#HowIPM - Bi-Weekly Product Management Tips and Tricks

Every team runs on processes that started as someone's best guess and hardened into routine. The defaults rarely get tested because changing them feels like a bigger commitment than keeping them. What if the commitment were two weeks instead of permanent? Merziyah Poonawala, Principal Product Manager at MFP Services, shares her approach to running small, reversible experiments on team processe...

A single phrase in how product managers communicate release dates determines whether stakeholders hear an estimate or a commitment. The distinction is subtle enough that most PMs do not catch it until trust has already taken a hit. Adam Race, Head of Product at ITV, shares the phrasing shift that changed how he communicates every timeline. He explains why the default language creates an invisible...

The How I PM collection includes 50 strategies from practicing product leaders. Most are available exclusively to Product Way members. Renata McCurley, Founder of Mariposa Insights, has led product teams for over 20 years across consulting and enterprise environments. In this tip, she addresses a pattern that costs teams their most creative thinking: filtering ideas by the job title of the person...

Your roadmap is not a feature list. If it is, you are solving the wrong problem. In this How I PM episode, Michael Ionita — CEO of LFG Solutions, VP of Product, and General Manager of R&D — shares a simple shift that changes how your entire team thinks about what they are building and why. Michael explains why features belong in the backlog and what should replace them on the roadmap. The dist...

Great product managers apply product thinking everywhere. Including their own careers. In this How I PM episode, Patrick Hoffman, building products at Meta, shares a powerful mental model: treat yourself and your career as a product. Patrick explains how thinking this way changes how you make decisions about roles, teams, and what to work on next. This approach helps you: 1. Identify your investor...

One of the biggest challenges in product management is explaining value in a way that actually lands. Feature lists rarely work. Stories do. In this How I PM episode, Joni Hoadley, product management coach and consultant, shares how to use a strategy-based roadmap to tell a clear, compelling product story. Instead of organizing work by features, Joni recommends structuring your roadmap around them...

One of the hardest parts of product management is clarity. Features mean different things to different stakeholders, and misalignment creeps in fast. In this How I PM episode, Adam Race, Head of Product at ITV, shares a simple but powerful practice: using a single slide to align everyone on what a feature is, where it stands, and why it matters. Adam explains how a one-slide summary helps you: 1....

Daily standups can be the most valuable five minutes of your day if you know how to use them. In this How I PM episode, John Kreese, Senior Director of Product Management at Zip Co, shares how product managers can use standups to spot gaps, drive clarity, and keep teams aligned. John’s advice for product managers: 1. Let someone else run standup. Free yourself to listen and identify issues. 2. Sta...

Feature prioritization often feels like a tug-of-war between customers, sales, and technical debt. The best product managers use a simple filter: focus on what truly benefits the user. In this How I PM episode, Suresh Madhuvarsu, Co-founder and CEO of SalesTable, explains how asking one question -- “What’s in it for the user?” -- keeps prioritization grounded in real customer value. Here’s how thi...

Releasing something every sprint builds momentum, confidence, and team rhythm. Sharon Allpress, VP of Strategic Engagements at EOT.AI, shares why a continuous release mindset keeps teams sharp, connected, and ready for bigger launches. Her approach helps maintain quality, consistency, and engagement across every part of the product cycle: 1. Ship something every sprint — even small improvements bu...

How do you balance roadmap priorities with urgent defects and small enhancements? Jordan Bergtraum, Head of Product at myWork, shares a practical approach to keeping delivery focused while protecting long-term progress. Jordan’s framework works whether you’re running a single scrum team or scaling across several: 1. Segment by work type: dedicate separate teams to roadmap items, small enhancements...

Want to control the story around your product’s performance? Use one KPI and lead the conversation. Joseph Terranella, Senior Technology Product Manager at Wolters Kluwer Health, shares how he simplifies stakeholder alignment and product investment by focusing on one meaningful metric. Here’s how he does it: 1. Identify one or two KPIs that signal success or failure 2. Understand what drives those...

Many features fail because they launch without validation. In this episode of How I PM, you’ll learn a 4-step framework to ensure new ideas succeed: 1️⃣ Define use cases 2️⃣ Create wireframes 3️⃣ Test with a proof of concept 4️⃣ Launch only after demand is proven This process helps teams avoid wasted effort and build features that customers actually want. 📌 Connect with Suresh Madhuvarsu: https:/...

