SreeVidya Madhuvarsu

Kicking Off 2025 with Big Goals and Bold Moves in Product Management! As we step into 2025, it's clear that the product management landscape is evolving faster than ever. AI, automation, and data-driven decision-making are no longer optional—they're the core of competitive strategies. This year, I’m focusing on: 1️⃣ Customer-Centric Innovation: Diving deeper into understanding customer pain points and leveraging insights to deliver truly impactful solutions. 2️⃣ AI-Powered Efficiency: Exploring how generative AI and predictive analytics can streamline workflows and enhance decision-making. 3️⃣ Sustainability in Products: Prioritizing eco-conscious practices in product development to align with global sustainability goals. 4️⃣ Stronger Collaboration: Building cross-functional partnerships to ensure seamless execution and alignment with business objectives. I’m excited about the opportunities to embrace the latest trends and make a meaningful impact in 2025. Let’s innovate, collaborate, and grow together. What are your big goals or trends you’re focusing on this year? Let’s connect and share ideas! #NewYearGoals #ProductManagement #Innovation #Trends2025

35

5 Comments

Navigating the product leadership job market can feel daunting, especially for introverts. Many of us are naturally inclined toward thoughtful analysis and deep focus, yet these qualities can be powerful assets in leadership roles—if leveraged strategically. Here are a few ways introverts can stand out in the product leadership landscape: 1. Highlight Your Listening Skills Introverts are often exceptional listeners, which is invaluable in product leadership. Effective product leaders don’t just talk; they listen to users, stakeholders, and their teams. Use this skill to your advantage by showcasing how you gather insights and shape product direction based on listening and understanding different perspectives. 2. Leverage Written Communication While extroverts may thrive in impromptu conversations, introverts often excel in written communication. Make the most of this by writing clear, concise, and impactful summaries of your past projects or product strategies. A well-crafted product strategy document or an insightful blog post can showcase your strategic thinking and attention to detail without requiring you to be “on” all the time. 3. Focus on Building Deep Connections Networking as an introvert doesn’t have to mean attending every event or engaging in small talk. Focus instead on building a few deep, meaningful connections with people whose perspectives you value. A smaller, trusted network can often be more effective than a large one, and having strong advocates who know your work well can open doors and provide guidance. 4. Use Analytical Skills to Your Advantage Introverts often excel at analyzing data, identifying patterns, and making informed decisions—all of which are crucial in product leadership. During interviews or in your resume, emphasize how your analytical approach has contributed to successful product decisions and strategies. Showcasing how you lead with data and insight can set you apart as a thoughtful and strategic leader. 5. Prepare for Public Speaking in Your Own Way Public speaking is often a part of product leadership, but as an introvert, preparation is your ally. If speaking to a large group feels daunting, practice one-on-one or in small groups first. When the time comes, you’ll find yourself more comfortable and better prepared to share your vision confidently. Being an introvert in product leadership doesn’t mean you need to change who you are—it means embracing your unique strengths. Listening, thoughtful analysis, deep connections, and effective communication are all qualities that can help you thrive as a product leader in today’s job market. #ProductLeadership #IntrovertStrengths #CareerGrowth #ProductManagement #Leadership

