Guest Speaker-Ashish Palekar, GM, AWS-Spring 2022

Introduction

• Speaker: Ashish Palekar from Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Background:

  • Lived in Boston for almost 20 years before moving to Seattle.

  • Roles include software engineer, manager, and product manager.

  • Educational Background: Chemical Engineering; Northeastern MBA.

Agenda

• Brief Introduction

• Product Management Journey

• Difference Between Product and Project Management

• Contributions of Product Managers

• "Rules of the Road" for Product Management

• Q&A Session

Product Management Journey

• EMC Experience: 13 years leading product management for Reflex and later Isilon Systems.

  • Reflex: Originated from an IP acquisition.

  • Isilon Systems: Major product acquired by EMC in 2011.

• Transitioned to AWS in 2016, leading Elastic Block Storage (EBS) team.

  • Developed EBS and Snapshots; emphasized innovation and customer deliverables.

Phases of Evolution as a Product Manager

1. Thinking about Products

   • Shift from thinking of features to understanding products, portfolios, and platforms.

   • Importance of distinguishing between these concepts to inform decisions and processes.

2. Minimum Viable Product vs. Minimum Delightful Product

   • Transition from focusing on viability to delighting customers.

   • Emphasizing customer satisfaction as a critical measure for success.

3. Understanding Customer Needs

   • Early career: Built products based on assumptions.

   • Developed a focus on understanding customer needs and desires through the "working backwards" process.

Differences Between Product and Project Management

• Project Management:

  • Execution-focused: Ensures timely delivery, manages internal dependencies.

  • Accountability: Delivers what was promised, prioritizes meeting deadlines.

• Product Management:

  • Customer-focused: Ensures products meet broad customer needs, considering both internal and external dependencies.

  • Accountability: Successful adoption by customers, solving pain points effectively.

Effective Product Management Practices

1. Breaking Down Deliverables

   • Break large deliverables into smaller, measurable, customer-facing chunks to reduce risk and variability.

2. Measuring Success

   • Importance of establishing clear success metrics early on, based on customer stories and data.

   • Avoiding scope creep by making difficult prioritization decisions.

3. Full Product Lifecycle Involvement

   • PMs should engage across the entire lifecycle of a product to understand challenges and risks deeply.

4. Inspiring the Team

   • PMs must motivate their teams focusing on customer impact and the value of what they are building.

PM Tenets at Amazon

1. Think Big but Build Small

   • Encourage big ideas but emphasize the importance of manageable, incremental deliverables.

2. Build Only What Customers Will Love

   • Strive to deliver products that not only function but delight customers.

3. Leverage Failures as Opportunities

   • Plan for potential failures while building products, ensuring options are available for recovery.

4. Trust but Verify

   • Ensure data and feedback are representative and actionable to inform decisions.

5. Get the Details Right

   • Ensure deep understanding of the product's functionality, scalability, and customer benefits.

6. Enjoy the Journey

   • Having passion for the product fosters a positive team environment and motivates others.

Handling Disruptive Products

• Acknowledge that disruptive products may not have direct precedents but must address existing pain points.

• Look at prior solutions and enhance the customer experience meaningfully.

Conclusion and Q&A Highlights

• Emphasized the importance of understanding customer needs and feedback in product development.

• Addressed common concerns regarding competition, product idea generation, and defining success metrics.

• Encouraged open communication and continuous adaptation in product management.