Matteo Andrea Castriotta

Don’t Marry Your Ideas: Face the Truth About Your Product Stats As product leaders, it’s crucial to face the truth about the state of our products. Sometimes we fail to acknowledge that our product isn’t what users need, there’s strong competition, a tricky monetization model, or scalability issues. Perhaps users love it but won’t pay a penny for it—getting users to pay is the ultimate validation. Having 2 or 3 users occasionally paying (most likely friends and team members) doesn’t count. There must be a sustainable pipeline of customers, even if there are bottlenecks or challenges. A strong need should be obvious from day one. Acknowledging failure early on is much better than complimenting yourself, your team, and stakeholders, leading to what you know eventually won’t work. Don’t marry your ideas—especially those you’ve invested a lot of effort into, even if they’re not originally yours. We often become too attached to our ideas, but sometimes letting go is the best path forward. Face the truth with everyone and reallocate your resources to another initiative early on. #Product #DontMarryYourIdeas #ProductLeadership #FaceTheTruth

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There are only 2 true tests of product-market fit. Nothing else matters. The tests: → Will customers pay for it? → If you took it away, will they clamor for it back? That's pretty much it. So, to get to PMF faster, simply ask: → What would you change that would make you want to buy it? → What would you do if you didn't have this? #productmarketfit *** ♻️ Like this? Please repost. ➡️ Follow me for daily executive coaching.

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You're doing OKRs all wrong. Setting goals to test teams instead of motivating them to succeed. You've mastered awful OKRs. How about awesome ones? Awful OKRs: Output metrics Individual/siloed goals Quantity over quality Awesome OKRs: Impact and outcomes Cross-functional alignment Value creation

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This new article is for PMs and POs to demistify couple of concepts related to product management like priorisation, strategy, risk management and research. Often thought of very complex things we are afraid to touch, while there are ways to fear not, and get started. Hope you'll find those helpful. #productmanagement #prioritization #frameworks #research #riskmanagement #backlog #strategy

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Defining a product strategy is often seen as a key goal for product teams. But should you really aim to have one for every product you work with? https://lnkd.in/gFeWKz-N

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Things like Kanban are easy to ignore, especially seeing only their symptoms. When an ad for "ClickUP" advertises it has Kanban boards, we can easily forget that using 1 tool out of a whole approach doesn't mean you're now able to replicate the approach. One of the cool things about working for a company like Toyota was/is probably having a whole company geared towards constant improvement. That is the Toyota Kata, a process of continuous improvement: 1. It starts with understanding the current direction. Let's call that our vision - we're trying to get to a goal. Using my personal life, I knew I wanted to lower my body fat percentage, feel better, look better, and be in better shape, so I could spend more time with my kids without effort. 2. It continues with examining your current condition. In my case, I was eating more than my body was able to burn off in a day, and my running at the time wasn't enough to compensate for this calory intake. 3. It establishes your next condition, your target (shorter, more immediate than the desired outcome) - for me it was finding a way of eating that would create a small but effective calory deficit, so I could start lowering the body fat percentage, without feeling hungry, losing the motivation to maintain the new diet. 4. Finally, you PDCA (plan-do-check-act) towards your next condition. In my case, it was embracing a new diet, measuring myself daily/weekly and seeing if I was able to maintain it. Once I saw that it worked, I chose to maintain this course and so far lose over 22kg over the course of the last year. Over time, I also did the same process for my running (I wanted to run a 5K/10K/15K/21K, I saw what I was doing - running too effortfully, injuring and being unable to run consistently, I established that I wanted to be able to run day after day without burning out, and my amazing running coach, Yulia Reizer 🇺🇦🇮🇱 built a plan for me, which we examined and adjusted on a weekly basis over the course of the last year, and even prior to it) Why am I telling you this? Because doing the same for your product is absolutely possible, BUT it starts with Step 1. Skipping that step - setting a direction, having a vision, a goal, means that steps 2, 3, and 4 could be working on leading you in the wrong direction. Melissa Perri wrote about this in much more detail, and called it The Product Kata, which I recommend you read and think - are you using this today? Do you only do the mechanical parts of any process, such as Scrum, Kanban, etc. or are you approaching things from the "systemic improvement" point of view? Having this "Kata" really helps reach your goals, but only if you don't forget to use it. https://lnkd.in/deSQ-mSX