44

4 Comments

Salesforce is notching wins in its bid to provide CRM software to healthcare orgs but faces a formidable foe with a homefield advantage—Epic. Salesforce has been targeting the industry since 2015 and is building a suite of AI-enabled products incl tools that can help providers verify benefits, book follow-up appointments, & help patients find a provider. Meanwhile, Epic's CRM product rolled out 2 yrs ago, Cheers, is winning business from systems already connected to its market share-leading EHR product. ~50% of Epic's EHR customers use it's contact mgmt tool and ~25% use a product designed to make it easier to build marketing campaigns. Provider systems increasingly use CRM products to enhance patient experiences with more intelligent call centers, build specialized marketing campaigns based on EHR-identified characteristics, & use less manpower to fight denied claims. Here is how 3 providers are approaching their CRM programs. In March 2023, Northwell Health saw an opportunity to completely change how its EHR, CRM & data infrastructure operated. Northwell chose Epic's EHR system, Salesforce's CRM product & Google Cloud for its data infrastructure. When the health system implements the 1st phase of its new EHR in April, the Salesforce & Epic products will be integrated. Epic pushed Northwell to use Cheers and it would have been cheaper but execs declined. The system was spending $1.2B to implement both Epic & Salesforce. The combo is meant create a better user experience. Building deeper integrations b/w EHRs & 3rd-party CRM companies can be difficult and costly (particularly when protecting PHI is a priority). Northwell spent time trying to determine how it could get the 2 products to work together in a more meaningful way. Protecting PHI was a priority. Nebraska Medicine began using Salesforce to improve patient experiences in 2019, before Epic introduced Cheers. e.g., The health system sought to mimic the way retailers & airlines interact with customers. The CRM is able to pull limited info from its Epic EHR and use it to target emails to particular groups of patients. E.g., an email about preventative lung screenings might be sent to people with a history of smoking. The health system's nonclinical FTEs don't have access to PHI in the EHR: Tampa General Hospital issued an RFP for a new CRM in Aug 2023 and went live with Epic Cheers in Sept. It already uses Epic's EHR and was focused on finding a vendor to improve patient care coord. The system considered Salesforce but found Epic delivered similar functionality at a lower cost + had a faster deployment time and was more closely integrated into existing workflows. The integration creates a more customer-friendly experience. Customer service representatives speaking with patients are able to route info to the proper clinical team. The system does not charge for the interactions & said it planned to turn on other features in Epic's CRM by the end of 2025.

7

One of the most important lessons I learned early in my career (in manufacturing setup) was the value of execution. However, it took me longer to appreciate the power of execution in my product journey. In the world of product management, strategy is often held in higher regard, while execution tends to be overshadowed by grand visions and long-term plans. Over the years, I have come to realize that one of the most essential yet underrated skills of a product manager is execution—getting things done. This ability becomes particularly crucial for early-stage companies building 0>1 products, that are still striving to find Product-Market Fit (PMF) or around that stage of the evolution curve. The first product manager they truly need is someone who can execute, jump into any task, and get their hands dirty. In these companies, strategy and vision are typically set by the founder, which is as it should be. However, what is missing is someone who can transform that vision into a tangible product in record time. At this early stage, they don’t necessarily need a product leader or a visionary who creates elaborate product strategy documents (founder is doing that stuff); they need someone who can bring teams together and act as the glue that unites marketing, customer service, sales, founders, design, and technology. This person acts as the coalescing agent, ensuring all teams work in the same direction. Many companies fail not because of a flawed strategy but because of poor execution. Even simple stuff that could be completed in weeks often end up taking months, causing multiple downstream issues. More often than not, execution problems are overlooked, and blame is placed on the product or strategy itself. What truly amuses me is that people know this; it just seems too obvious at times to be paid any attention. You can find more on this and 0 to 1 products on my newsletter https://lnkd.in/gsJFPRQm More on this post - https://lnkd.in/g6dp3jYW #ProductManagement #0to1products #Product

21

A short but powerful thought for today: Best lesson from today’s class of Product leadership is “Best battles are the ones which are never fought”. #ProductLeadership #Productmanagement #InstituteofProductLeadership #Conflictmanagement #strategy

9

2 Comments

Love this from Vikrama Dhiman, a mantra for product managers:   👉 Raise difficult issues without being difficult to work with 👉 Bring out important topics without drawing importance to yourself 👉 You are in charge of getting the decisions made and not making all the decisions yourself Full podcast here https://lnkd.in/eruhWrPF

