sjpknight
@sjpknight.bsky.social
Explorer of the continents and worlds within; seeking to open new channels of thought.
Also husband, dad, product guy, tester & testing advocate.
Also husband, dad, product guy, tester & testing advocate.
I have found and continue to find much joy in the IC PM role versus the alternative management route.
Wholeheartedly agree that PMs should take the time to figure out what's right for them, and advance their careers accordingly 👌
Wholeheartedly agree that PMs should take the time to figure out what's right for them, and advance their careers accordingly 👌
March 7, 2025 at 12:43 PM
I have found and continue to find much joy in the IC PM role versus the alternative management route.
Wholeheartedly agree that PMs should take the time to figure out what's right for them, and advance their careers accordingly 👌
Wholeheartedly agree that PMs should take the time to figure out what's right for them, and advance their careers accordingly 👌
Founders, what’s helped you navigate tech discussions? Let’s share tips. 👇
#Startups #ProductManagement #NonTechnicalFounders #Leadership #SoftwareDevelopment
goodproductmanagement.com/the-non-tech...
#Startups #ProductManagement #NonTechnicalFounders #Leadership #SoftwareDevelopment
goodproductmanagement.com/the-non-tech...
The Non-Technical Founder’s Tech Discussion Survival Guide – Good Product Management
goodproductmanagement.com
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Founders, what’s helped you navigate tech discussions? Let’s share tips. 👇
#Startups #ProductManagement #NonTechnicalFounders #Leadership #SoftwareDevelopment
goodproductmanagement.com/the-non-tech...
#Startups #ProductManagement #NonTechnicalFounders #Leadership #SoftwareDevelopment
goodproductmanagement.com/the-non-tech...
💡 Bottom line:
You don’t need to write code to lead a great product.
You do need to communicate clearly, ask good questions, and align with your dev team.
Tech is just another language—learn the basics, and you’ll be fluent in no time. 🚀
You don’t need to write code to lead a great product.
You do need to communicate clearly, ask good questions, and align with your dev team.
Tech is just another language—learn the basics, and you’ll be fluent in no time. 🚀
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
💡 Bottom line:
You don’t need to write code to lead a great product.
You do need to communicate clearly, ask good questions, and align with your dev team.
Tech is just another language—learn the basics, and you’ll be fluent in no time. 🚀
You don’t need to write code to lead a great product.
You do need to communicate clearly, ask good questions, and align with your dev team.
Tech is just another language—learn the basics, and you’ll be fluent in no time. 🚀
✅ Focus on business outcomes, not tech solutions.
😭 Bad: “Can we add a caching layer to this API?”
👍 Good: “Our response times are slow—what’s the simplest way to speed them up?”
Your job is to define the problem, not dictate the solution.
😭 Bad: “Can we add a caching layer to this API?”
👍 Good: “Our response times are slow—what’s the simplest way to speed them up?”
Your job is to define the problem, not dictate the solution.
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
✅ Focus on business outcomes, not tech solutions.
😭 Bad: “Can we add a caching layer to this API?”
👍 Good: “Our response times are slow—what’s the simplest way to speed them up?”
Your job is to define the problem, not dictate the solution.
😭 Bad: “Can we add a caching layer to this API?”
👍 Good: “Our response times are slow—what’s the simplest way to speed them up?”
Your job is to define the problem, not dictate the solution.
✅ Play with no-code tools to build intuition.
Platforms like Zapier, Webflow, or Retool let you experiment with software concepts without coding.
The more you tinker, the more things start making sense.
Platforms like Zapier, Webflow, or Retool let you experiment with software concepts without coding.
The more you tinker, the more things start making sense.
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
✅ Play with no-code tools to build intuition.
Platforms like Zapier, Webflow, or Retool let you experiment with software concepts without coding.
The more you tinker, the more things start making sense.
Platforms like Zapier, Webflow, or Retool let you experiment with software concepts without coding.
The more you tinker, the more things start making sense.
✅ Learn to skim (not write) technical docs.
You don’t need to code, but you do need to extract key insights from API docs, error logs, or system diagrams.
A little effort here will massively improve your dev discussions.
You don’t need to code, but you do need to extract key insights from API docs, error logs, or system diagrams.
