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Remote product management

It used to be that face-to-face conversation was the most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a product team. Then 2020 hit. Product teams were forced to work remotely, and they somehow made it work. Now that they can work face-to-face again, many still choose to continue working remotely.

Meanwhile, in product news, a Bee buzzes around your conversation, there’s another way to make a slide deck, Reddit wants cash to train your AI, and Canva just bought its way into the AI world.

Remote product management glossary. Product Management is a multifaceted discipline that involves several key roles and responsibilities. Regarding remote product management, the complexity increases as the teams are distributed across different geographical locations. The folks at LaunchNotes provide a comprehensive glossary on remote product management, covering all its aspects in detail.

Product management in a remote work environment. Working remotely has become the new normal for many professionals, including product managers. While remote work offers flexibility and autonomy, it also presents unique challenges that can impact the effectiveness and success of product management. Gabriela Naumnik explores good practices for product managers in a remote work environment, addressing common challenges and offering strategies to overcome them.

Is virtual coworking the future for WFH product managers? Joshua Solomon remembers the COVID crisis as if it were yesterday. Overnight, work from home became a mandate. Initially, he took a liking to digital work. Soon, Joshua began craving the energizing buzz in his office. He missed the spontaneous brainstorming sessions by the coffee machine and working with his colleagues. Then Joshua stumbled upon virtual coworking applications. These tools helped him find his groove during the pandemic and later on. Here’s how to suss out whether joining a virtual coworking group is your next best move.

Deepdive: Remote Product Management. Remote product management isn’t just about replicating office work from home. It’s about reimagining how we build products, lead teams, and drive innovation when we’re not all in the same room. It requires new skills, new tools, and, often, a new mindset. Mike Belsito dives into what remote product management actually looks like. He explores strategies for building and managing distributed teams, effective communication techniques, and ways to foster collaboration and innovation from afar.

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Building bonds for remote teams

Let’s talk about team bonding for those remote or hybrid product teams…

Look, we've all been there. You're leading a product team, everyone's scattered across different time zones, and you're wondering, "How the heck do I keep this team tight-knit?" Well, I’ve got some ideas…

​I recently stumbled upon this Harvard Business Review article about team building, and it got me thinking about how we can apply this to our product world. There are a few things, specifically, that I think we can all try.

1. Get real about goals and culture
   Set up regular chats about what you're all trying to achieve and the vibe you want to create. It's not just fluff – this stuff matters. Try the "reflected-best-self" exercise. It's like a highlight reel of your team's superpowers.
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2. Slack it up (or Teams, whatever floats your boat)
   Remember those random office convos? Yeah, we all miss those. So, create a digital water cooler. Encourage the team to share memes, jokes, or weird dreams they had about user stories. It's the little things that build bonds.
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3. Turn lunch into a learning fest
   Start a lunch-and-learn series. Maybe Sarah's a whiz at SQL, or Joe knows the ins and outs of behavioral economics. Let your team geek out and teach each other. It's a two-for-one: you learn interesting new things and get to know your team better.

Remember, as a product leader, you set the tone. It's not about forced fun – it's about creating those moments that turn a group of talented individuals into a product team that actually produces.

Give it a try!

The ONLY 3 Questions You EVER Need: Decision-Making Made Simple

Wednesday, August 21st @ 01:00 PM EST

We are all plagued by decision fatigue from analysis paralysis, second-guessing, and buyer’s remorse, but there is a better way. Everyone can improve their decision-making speed and confidence by being more outcome-oriented, and I want to make that simple for everyone. By making sure always to ask Where to? (Where do we want to go?), all choices are framed with the destination in mind.

Leveraging this mindset and 2 other key questions, we choose the most valuable and impactful options more often, and over time, we get closer and closer to our desired outcomes.

From this talk, your team will walk about with an easy-to-implement framework they can deploy anywhere and for any decision.

Resources and news curated by Kent J. McDonald.