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The SPACER framework and the launch of product💎 The backlog is often a bottomless pit, often a pit of shit. You can use a framework like this for avoiding working with unnecessary tasks and efficiently moving from idea to launch feature. We take an idea, and write it out in six points: S - Story What: it`s the backstory of the idea and the most important question - where did idea come from?, as well as the history of the user, his user story and the goal action.  ❔ Questions for this step: - What data led to this feature? - What pain does it solve? - What is a typical user way? - What is the value to the user? - What is the mesh of this feature and the global vision of the product? P - Pricing and Packaging Reveal the essence of pricing of this feature and payback in ROI etc. ❔ Questions for this step: - How does the fiche affect the overall pricing strategy? - Is it a premium/base/which price level? - And how much does the market and industry pay for it? - Does it even have a ‘price’ and does it directly affect ‘buy-in’ and the offerer? A - Opportunities and Limitations Are there limitations or ‘obvious’ problems with this idea that may come out in the long term. ❔ Questions for this step: - What are the mechanics and logic? - How does it fit into the architecture of product now? - What are the limitations? - Will it be able to scale and improve? C - Differentiation from competitors This one is pretty easy. ❔ Questions for this step: - Are competitors doing or have done similar? - How are they superior to us? - What benefit does this feature have? - How quickly will competitors copy the unique benefit? E - User The each function within the entire user base must has its consumers and you need to find them. ❔ Questions for this step: - In what situations will this feature be used? - How will we solve the user's problem? Solving completely or partially? - What segment and % of users will be involved in this feature? R - Roadmap The expected date and release of the feature, post-release support and further development. ❔ Questions for this step: - When is the launch? - What risks may affect the release? - What will we do with it for the next 6 months? - And 12 months? The more detailed and detailed answers to questions on the framework will help to look at any fiches differently and looking their future fate. 

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**** Whenever APMs/early career PMs join my team and start giving wonderful product improvement ideas on day 0*** I start this 4 step process to convert the person into a world class product manager (Playbook updated for 2025 with bonus step). Steal this process. This 4 step process is an outcome of deep deliberation. Step 1: Bhai Charles install kar and current sprint ki product deliveries ki UAT start kar **aka Bro, please install Charles (software used for testing) and start user acceptance testing for current product deliveries. Step 2: Bhai zara web analytics tool mein login kar aur jo feature launch kara tha last time uska data nikal aur bata kaise improve karen. **aka Bro - please login into Web analytics tool & pull out performance data for features launched recently and give data backed insights Step 3: Bhai zara Figma mein next sprint ki features ke wireframes bana aur requirement document bhi likh le aur stakeholders se feedback le le. **aka Bro pls set up Figma (a tool for wireframing) and sketch out wireframes for next set of product features to be launched and also complete the product requirements document and get feedback from relevant stakeholders. ***Step 4: (Bonus step, mandatory in 2025):**** Bro write a PRD on how we can use Deep learning rather than classic AI techniques (XGBoost) to do product recommendations on our home page and search results page. And that is how my friend you convert that early career PM into a rock star PM. That's it guys if you found this 4 step process valuable...which I feel is a very carefully crafted process...pls do implement and also consider following me for more such amazing frameworks. Thanks! Follow me for high quality content https://lnkd.in/gHweK_q7 AND https://lnkd.in/ggUKftFq #product #careers #learning

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Coming up with a product strategy should be hard and messy. It's not some clean fill in the box activity. It's big messy Miro boards, multiple whiteboarding sessions, synthesising loads of data, lots of back-and-forth and docs covered in comments. Don't mistake the neat Product Strategy doc at the end as THE THING.