Patrick Hoffman, currently building products at Meta, shares how to align customers and teams before development to create stronger products and better outcomes. Starting from consensus builds momentum and trust. Patrick explains how to: 1. Align with customers across key needs and segments 2. Understand what each internal team values most 3. Involve stakeholders in discovery so they are invested...

Josh Furnas, Co-Founder at UGLYCASH and Limited Partner at Rally Cap VC, shares one deceptively simple question to assess and improve team alignment. When alignment breaks down, it often shows up as hesitation, confusion, or low momentum. In this episode of How I PM, Josh shares the exact prompt he uses to uncover both clarity and energy issues: "How excited are you to get to the next destina...

Sharon Allpress, VP of Strategic Engagements at EOT.AI, shares how to lead sprint reviews that are more inclusive, engaging, and effective. Sprint reviews are more than just demos. They are opportunities for teams to reflect on their work, engage with stakeholders, and ensure features are meeting expectations. In this episode of How I PM, Sharon explains how to use sprint reviews to spotlight team...

Aniket Malvankar, Head of Product (IoT) at Vantiva and Founder of Product Bricks, shares why product managers should stop silently filling gaps and instead work to fix them. In this episode of How I PM, Aniket breaks down the difference between being supportive and being overextended. It's easy for PMs to jump into every role that needs help, but doing so can mask systemic problems. Great prod...

Joni Hoadley, product management coach and consultant, explains why a list of features and dates is not a roadmap, and how to lead with strategy instead. In this episode of How I PM, Joni shares how to create a roadmap that focuses on business outcomes, inspires alignment, and positions product managers as strategic leaders. A roadmap should communicate direction and focus, not deadlines. Three wa...

Michael Ionita, CEO of LFG Solutions and YouTuber focused on algorithmic trading and crypto, shares his approach to testing ideas before writing a single line of production code. Good product teams don't wait for full builds to learn. Michael recommends four ways to validate early: 1. Painted door tests: present the feature, then prompt engagement without building it 2. Click-through prototype...

@Pedro Moreno, Head of Products at Serasa Experian, shares his approach to uncovering product insights by creating a direct channel to your support team. Support is your front line to the customer. Pedro recommends three ways to leverage this connection: 1. Create a clear, active channel between product and support 2. Regularly review how support conversations reflect customer pain 3. Use support...

Renata McCurley, experienced digital product and transformation leader, shares how to rethink one of product management’s most misused metrics: velocity. Velocity without context creates the wrong incentives, burns out teams, and hides the true value being delivered. In this episode, Renata explains how to shift the focus back to outcomes, transparency, and real business value. Renata’s keys to av...

Joni Hoadley, Product Manager Coach & Consultant - and passionate traveler 🌍- shares a fast, collaborative way to move from ideas to validation in less than a day. When you need to go from brainstorming to prioritization fast, Joni’s structured 5-step workshop process helps you align your team, uncover your best ideas, and move quickly into testing and prototyping. 🧠 Joni’s 5 Steps to Edit i...

Pedro Moreno, Head of Products at Serasa Experian - and weekend drone pilot 🚁- shares a simple but powerful tip: watch your users actually use your product. Too often, we rely on what users say rather than what they do. Pedro’s approach? 📹 Observe. Ask. Watch. Take notes. 🧠 Start with these steps: 1️⃣ Ask users how they use your product in their day-to-day work. 2️⃣ Then, observe them performin...

Shobhit Chugh, former Product Manager at Google—and improv enthusiast 🎭—shares his top strategy for building and sustaining momentum within product teams. Because progress isn't just about delivery—it's about perception, energy, and shared wins. 3 Ways to Build Team Momentum: 1️⃣ Showcase market success. Share customer stories and product impact widely. 2️⃣ Celebrate internal progress. Hi...

John Kresse, Senior Director of Product Management at SoulCycle—and a former college basketball player at Emory 🏀—shares a simple but powerful way to combat overconfidence and make better product decisions. 3 Key Questions to Challenge Assumptions & De-Risk Your Roadmap: 🗣️ 1. How confident are you in the projected impact? Assign a confidence percentage to ROI estimates. 🗣️ 2. Why did you giv...