A little effort here will massively improve your dev discussions.
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
✅ Learn to skim (not write) technical docs.
You don’t need to code, but you do need to extract key insights from API docs, error logs, or system diagrams.
A little effort here will massively improve your dev discussions.
You don’t need to code, but you do need to extract key insights from API docs, error logs, or system diagrams.
A little effort here will massively improve your dev discussions.
✅ Ask the right questions.
You don’t need to sound smart—you need clarity. Try:
- “What’s the simplest version of this feature we could launch first?”
- “What are the biggest risks here?”
- “If we doubled our users overnight, what would break first?”
You don’t need to sound smart—you need clarity. Try:
- “What’s the simplest version of this feature we could launch first?”
- “What are the biggest risks here?”
- “If we doubled our users overnight, what would break first?”
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
✅ Ask the right questions.
You don’t need to sound smart—you need clarity. Try:
- “What’s the simplest version of this feature we could launch first?”
- “What are the biggest risks here?”
- “If we doubled our users overnight, what would break first?”
You don’t need to sound smart—you need clarity. Try:
- “What’s the simplest version of this feature we could launch first?”
- “What are the biggest risks here?”
- “If we doubled our users overnight, what would break first?”
✅ Use analogies to make tech click.
Complicated topics? Make them relatable:
- APIs → Like a waiter taking your order to the kitchen.
- Load balancing → Adding more lanes to a highway.
- Caching → Bookmarking a page instead of searching every time.
Complicated topics? Make them relatable:
- APIs → Like a waiter taking your order to the kitchen.
- Load balancing → Adding more lanes to a highway.
- Caching → Bookmarking a page instead of searching every time.
Analogies for Common Technical Concepts – Good Product Management
goodproductmanagement.com
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
✅ Use analogies to make tech click.
Complicated topics? Make them relatable:
- APIs → Like a waiter taking your order to the kitchen.
- Load balancing → Adding more lanes to a highway.
- Caching → Bookmarking a page instead of searching every time.
Complicated topics? Make them relatable:
- APIs → Like a waiter taking your order to the kitchen.
- Load balancing → Adding more lanes to a highway.
- Caching → Bookmarking a page instead of searching every time.
✅ Build a mental model, not just a vocabulary.
Don’t just memorize jargon—understand how things fit together:
- Frontend vs. Backend (UI vs. engine)
- Databases (storing & retrieving data)
- APIs (systems talking to each other)
- Infrastructure (where everything runs)
Don’t just memorize jargon—understand how things fit together:
- Frontend vs. Backend (UI vs. engine)
- Databases (storing & retrieving data)
- APIs (systems talking to each other)
- Infrastructure (where everything runs)
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
✅ Build a mental model, not just a vocabulary.
Don’t just memorize jargon—understand how things fit together:
- Frontend vs. Backend (UI vs. engine)
- Databases (storing & retrieving data)
- APIs (systems talking to each other)
- Infrastructure (where everything runs)
Don’t just memorize jargon—understand how things fit together:
- Frontend vs. Backend (UI vs. engine)
- Databases (storing & retrieving data)
- APIs (systems talking to each other)
- Infrastructure (where everything runs)
First things first: You don’t need to know everything.
But if you can’t communicate with your developers, your product (and business) will suffer. Here’s how to bridge the gap:
But if you can’t communicate with your developers, your product (and business) will suffer. Here’s how to bridge the gap:
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
First things first: You don’t need to know everything.
But if you can’t communicate with your developers, your product (and business) will suffer. Here’s how to bridge the gap:
But if you can’t communicate with your developers, your product (and business) will suffer. Here’s how to bridge the gap:
12/ Use these checklists & heuristics to stay focused.
And if you need help defining quality for your product—reach out! 🔥
Read the full article (all the points above and more) here: goodproductmanagement.com/product-qual...
And if you need help defining quality for your product—reach out! 🔥
Read the full article (all the points above and more) here: goodproductmanagement.com/product-qual...
Product Quality for Non-Technical Founders – Good Product Management
goodproductmanagement.com
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
12/ Use these checklists & heuristics to stay focused.
And if you need help defining quality for your product—reach out! 🔥
Read the full article (all the points above and more) here: goodproductmanagement.com/product-qual...
