The Ultimate 3-Step Product Framework

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Hi

Welcome to this edition of my email. Today I am writing you from Germany. As the world is opening up, I took my vaccinated self over the big pond to visit family. And with working remotely, it really doesn’t matter where I am, as long as I adjust to the required timezone. I am looking forward to this experiment. Will report back.

This month, we’ll talk about frameworks.

Product managers don’t write code. They don’t build APIs or design user interfaces. They work with people who are experts at these skills.

Product managers build frameworks — frameworks that enable the team to perform at maximum productivity. They make the team productive, pave the path towards the product vision, and ensure they reach goals reflected on a roadmap.

The product manager's job is to find the right framework for specific situations. Once identified, they onboard people and teams to these frameworks and then make sure teams stay on track.

The job is to communicate and support people in their work, but also to ensure the team can work together. The truth is that many great products fail because of poor execution. Making a good idea reality is 20% planning and 80% execution (I made that up, but it seems real). Frameworks should be used for both.

I really think this work has presented me with valuable life skills. If I run into situations that present a challenge, applying an existing framework helps with the decision process and speeds things up. I don’t have to spend too much time thinking about how to solve a particular challenge. The more often a framework is applied, the more familiar we get with it. It makes life much easier.

Think about your morning routine. It’s probably very similar every morning, and you don’t need to spend effort to plan it or think about next steps. I love routines. After several attempts, we don’t need to think to go through them. We save brainpower for important tasks and new challenges.

Iterate On Your Frameworks

One classic framework is agile product development. It is exactly that—a set of workflow patterns that guide your workflows. But make no mistake—in none of my past products have I applied exactly what the book says. I tweak it based on the team's needs.

It’s like a race car. The car is the framework, but for each track, all the pieces have to be set up properly for a specific track. Settings for aero, dampers, tires, etc., can vary. The car stays the same.

I am planning for my newsletter to include a collection of the most popular and helpful frameworks. Once in a while, when I come across one, I’ll add it here. If you tell me your favorite framework, I’ll add it.

Today, I’ll mention one universal framework that has structured roadmaps, product goals, product presentations, and interview conversations.

The ONE to Rule Them All

This framework can be applied to every product and simple iteration you are trying to make. It includes three steps that are always applicable. In particular, make sure you pay attention to step 3. I regularly see people not go through it in interviews. Don’t make that same mistake.

Consider this:

We have an idea for a feature. It’s something no one has built, and no product has this feature. The world doesn’t know about it, and the world doesn’t know it needs it.

Really? Nobody has built it, nobody is using a product that does what’s being described, and we think we can make millions with it?

What is the first mistake we are making here?

We are starting our “Why are we building this feature” question with a Why. But when we answer, we have to respond with, “because nobody has built it and it’s really cool.” Think about it. That can’t be right.

A product succeeds because it solves a problem.

It sounds so simple, but it is the most important element to keep in mind.

Let’s reset. What problem are we trying to solve? What is the problem we think this will solve, and who has that problem?

This is question 1 in our framework.

What Problem Are We Trying to Solve?

Once we understand every detail about the problem we are solving and who we are solving it for (the persona, I have a framework for that, too, right here), we can take the next step and use the second question in the framework.

If someone in our product review will ask, “Have you thought about X?” and we say “No,” that’s not a good sign. It signals that we need to spend more time evaluating our idea.

Personal story: Writers can use this framework, too. A few years ago, when I started to write one of my first posts, I asked a friend who was a great writer to review my article. After he reviewed it, he asked me what I wanted the readers to take away from it. And it hit me…I had no idea.

As an experienced product manager, how could I make that mistake? How could I not have thought about the fundamentals, my customers’ goals and needs? I had no idea what I wanted the reader to take away from it and what problem this writing would solve for my reader. I just wanted to write about an exciting new technology.

Once this is clear, we move on to question 2.

How Are We Solving This Problem?

This is where we answer with what we will do with the product. We talk about all its cool features and unique propositions. While providing that information, we always return to the problem we are solving.

In this phase, I love to do broad strokes. I like to come up with 10-20 different ways of solving the problem. I want to find a reason why my product would be better to solve the problem. So I need to find comparisons.

We need to set up our product hypothesis. The question we want answered is: What do I think will happen once I’ve built this product?

The hypothesis can also guide us to measure the right things, which is important for the third step in the framework.

And we can even start testing with anyone who could have that problem, and then walk them through the solution.

Did We Successfully Solve This Problem?

For long-lasting product success and the path beyond the popular MVP, we want measurements. And the question we need to answer here is simple:

Did we successfully solve this problem?

Measuring begins after launch. Run your survey, check your analytics. You will find the answer to your question if you set key success metrics before you launch. Measure and understand if you hit your numbers.

I like to launch surveys specifically for features, if they are impactful enough. A quick 10-question survey can be set up quickly. I like to use SurveyMonkey. And you can even throw in some other questions. I always pick subsections of users for those. I don’t want to bombard the same user with a survey every time I launch a feature.

Next, it’s important to look at our analytics for quantitative measurement. Did our users find that new feature? Are they using it? Are they coming back to using it?

This is often overlooked. Launching a product is not a success. Getting users who come back and like our product is success.

Use this framework for every product requirements doc, every time you tackle a new feature, and in interviews. Having this framework in place will trigger the right questions that lead you down the path to product success.

Embrace frameworks. They are a great thing for work and life.

Best finds of the month

Thiago Forte - How to take smart notes

Thiago Forte is well known for being a productivity expert. When he writes something about taking better notes, I read it. And I really recommend the read. I became an avid note taker at work some time ago and it has changed the game for me. If you want to take better notes, these 10 principles (or even just one of them) can help you with that.

Drop a raindrop in the US and see where it ends up.

Have you ever stared at a river and wondered where a drop of water would end up? I have done that and now there is a tool that can answer it for me. It is as educational for your product craft as you want it to be.

American Idle - TikTok - Network effects of creativity

I found this read about how a random set of filters in TikTok spark unbelievable creativity in people. It also discusses how TikTok is able to connect a series of features that provide a very nice flywheel effect for the company. It will be really hard to copy what TikTok does. (Remember how Instagram copied Snapchat stories, it is different here). A flywheel is like a loop, another term for positive feedback loop that comes by connecting several features in a service. I should dive deeper in one of my next emails.

Please keep the feedback coming, tell me what you would like to learn more about and if you know someone that might be interested, please forward my email to them.

Thank you for reading and have an amazing week!

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