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All Product Mgt coaching (PMC) is valuable if there is a tangible RoI. The problem is ensuring the cost meets the value. Coaches ask for a fee based on their own experience, not the level of student and career level (mostly), for obv reasons. This makes it difficult for those in the earlier stages of Product Management to be able to afford good PMC, which are the ones who need it the most but are unlikely to get the most RoI due to the high cost. I’ve found this is similar for all coaching. This is where Evie’s group coaching offers significant value as it allows entry level and ‘younger PMs’ access to advanced experience and advice without the hefty price tag that comes with one on one coaching. #Coaching #PM #learning #product

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Product teams aren't order-takers. But they can't just go off and do whatever they want either. Too often, businesses fail to get the balance right, and one of the following happens: 1 - Demotivated product teams: They're being told by stakeholders exactly what to build, resulting in tension and silos. 2 - Frustrated stakeholders: They're facing real business challenges, but feel unheard—tech teams seem disconnected, focused only on building "what customers want," missing broader business priorities. Both scenarios lead to one thing: Poor business outcomes. The truth? Cross-functional alignment is key. Teams need shared goals, strong communication, and a willingness to compromise to drive business success. This is where Product Leaders come in—unifying product, tech, and business teams to deliver results that matter. I've seen firsthand how getting this balance right leads to increased growth, faster scaling, and improved team morale. What’s your experience? Disagree? Let me know in the comments. P.S. I help leadership teams as a Fractional CPO and Product Leadership Coach. If you want to unlock greater product results, DM me. #productleadership #growth #scaling #leadershipcoaching

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Something to think about this week: Is your product team set up for success? Here are the 5 key pillars of high-performing product teams: 1️⃣ Vision that inspires: Align everyone on where you’re going and why it matters. 2️⃣ Empathetic leadership: Lead with trust, clarity, and empowerment. 3️⃣ Customer-driven action: Understand your customers so well you solve problems they didn’t even know they had. 4️⃣ Culture of experimentation: Foster ownership and innovation by embracing smart risks. 5️⃣ Tech, talent, and process: Equip your team with the tools, skills, and frameworks to thrive. If you’re ready to empower your team and deliver real results, start here: https://lnkd.in/evWcMWqK 👉 #ProductManagement #Leadership #Innovation #AI #TeamBuilding

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Very useful post by Roman Pichler, especially the interest-power grid that helps identify the key stakeholders to focus on. Achieving alignment and stakeholder buy-in are some of the most difficult aspects of any product role. Thanks for posting. #product #stakeholders #strategy #roadmap

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Hey Product fans! 👋 This week’s 🌮 Product Tapas is served. Topically, this week’s edition comes to you from sunny Spain. Or rather it did for subscribers. It was a restful week so I figured I’d get the newsletter out a few days early ahead of the weekend. Yep, that's right subscribers got this three days ago on Friday evening. Sadly I'm now back in the UK, but I think I'll continue this trend, so be sure to sign up below! What’s on the menu this week? 🧑‍🍳 📰 Not Boring - This week brings exciting updates in tech. Apple and Google have teamed up to simplify photo transfers, while Alphabet, decided to pass on acquiring HubSpot. The EU wrapped up its anti-trust probe on Apple, and Amazon introduced the $79 Echo Spot alarm clock. Spotify has added comments to podcasts for better creator-fan interaction, and Meta rolled out an AI tool to remove copyrighted music from videos automatically. Samsung launched a heap of stuff, and Microsoft added spellcheck and autocorrect to Notepad after 40+ years. Plus, we’ve got news from Amazon, Starlink and, Nothing and more. ⌚️ Time-Saving Tools & GPTs - This week we help you with your knowledge work, translation management, project management, task management, coding assistance, and product analytics. Easy. 🍔 Blog Bites - Our essential reads for product teams this week cover delegation for first-time managers, finding hidden frictions in user experiences, and a case study on Arc’s successful public-building strategy 🔥. 🎙️ Pod Shots - Finally, we dive into the recent 20VC interview with Mike Schroepfer, former CTO of Meta, where he explores why the best leaders are like music conductors. Schroepfer shares his insights on leadership, resilience, and the power of strategic thinking. A great read/listen for founders and product managers looking to align their teams and drive innovation. If you want to dig in check out the newsletter in full (and subscribe) here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eQkJGdqG