And if you need help defining quality for your product—reach out! 🔥
Read the full article (all the points above and more) here: goodproductmanagement.com/product-qual...
11/ Final takeaway:
Voltaire said: Perfect is the enemy of good.
Your job isn’t to build a perfect product—it’s to build something valuable & reliable enough that people will pay for it and keep using it.
Voltaire said: Perfect is the enemy of good.
Your job isn’t to build a perfect product—it’s to build something valuable & reliable enough that people will pay for it and keep using it.
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
11/ Final takeaway:
Voltaire said: Perfect is the enemy of good.
Your job isn’t to build a perfect product—it’s to build something valuable & reliable enough that people will pay for it and keep using it.
Voltaire said: Perfect is the enemy of good.
Your job isn’t to build a perfect product—it’s to build something valuable & reliable enough that people will pay for it and keep using it.
10/ Measure what matters
* Is anything blocking revenue?
* Are users leaving because of quality issues?
* Are you staying ahead of security & performance risks?
* Is anything blocking revenue?
* Are users leaving because of quality issues?
* Are you staying ahead of security & performance risks?
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
10/ Measure what matters
* Is anything blocking revenue?
* Are users leaving because of quality issues?
* Are you staying ahead of security & performance risks?
* Is anything blocking revenue?
* Are users leaving because of quality issues?
* Are you staying ahead of security & performance risks?
9/ What quality issues actually matter?
You’re a founder, not a perfectionist. Focus on:
🔹 Value delivery
🔹 Keeping the business running
🔹 Scaling without breaking
You’re a founder, not a perfectionist. Focus on:
🔹 Value delivery
🔹 Keeping the business running
🔹 Scaling without breaking
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
9/ What quality issues actually matter?
You’re a founder, not a perfectionist. Focus on:
🔹 Value delivery
🔹 Keeping the business running
🔹 Scaling without breaking
You’re a founder, not a perfectionist. Focus on:
🔹 Value delivery
🔹 Keeping the business running
🔹 Scaling without breaking
8/ Different lenses for different discussions:
* UX: "Where might users get stuck?"
* Business: "Will this help us scale?"
* DevOps: "What happens if 100x users show up?"
* UX: "Where might users get stuck?"
* Business: "Will this help us scale?"
* DevOps: "What happens if 100x users show up?"
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
8/ Different lenses for different discussions:
* UX: "Where might users get stuck?"
* Business: "Will this help us scale?"
* DevOps: "What happens if 100x users show up?"
* UX: "Where might users get stuck?"
* Business: "Will this help us scale?"
* DevOps: "What happens if 100x users show up?"
7/ Talking to Developers Without Sounding Clueless
Forget "sounding smart." Ask great questions instead:
🛠 "What’s the worst thing that could happen here?"
👥 "How will a first-time user experience this?"
📈 "What metrics will show if this is working?"
Forget "sounding smart." Ask great questions instead:
🛠 "What’s the worst thing that could happen here?"
👥 "How will a first-time user experience this?"
📈 "What metrics will show if this is working?"
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
7/ Talking to Developers Without Sounding Clueless
Forget "sounding smart." Ask great questions instead:
🛠 "What’s the worst thing that could happen here?"
👥 "How will a first-time user experience this?"
📈 "What metrics will show if this is working?"
Forget "sounding smart." Ask great questions instead:
🛠 "What’s the worst thing that could happen here?"
👥 "How will a first-time user experience this?"
📈 "What metrics will show if this is working?"
6/ Other useful tools:
✅ Feature Readiness Checklist – does it meet minimum quality?
✅ Quality Debt Tracker – track risks & prioritise fixes.
✅ Release Quality Verification – test before launch.
✅ Quality Metrics Dashboard – track trends over time.
✅ Feature Readiness Checklist – does it meet minimum quality?
✅ Quality Debt Tracker – track risks & prioritise fixes.
✅ Release Quality Verification – test before launch.
✅ Quality Metrics Dashboard – track trends over time.
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
6/ Other useful tools:
✅ Feature Readiness Checklist – does it meet minimum quality?
✅ Quality Debt Tracker – track risks & prioritise fixes.
✅ Release Quality Verification – test before launch.
