Everything you need to start creating awesome products.
Introduction
This is our intro to Product Management for companies that want to be more deliberate about how they build products. If you're already familiar with product management, consider this a useful resource to educate your team about the fundamentals. Rough's philosophy is that when everyone contributes to product decisions, we build better products. That means everyone needs to know the basics.
How to use these resources
These articles are designed to be read in order, although each should stand alone as reference material. Each topic builds on the one previous, so you can use them as material to run an internal bootcamp if you desire. Here's a few of our more popular articles if you'd like to take a look.
What is Product Management?
Product management is about making sure we build things people actually want. It's the bridge between what customers need and what the team builds. Think of it as being the voice of the customer inside your company.
At its heart, product management is about solving problems, not just building features. When we focus on the problems our customers face, we make better decisions about what to build.
The best product teams don't just ask customers what they want - they dig deeper to understand why they want it. This helps them find solutions that might not be obvious at first.
The Product Discovery Process
Before we build anything, we need to make sure we're solving the right problems. That's what product discovery is all about. It's how we figure out what to build before we spend time and money building it.
Discovery starts with listening. Talk to your customers. Watch how they use your product. Pay attention to what frustrates them. The goal is to understand their needs so well that you can spot opportunities they might not even see themselves.
Once you have ideas, test them quickly. Make simple versions of your solution and get feedback. This helps you learn what works without wasting resources on things that don't.
Remember that discovery isn't a one-time thing. The best teams keep learning even after they've shipped a product. They watch how people use it and look for ways to make it better.
Creating Insights
Just talking to people isn't enough. We need to reflect on our conversations and turn them into insights. Insights are small pieces of data that lead us towards making a decision.
Insights can come from anywhere. Sales calls, support tickets, an insightful chat over coffee - they're all valid sources of insights. If something will serve as motivation to change your product, then it's an insight.
What we consider a good insight will depend on your product. Sometimes the will of the founder or CEO is the most important factor in creating a product. Sometimes it's a large customer, or an exceptionally influential one. Whether or not you create a framework around insights is less important than making sure you're capturing them.
Prioritization: Deciding What to Build First
We can't build everything at once. That's why prioritization matters. It's about choosing what to work on now and what to save for later.
Good prioritization starts with knowing what you're trying to achieve. What problem are you solving? Who are you solving it for? How will you know if you've succeeded? Having clear answers to these questions makes it easier to decide what's most important.
When you're deciding between different options, think about both the value to your customers and the effort required. Some things might be very valuable but take too long to build. Others might be quick wins that make a real difference right away.
It's also important to be transparent about your decisions. When people understand why you're working on certain things, they're more likely to support your choices, even if their request isn't at the top of the list.
Working with Development Teams
Product management isn't a solo sport. To be successful, you need to work well with your development team. This means understanding how they work and finding ways to collaborate effectively.
Start by involving developers early in the process. When they understand the problem you're trying to solve, they can help find the best solution. They might see technical challenges or opportunities that you missed.
Be clear about what you need, but flexible about how to get there. Describe the outcome you want rather than dictating exactly how something should work. This gives the team room to find the best approach.
Remember that building software takes time. Things often take longer than expected, and plans change as you learn more. Stay patient and focus on making progress, not just sticking to the original timeline.
Measuring Success
How do you know if your product is successful? It's not enough to just ship features - you need to measure their impact. This helps you learn what's working and what needs to change.
Start by defining what success looks like before you build. Are you trying to increase sign-ups? Reduce support tickets? Make a process faster? Having clear goals makes it easier to measure results.
Choose metrics that reflect real value, not just activity. For example, it's better to track how many people complete a task than how many start it. This gives you a more accurate picture of whether your product is actually helping people.
Don't just look at numbers - talk to your users too. Quantitative data tells you what's happening, but qualitative feedback helps you understand why. Together, they give you a complete picture of how your product is performing.
When something doesn't work as expected, treat it as a learning opportunity. The goal isn't to be right all the time - it's to keep improving your product based on what you discover.
Product Management Articles
The rest of our articles on Product Management, with a focus on AI.
Rough
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