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I've experienced the emotions on both sides in both Europe and the United States. My slight twist on this is that like any relationship, it's key that expectations are set between the CEO and the product leader on the way into the company. Some CEOs are going to want a CPO/VP Product/Head of Product who can take their overall vision and translate it into product requirements while they focus on sales/marketing/etc if that's their skillset. Other CEOs will continue to be the product visionary, but they need a product leader to build the organization to execute against that vision and hold those people accountable. Both can work, but the key is clarity around what the organization needs are, what the strengths of the founder and the leadership team are, and how a product leader can best fit the organization. But overall, the product strategy isn't singularly "owned" by product - it's the core of the business and needs to be an aligned process.

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One can build meaningful products with barely any documentation available / needed 🪁 At some point it becomes too complex to manage though - then PRDs come handy. Below are 13 examples, ranging from Uber through Miro & Figma to Microsoft. Use what fits, skip what doesn’t. I am (still) fanboying Intercom's ways. #product #productmanagement

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What’s the difference between PM / Head of / CPO roles? Titles vary a lot from company to company depending on their stage, but broadly there are four main levels in a PM career*: 1. 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘈𝘗𝘔 / 𝘑𝘯𝘳 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘚𝘯𝘳 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘗𝘔 -> Working in a cross-functional team with engineers and designers to ship features. -> You’re working out what to build, building it right, and launching it well. 2. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 / 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘗𝘔 -> Managing individual contributors, and helping them reach peak performance. -> You’re hiring and coaching other PMs, and dealing with underperformance. 3. 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 / 𝘝𝘗 / 𝘚𝘝𝘗 -> You’re defining what product management is at your company, and making the product org effective. -> You’re defining the overall strategy, the processes PMs follow, and allocating teams against high-value opportunities. 4. 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘊𝘗𝘖 / 𝘊𝘗𝘛𝘖 / 𝘊𝘗𝘔𝘖 -> You’re a T-shaped exec running multiple functions incl product. (e.g. eng, design, community); -> You represent these functions on the exec and to the board -> You’re using general leadership principles to give teams context and direction. -> You’re dealing with high level and long term issues (company strategy and vision, funding and M&A, risk management, culture) * Ignoring individual contributor tracks here, as whilst they are awesome, fewer companies have them. Full article on what a PM career looks like: https://lnkd.in/ehsVjUNp

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What’s the difference between PM / Head of / CPO roles? Titles vary a lot from company to company depending on their stage, but broadly there are four main levels in a PM career*: 1. 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘈𝘗𝘔 / 𝘑𝘯𝘳 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘚𝘯𝘳 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘗𝘔 -> Working in a cross-functional team with engineers and designers to ship features. -> You’re working out what to build, building it right, and launching it well. 2. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 / 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘗𝘔 / 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘗𝘔 -> Managing individual contributors, and helping them reach peak performance. -> You’re hiring and coaching other PMs, and dealing with underperformance. 3. 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 / 𝘝𝘗 / 𝘚𝘝𝘗 -> You’re defining what product management is at your company, and making the product org effective. -> You’re defining the overall strategy, the processes PMs follow, and allocating teams against high-value opportunities. 4. 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘦.𝘨. 𝘊𝘗𝘖 / 𝘊𝘗𝘛𝘖 / 𝘊𝘗𝘔𝘖 -> You’re a T-shaped exec running multiple functions incl product. (e.g. eng, design, community); -> You represent these functions on the exec and to the board -> You’re using general leadership principles to give teams context and direction. -> You’re dealing with high level and long term issues (company strategy and vision, funding and M&A, risk management, culture) * Ignoring individual contributor tracks here, as whilst they are awesome, fewer companies have them. Full article on what a PM career looks like: https://lnkd.in/ehsVjUNp

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PRODUCTHEAD: Deconstructing Duolingo’s growth » Dissect your monolithic metrics to drive growth in more easily influenced segments » Don’t kill the golden goose of growth by oversaturating a channel » If growth is your goal, have a sense of urgency Subscribe at producthead.news #ProductManagement #prodmgmt

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