
When to Hire Product Roles: A Guide for Growing Product Companies
Abstract: Discover the key signs that it's time to bring product management and product marketing teams to grow your business.
Steve Johnson
4 min read
The Real Reason Agile Created Chaos in Product Management
Learn why turning product managers into product owners was a disaster and how to fix it.
Steve Johnson
3 min read
How I Measure Process Success
Processes are like software. They are defined, deployed, and revised. And they need to be measured—what’s working and what’s not?
Steve Johnson
3 min read
AI is solving the wrong problems
I don’t need AI to create—I’ll do that; I need AI to take out the garbage.
Steve Johnson
2 min read
What's New for Quartz
We have embedded the Quartz Open Framework into most of our offerings and were delighted to work with the Quartz team to refine a new...
Steve Johnson
3 min read
How I Communicate with Leaders
It’s time to present your business plan or product strategy to your leadership. You’ve prepared too many slides, and you’ve started to...
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