Estimated read time: 3 minutes 30 seconds.
This is Sunday 1-1-2-3 with George.
Welcome to the 105th edition. Happy New Year! ✨
🆕 In today’s edition:
🔒 Lenny’s Community Wisdom - Complete Database (Notion database)
🔒 3 actionable tasks (no dependencies) you can take right now to forward your product & career
Identify Key User Actions (Without Analytics)
ReActS: Reverse-Engineer from Actions to Strategy Exercise
Annual Review
🆓 Validating Product Ideas Through Lean User Research
🆓 Product Roadmaps: Advanced Tips & Tricks
❓ 1 Thought-Provoking Question
Can you think of two features or aspects of your product that could be combined to create a new, innovative offering, and how might this integration address a previously unmet user need or create a new market opportunity?
🌟 1 Useful Quote
🎓 2 Learning Opportunities
Article: Validating Product Ideas Through Lean User Research
Time: 28 minutes
Video: Product Roadmaps: Advanced Tips & Tricks from
Time: 23 minutes
🛠️ 3 Actionable Tasks Less Than 30 Minutes Each
Identify Key User Actions Without Analytics
Objective: Determine up to 10 pivotal actions users are likely to take early in their journey with your product that potentially correlate with continued use, satisfaction, and deeper engagement, without relying on analytics data.
Estimated Duration: 30 minutes
Materials Needed:
Product documentation or a detailed list of features and capabilities.
Feedback or insights from customer-facing teams (if available).
User testimonials or reviews (if available).
Steps:
Understand Your Product:
Review product documentation and features thoroughly to understand all possible actions a user can take.
Create a Comprehensive Action List:
List all actions users can perform, especially focusing on those available early in the user journey.
Utilize External Insights:
If available, review user testimonials, feedback, or reviews to understand what actions are frequently mentioned in positive contexts.
Gather informal feedback from customer service, sales, or any team members who interact directly with users.
Consider Typical User Goals:
Based on your understanding of the target user, identify what they are likely trying to achieve with your product. List actions that directly contribute to achieving these goals.
Prioritize for Engagement:
Prioritize actions that intuitively seem most closely linked to user engagement and satisfaction. Consider actions that are unique to your product, solve a specific pain point, or are frequently mentioned in positive user feedback.
Seek Internal Feedback:
Discuss this list with team members, especially those who have direct user interaction, for any insights or oversights. Adjust the list based on their feedback.
Categorize Actions:
Organize the actions into categories based on the user journey stages or other relevant criteria to understand where they fit into the overall user experience.
Prepare for Further Steps:
Document the prioritized actions. Consider how you might later validate these assumptions through user research or future analytics.
Outcome: This list forms the basis for future user research, hypothesis formation for product improvements, and strategies to enhance user activation once analytics or more data become available.
From User Activation: The Product Metric Everyone Needs but Can’t Define
ReActS: Reverse-Engineer from Actions to Strategy Exercise
Objective:
Enhance critical thinking by linking actions to strategic intent.
Improve strategic alignment by identifying gaps between plans and actions.
Provide a basis for more informed decision-making in future strategic planning and execution.
Preparation (5 minutes)
Gather Data: Ensure access to recent major decisions, project launches, budget allocations, and any other strategic actions taken by the team or company.
Define Time Frame: Choose a recent quarter or year as the period for analysis.
Set Objectives: Clarify that the objective is to understand what the actions imply about the real, operational strategy.
Steps (25 minutes)
List Key Actions (5 minutes):
Briefly list out 5-7 significant actions or decisions made in the chosen time frame. These might include new product launches, shifts in resource allocation, entering or exiting markets, or changes in leadership focus.
Analyze Each Action (10 minutes):
For each listed action, answer:
What was the goal? Identify what each action was aiming to achieve.
What does it imply? Determine what each action suggests about the company's priorities, values, and approach. For example, cutting costs in one area might imply a strategy focusing on efficiency or redirecting resources to more profitable ventures.
Identify Patterns (5 minutes):
Look across the actions for common themes or contradictions. Are there consistent areas of focus or neglect? Do actions align with stated strategic priorities, or do they tell a different story?
Draft Implicit Strategy Statement (5 minutes):
Based on the patterns and implications identified, draft a brief statement that captures the implicit strategy these actions suggest. For instance, "Our implicit strategy seems to focus on short-term revenue gains at the cost of long-term innovation," or "We prioritize market expansion over product diversification."
Post-Task Reflection (5 minutes)
Reflect on the differences and similarities between this reverse-engineered strategy and the official strategic plan. Consider what insights or changes might be needed to align actual actions with strategic intentions.
Output
A concise statement of the implicit strategy derived from past actions.
A list of insights or recommendations for better aligning future actions with the intended strategy.
From Finishing Strategy
Annual Review
Objective:
Reflect on the past year's professional and personal experiences, achievements, and challenges.
Duration:
30 minutes
Required Inputs:
Notebook or digital document for reflection.
Quiet, uninterrupted space.
List of past year’s key projects, achievements, readings, and personal milestones.
Steps:
1. Preparation (5 minutes)
Choose a quiet space free from interruptions.
Have a notebook or digital tool ready for notes.
Briefly reflect on key life and career domains you wish to evaluate: Leadership, Product Success, Team Dynamics, Personal Growth, etc.
Envision how you want to feel at the end of the next year—more knowledgeable, connected, balanced?
Set a timer for 25 minutes to keep the review focused and efficient.
2. Capture (5 minutes)
Quickly jot down:
Top 3 product achievements or features you're proud of.
Key learnings from books, articles, or courses relevant to product management.
Any significant professional milestones or recognition.
List of people (mentors, team members) who significantly impacted your journey.
Moments of gratitude related to career and personal growth.
3. Organize + Distill (Part 1) (5 minutes)
Identify the biggest surprise or pivot in your product management journey last year.
Reflect on the risks taken and the outcomes.
Describe the year in one sentence focusing on your role as a Product Manager.
Consider time investment: What tasks or activities would you like to decrease or increase?
4. Organize + Distill (Part 2) (5 minutes)
Note the top 3 wins and how they contributed to the product or team.
Acknowledge disappointments and derive key lessons.
Decide what practices or mindsets you are letting go of.
Write a brief piece of advice for yourself for the next year based on past experiences.
5. Express (Part 1) (5 minutes)
Identify what aspect of product management brings you the most joy and plan to do more of it.
Pinpoint an undeveloped skill or area you wish to explore.
Commit to a learning goal or a community/cause to contribute to.
Choose a word or phrase that will be your theme for the year, e.g., "Innovate," "Balance," or "Grow."
6. Express (Part 2) (5 minutes)
Set 1-2 tangible goals related to your role as a Product Manager.
Outline immediate next steps towards these goals. Take the first one, no matter how small.
Envision your biggest win for the coming year and what it would take to achieve it.
Outcome:
By the end of this exercise, you will have a documented reflection of the past year's journey and a clear, actionable path for the year ahead.
💽 1 Database
👉 All of Lenny’s Community Wisdo
Ok… That's a wrap for today. Stay focused and see you next week! If you want more, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@nurijanian)
😀 What did you think of this week's newsletter?
Loved it | Great | Good | Meh | Bad
If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing it with a friend. If a friend sent you this, get the next newsletter by signing up below.
Who's George?
I’m an underdog product manager. I’ve had to learn the craft the hard way.
To become better, I learn and explore new ideas every day, relentlessly.
Then I share high-quality, tried-and-true ideas that can be used right away.
See you next week.
— George.