24

1 Comment

The Critical Role of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) in Product Success 🎯 Why UAT is a Non-Negotiable Step in the Product Lifecycle The dreadful race to launch products is something that a lot of product lifecycle practitioners are familiar with, it’s very tempting to focus on development speed and feature richness, but the hard truth exists that even the most technically sound product can fail if it doesn’t meet user expectations. This is where User Acceptance Testing (UAT) plays an important role. It is a vital phase that bridges the gap between a working product and a successful one. UAT isn’t just about finding bugs as most would assume it to be; it’s about validating the product’s value and realigns with the goals it was designed to achieve. Best Practices for effective User Acceptance Testing (UAT) 1. Start Early: Incorporate UAT planning into the early stages of product development. Define test cases, criteria, and success metrics alongside your requirements gathering. 2. Involve the Right Users: Choose testers who represent your actual end-user base. Their feedback will be more accurate and relevant to real-world usage. 3. Create Clear Test Scenarios: Develop test cases that reflect real-life scenarios your users will encounter. Cover common tasks, edge cases, and potential pain points. 4. Provide Proper Training: Ensure testers understand the product’s context and objectives. This equips them to provide meaningful feedback rather than reporting issues that stem from misunderstandings. 5. Document Feedback Thoroughly: Capture all observations, even those that seem minor. Small usability tweaks can make a significant impact on user satisfaction. 6. Iterate and Retest: Address the feedback promptly and conduct retests to validate improvements. UAT is an iterative process aimed at achieving product perfection. 🖼️ The Bigger Picture: UAT as a Strategic Tool Beyond its functional importance, UAT is a strategic asset that mirrors a product’s commitment to user-centricity. It opens a direct dialogue between the product team and its end-users, making sure the product not only works but thrives in the hands of its audience. Skipping or underestimating UAT is like skipping a final quality checking, you may save time, but you’re putting the entire project at risk. In the world of products, UAT is the assurance that you’re delivering not just what was built but what was truly needed. How do you approach UAT in your projects? #UserAcceptanceTesting #ProductManagement #UAT #UserExperience

2

A well-crafted Product Requirements Document (PRD) will help any successful product process. It is a blueprint that aligns teams, sets expectations and ensures the product is delivered as expected, or even better. So, what makes a good PRD? 1. Clarity The best PRDs avoid ambiguity. Too much jargon can confuse stakeholders and slow down progress. A PRD should provide just enough detail to guide the team while avoiding unnecessary complexity. 2. Well-Defined Objectives What problem does the product solve? Who are the target users? The objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART Goals). 3. Detailed Requirements Functional requirements describe what the product should do. The PRD should clearly state all features, user flows, interactions and UI expectations to prevent misunderstandings between designers, developers and product managers down the road. 4. User-Centered Approach A great PRD should not just describe what the product will do. It should focus on how it will meet the needs of the users. Include user personas, user stories and use cases to ensure the product is designed with the end-user in mind. 5. Prioritized Features Not all features are created equal. A good PRD will prioritize the features based on their importance to the user and business goals. This helps teams focus on delivering the most needed features first, rather than trying to do everything at once. 6. Acceptance Criteria Every feature in the PRD should have clear acceptance criteria, so everyone understands what done looks like. These criteria set the standards for quality. #ProductManagement #PRD #ProductDevelopment #TechLeadership #ProductStrategy #Agile #ProductDesign #UserCentric #Collaboration #Innovation #StartupSuccess

5

1 Comment

The product lifecycle is like a Bollywood movie: Starts with a bang, full of drama in the middle (bugs!), and ends with everyone wondering if there will be a sequel (new version) or if it's just a one-hit wonder. #productmanagerlife #productmanagement #productmanager #agile #productowner #officehumor #worklifebalance #softwareengineeringhumor #uxhumor #customercentric #productlifecycle #productlaunch #bugs #productdevelopment #newversion #bollywood #softwareengineeringhumor #productmanagerlife

2

Leadership doesn't necessarily means people management. It simply means to lead the group to a specific goal. Product Managers aren't necessarily people managers. They can be individual contributors but still leading the product team towards the business or product goal. Agree 👍 / Disagree 👎 ? #productmanagement #productmanager #aspiringproductmanagers #leadership ~~ If you found this post helpful, repost ♻️ this and follow me 👉 Nitish Rana for daily content at 𝟭𝟭 𝗔𝗠 & 𝟱:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗜𝗦𝗧. You should also subscribe to my Newsletter 👉 The Product Leap if you are deciding to move into product role or have just moved.

