🎯 Actionable content to create outcome roadmaps & cold start in a new job / PM Snacks #34

Learn how to create an outcome roadmap (and when it's not a good idea), how to "cold start" in a new job, pre-mortem & more...

1️⃣ OUTCOME BASED ROADMAPS 
Sept 2019 • 10 min read • #strategy #execution #mustread
This is a very good piece connecting the content shared in the last few weeks around product strategy. It starts with the company's objectives, down to the "outcome" roadmap, giving specific advice & prompts to start. Bonus: a good piece on the differences between a feature & an outcome roadmap by Gibson Biddle & a recommended deep dive in how Malt & Jobteaser do it by Le Ticket (FR)

2️⃣ Pre-mortems: How a Stripe Product Manager prevents problems before launch
Apr 2021 • 5 min read • #execution
We already talked about pre-mortems: it's a great tool to prevent problems. Here is the version I used at comet. In this coda document, you'll find Shreyas Doshi's take:
1/ He added new terms (tigers, paper tigers & elephants 😅) to extend the pre-mortem throughout the lifecycle of the project, creating a memorable metaphor
2/ I'd suggest (almost) the same structure: context & prompts, quiet time, individual pitches, votes and then working on the emergent themes

3️⃣ A Career Cold Start Algorithm
Mar 2018 • 3 min read • #manageyourself #start
I have never framed the first few weeks of being in a new job as a "cold start problem". But this metaphor is very elegant: you actually need to prioritise useful inputs to have a quick impact (= signal vs noise). Meet with key people for 30 min:
1/ First 25 mins: ask them to tell you everything you should know (don't interrupt, practice active listening & ask more questions when the person is done)
2/ Next 3 mins: ask about the biggest challenges the team is facing
3/ Next 2 mins: ask who else you should talk to

4️⃣ Learn UX writing with a daily challenge
Mar 2021 • 🤷‍♂️ • #ux #marketing
A refreshing take on learning: get emailed a daily challenge for 14 days, then share your result on a facebook group. Learn by doing & by interacting with like-minded people. Btw, I know I have already shared many resources on UX writing, but I keep meeting teams with no UX writers and no clear learning curve on this very important topic. 

A warm welcome to the 7 new subscribers, we are now 1528 readers strong!

Thank you for reading me.
FYI, I'll take a few weeks off, so no newsletter during this period.
Have a great week!

Olivier Courtois 
10y+ in product, currently coach, advisor & podcast host

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