Product Leadership
Leading product teams and organizations
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Product Leadership Archetypes
Just recently SVPG Partner Christian Idiodi hosted Shreyas Doshi on his Product Therapy podcast, where they discussed the role of product leadership. If you haven’t yet listened to this interview, I would strongly encourage it, as I loved hearing Shreyas’ thoughts on this critically important topic. You can find the full episode here. Shreyas described... The post Product Leadership Archetypes appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·5 min read·Aug 27, 2025
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
See the world as a startup does
Rory McDonald, an expert in disruptive strategy, urges corporate leaders to learn from startups--and even preschoolers--as they seek to reinvent their organizations.
Strategy+Business·13 min read·Jul 22, 2025
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
The Politics of Pilot Teams
From what I can tell, more companies than ever before are working on transforming to the product model. I don’t know all the reasons for this, but I do know some of them. I’m seeing company boards taking a more active role in pushing the CEO in this direction. Their interest is usually valuation. And... The post The Politics of Pilot Teams appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·10 min read·Jul 14, 2025
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Agency vs Ambition
I want to believe that all product people are both ambitious and have high agency. But recently I’ve come to realize that this is not always the case. It pains me to admit that, and my first instinct was that these are not people that I can help. But I’m not quite ready to give... The post Agency vs Ambition appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·6 min read·Jul 2, 2025
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Product in the AI Era
As generative AI continues to evolve, SVPG is focused on understanding its impact on product teams and practices. Below is a curated list of our content on various aspects of AI in product development. This page will be updated regularly when SVPG publishes new content on AI related topics. SVPG Articles on Generative AI A... The post Product in the AI Era appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·2 min read·May 29, 2025
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
The Era of the Product Creator
I have been emphasizing that the heart of the product manager job is product creation. The job is not about being a facilitator or cheerleader, it’s not about being a project manager, and it’s definitely not about being a backlog administrator. Rather, the necessary role of a product manager is a product creator, working alongside... The post The Era of the Product Creator appeared first on Silicon Valley Product Group.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·4 min read·May 27, 2025
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
What Wartime Service Taught These Historic Leaders
What can corporate leaders learn from executives who served their country during wartime conflicts? Drawing on a series of case studies, Robert Simons shares important lessons from the experiences of Walt Disney, Dwight Eisenhower, and Robert McNamara.
HBS Working Knowledge·8 min read·Nov 8, 2024
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AI Can Help Leaders Communicate, But Can't Make Employees Listen
A chatbot might be able to write emails that sound human, but can the technology respond to staff questions just like the boss would? Research by Prithwiraj Choudhury shows that while a chatbot may save leaders time, employees might not view the communications as credible.
HBS Working Knowledge·3 min read·Nov 5, 2024
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Layoffs Surging in a Strong Economy? Advice for Navigating Uncertain Times
Layoffs have been on the rise in some US industries as tech and professional services companies grapple with slowing demand and mixed economic signals. Sandra Sucher, Frances Frei, and Maria Roche offer insights for leaders managing through the turmoil.
HBS Working Knowledge·8 min read·Nov 1, 2024
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Do the right thing: Building trust in turbulent times
Companies should focus on the human impact of their core business, says academic and consultant Alison Taylor.
Strategy+Business·11 min read·Sep 30, 2024
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
How Twilio Built a Developer-First Product Organization
Twilio became the standard for communications APIs by organizing its entire product development process around developer needs. This case study examines how the company hires product managers who can code, runs internal hackathons that become real products, and uses developer evangelism not just for marketing but as a core product feedback mechanism.
Harvard Business Review·13 min read·Jan 1, 2023
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The Nature of Product
Product management is not project management. Understanding the fundamental nature of product work and why so many companies get it wrong.
Classic Articles·4 min read·Jun 1, 2020
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The Art of Product Roadmapping: From Vision to Execution
Cagan challenges the traditional feature-based roadmap, advocating instead for outcome-based roadmaps that focus on problems to solve rather than features to build. This reframing gives product teams the autonomy to discover the best solutions while keeping stakeholders aligned on business outcomes.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·9 min read·Jan 10, 2020
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Stakeholder Management for Product Managers: A Practical Guide
Provides product managers with strategies for building trust and influence with executives, engineers, designers, and business stakeholders. Emphasizes that effective stakeholder management is less about politics and more about demonstrating competence, sharing context, and delivering results consistently.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·8 min read·Sep 5, 2019
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Product vs. Feature Teams
The critical difference between empowered product teams that solve problems and feature teams that just build what they're told. Most companies have feature teams and don't realize it.
Classic Articles·10 min read·Jun 1, 2019
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The Art of Saying No: Prioritization for Product Managers
Marty Cagan on why the most important thing a product leader can do is decide what NOT to build. Covers prioritization frameworks: value vs. effort, RICE scoring, opportunity scoring, and cost of delay. But argues that frameworks are secondary to having a clear product strategy that enables you to say no with confidence. Essential PM skill development reading.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·7 min read·Jan 1, 2019
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Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
Marty Cagan's comprehensive guide to modern product management. Product discovery (finding the right product to build) is separate from product delivery (building it). Four key risks to address: value (will customers buy it?), usability (can users figure it out?), feasibility (can we build it?), and viability (does it work for our business?). The definitive PM text.
SVPG (Marty Cagan)·15 min read·Nov 1, 2017
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Product Discovery
The purpose of product discovery is to quickly separate the good ideas from the bad. We need to validate ideas before we invest the time and money to build them.
Classic Articles·6 min read·Jun 1, 2017
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Behind Every Great Product
Behind every great product there is someone who led the product team to combine technology and design to solve real customer problems in a way that meets the needs of the business.
Classic Articles·27 min read·Jun 1, 2017
Full ArticleProduct Leadership
Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager
The classic guide distinguishing the habits and mindsets of effective vs ineffective product managers, covering everything from market knowledge to team dynamics.
Classic Articles·3 min read·Jun 1, 2012