✅ Quality Metrics Dashboard – track trends over time.
✅ Feature Readiness Checklist – does it meet minimum quality?
✅ Quality Debt Tracker – track risks & prioritise fixes.
✅ Release Quality Verification – test before launch.
✅ Quality Metrics Dashboard – track trends over time.
5/ A simple way to assess quality 👇
Use a Quick Quality Scan (10-minute test):
1️⃣ Reliability (1-5)
2️⃣ Error frequency (1-5)
3️⃣ Speed (1-5)
4️⃣ Data accuracy (1-5)
5️⃣ UI clarity (1-5)
Total /25. If <20, fix it.
Use a Quick Quality Scan (10-minute test):
1️⃣ Reliability (1-5)
2️⃣ Error frequency (1-5)
3️⃣ Speed (1-5)
4️⃣ Data accuracy (1-5)
5️⃣ UI clarity (1-5)
Total /25. If <20, fix it.
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
5/ A simple way to assess quality 👇
Use a Quick Quality Scan (10-minute test):
1️⃣ Reliability (1-5)
2️⃣ Error frequency (1-5)
3️⃣ Speed (1-5)
4️⃣ Data accuracy (1-5)
5️⃣ UI clarity (1-5)
Total /25. If <20, fix it.
Use a Quick Quality Scan (10-minute test):
1️⃣ Reliability (1-5)
2️⃣ Error frequency (1-5)
3️⃣ Speed (1-5)
4️⃣ Data accuracy (1-5)
5️⃣ UI clarity (1-5)
Total /25. If <20, fix it.
4/ Instead of chasing perfection, think in terms of qualities:
🎯 Usability – is it a pleasure to use?
🔒 Security – is it protected from bad actors?
⚡ Performance – does it run fast enough?
🔧 Maintainability – how easy is it to fix & update?
🎯 Usability – is it a pleasure to use?
🔒 Security – is it protected from bad actors?
⚡ Performance – does it run fast enough?
🔧 Maintainability – how easy is it to fix & update?
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
4/ Instead of chasing perfection, think in terms of qualities:
🎯 Usability – is it a pleasure to use?
🔒 Security – is it protected from bad actors?
⚡ Performance – does it run fast enough?
🔧 Maintainability – how easy is it to fix & update?
🎯 Usability – is it a pleasure to use?
🔒 Security – is it protected from bad actors?
⚡ Performance – does it run fast enough?
🔧 Maintainability – how easy is it to fix & update?
3/ Quality risks differ depending on:
* Your audience
* The product type & business model
* How it’s built & delivered
* Legal & regulatory constraints
* Product maturity & constraints
* Your audience
* The product type & business model
* How it’s built & delivered
* Legal & regulatory constraints
* Product maturity & constraints
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
3/ Quality risks differ depending on:
* Your audience
* The product type & business model
* How it’s built & delivered
* Legal & regulatory constraints
* Product maturity & constraints
* Your audience
* The product type & business model
* How it’s built & delivered
* Legal & regulatory constraints
* Product maturity & constraints
2/ A simple definition:
"Quality is value to some person." - Jerry Weinberg.
Your job is to define:
✅ What value your product delivers
✅ What risks threaten that value
"Quality is value to some person." - Jerry Weinberg.
Your job is to define:
✅ What value your product delivers
✅ What risks threaten that value
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
2/ A simple definition:
"Quality is value to some person." - Jerry Weinberg.
Your job is to define:
✅ What value your product delivers
✅ What risks threaten that value
"Quality is value to some person." - Jerry Weinberg.
Your job is to define:
✅ What value your product delivers
✅ What risks threaten that value
1/ What is quality, really?
You know it when you see it, but defining it? Tricky.
Robert Pirsig (Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) spent two books philosophising about it, but we need something practical.
You know it when you see it, but defining it? Tricky.
Robert Pirsig (Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) spent two books philosophising about it, but we need something practical.
February 10, 2025 at 9:36 AM
1/ What is quality, really?
You know it when you see it, but defining it? Tricky.
Robert Pirsig (Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) spent two books philosophising about it, but we need something practical.
You know it when you see it, but defining it? Tricky.
Robert Pirsig (Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) spent two books philosophising about it, but we need something practical.