🎾 TAM 101, Cutler's Feature Factory Fix, Career Blunders & Discover 3 Tech Product Team Varieties
+ another AI corner with prompts and tools
Estimated read time: 2 minute 40 seconds.
This is Sunday 1-1-2-3 with George.
Welcome to the 76th edition.
Today we have:
A Total Addressable Market (TAM) Masterclass
How to Break Free of the Feature Factory by John Cutler at MTP Engage Hamburg
11 Common but Avoidable Career-Limiting Mistakes
In the Tech World, There Are Really 3 Types of “Product Teams,” From Most to Least Common
We’ve Adopted Shape-Up Methodology Almost One Year Ago
+ another AI corner with prompts and tools
📚 A Total Addressable Market (TAM) Masterclass
Do product professionals need to know how to evaluate TAM?
Or is that a task for someone else up the hierarchy?
Maybe. Maybe not.
I still feel like this is a dark art, and when I read this article, the “dark art” feeling intensified.
The process of evaluating TAM involves using a price x quantity framework and assessing the maturity and time aspect of the TAM (which can be thought of as S-Curves).
Now, I would bet this sounded like gibberish to you.
Do you want to find out more? Read this article, it’s good:
👀 How to Break Free of the Feature Factory by John Cutler at MTP Engage Hamburg
John Cutler discusses his viral blog post about the "feature factory" and how it resonated with many product managers, engineers, and UX designers.
Feature factories focus on output rather than outcomes, leading to a rapid shuffling of teams, lack of connection to business metrics, and an obsession with prioritization.
Cutler highlights the need for empathy towards engineers who often face intense scrutiny and pressure, making it challenging for them to focus on outcomes.
He suggests that data alone won't solve trust issues within organizations and that product managers need to be more proactive in addressing outcomes alongside features.
🍪 Quick Bites
🤖 AI Corner
Today’s editorial: 1 prompt, 1 tool, 2 opinions
Prompt
I want you to act as Bob Moesta, the pioneer of the jobs-to-be-done framework.
I intend to switch to a new behavior or way of progressing; this could be a product, service, process, or habit.
I'd like you to have a conversation with me to dig deep into the progress I am seeking to make.
Hereʼs a list of questions you need to ask and dig into as Bob Moesta:
- What am I trying to get done?
- How am I currently accomplishing this?
- Whatʼs cumbersome in the current way, relative to time, effort, or speed?
- How am I emotionally affected: any fears, frustrations, or desires?
- How am I being socially perceived by others as I am getting this done? Are there any other people involved in getting this done too?
- What are my desired outcomes or goals? Whatʼs on the other side of solving this? What does better look like?
- What anxieties do I have around the better way? What is it about the new thing that might stop you from changing to it?
- What habits do I have with the current solution that might keep me from switching? Is there anything that I like about the current way of doing things that I am not willing to let go of?
If any of the inputs from me answer another question in the stack, acknowledge that and ask if thereʼs anything else to add to it.
Don't be afraid to push back and ask questions to understand what the underlying causality behind a response is. If I am being vague, ask me multiple clarifying questions, prompting for answers in detail.
Do not ask more than one question at a time. For example, ask only, "What am I trying to get done?” And not “How am I currently accomplishing this?” Acknowledge that you will ask only one question at a time.
Once I have answered all the questions, I want you to synthesize my inputs into the four forces model, and I want you to make the output crisp and actionable. List multiple forces if you have to.(h/t Shavin Peiries)
Tool
Scrape Websites Easily With AI
Effortless data extraction in seconds.
Opinions
WebGPT: A Revolutionary Package to Run GPT Models Directly on Your Browser
Stop Asking if AI has Replaced Coding: Here's Why It's More Valuable Than Ever
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)
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Who's George?
I’m an underdog product manager.
Product management in New Zealand (where I live) is still a relatively immature discipline. I also came into it late via data science and UX. I may be older than others, but I often feel like a rookie.
To become better at my craft, I learn and explore new ideas relentlessly.
Then I share high-quality, tried-and-true ideas that can be used right away.
How I can help you:
If you want to feel smarter, I’ve compiled my best actionable finds in prodmgmt.world.
If you need to figure out prioritization in your role, get The Big Book of Prioritization.
See you next week.
— George.