16

10 Comments

Leadership doesn't necessarily means people management. It simply means to lead the group to a specific goal. Product Managers aren't necessarily people managers. They can be individual contributors but still leading the product team towards the business or product goal. Agree 👍 / Disagree 👎 ? #productmanagement #productmanager #aspiringproductmanagers #leadership ~~ If you found this post helpful, repost ♻️ this and follow me 👉 Nitish Rana for daily content at 𝟭𝟭 𝗔𝗠 & 𝟱:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗜𝗦𝗧. You should also subscribe to my Newsletter 👉 The Product Leap if you are deciding to move into product role or have just moved.

15

6 Comments

Most product managers get trapped in the distraction of building shiny new features as the only remedy for product problems. Building new features is a necessity for new use cases but driving product adoption for existing features can very well move the needle for overall product. Here is how to improve adoption of your existing features for better ROI on your product investments: Let’s first understand reasons for poor adoption: ↳ Awareness Issues: User does not even know the feature exists or feature is not top of mind among alternatives. ↳ Value Gaps: The feature is not solving the problem well and hence users don't want to use it. ↳ High friction in usage: Difficulty in using the feature either due to high friction in usage flow or complexity in activation. ↳ Discovery issue: Users don't know where the feature is, hence can't use it despite having intent. Now let's move to how you can identify the adoption challenges: ↳ Bug reports: To uncover where the feature is failing and creating value leakage. ↳ User surveys: To uncover discovery, awareness issues in a low touch manner.  ↳ Funnel analysis for feature’s user flow: To uncover friction and value issues. ↳ Cohort analysis for diff user segments: To understand value realisation challenges for different user segments. ↳ Customer Interviews: To go deep and understand details about all 4 potential reasons for poor adoption. Once you know the challenges you can solve: ↳ Awareness Issues through in app notifications, emails , whatsapp notifications or broader marketing efforts. ↳ Value gaps through first narrowing the focus on fewer user segments to solve the problem really well, then scaling the feature to broader audience. ↳ High friction gaps through reducing the steps needed to go through key user actions, reducing cognitive load via feature simplification and user education for activation. ↳ Discovery challenges through simplifying the interface and giving better/prominent visibility to the feature in product. Recommended order to solve adoption problem: For existing features, it is recommended to solve adoption challenges in the order: Awareness > Discovery> Value> Friction. You should follow this order as in case customers are not even aware of the feature(discovery and awareness) they will not use it and you will not learn about value and friction gaps. Let me know in comments what has worked for your team in the past to solve adoption challenges in your product. #productmangement #productadoption

22

4 Comments

I share this perspective.

2

Product managers face many roadblocks. Good News:  A leadership mindset can help. Here’s how to overcome them. ☑ Resistance to Change Actions to Overcome: - Identify key influencers. Address their concerns directly. - Show value through quick wins. Start with a pilot project. - Share success stories from other organizations. ☑ Myth: Product Management speeds up Development Actions to Overcome: - Communicate that it’s about understanding customer needs. - Use data to show the cost of building the wrong things. ☑ Lack of Resources and Investment Actions to Overcome: - Build a compelling business case.  - Use data to show benefits. - Start small. Use existing resources. - Partner with other departments. ☑ Skill and Knowledge Gaps Actions to Overcome: - Conduct a skills assessment.  - Prioritize training. - Create a comprehensive onboarding program. Address these roadblocks with a leadership mindset. Drive the adoption of best practices. Transform your product management. ♻️ Repost this and transform how you build products ✉ DM me: If you are a Linkedin creator in Singapore/ANZ. I am building a community of like minded folks.

19

6 Comments

Why Your Product Team Needs Product Operations? As a product manager, you're juggling a lot - analyzing data, prioritizing roadmaps, engaging customers, aligning stakeholders. It's an immense workload for any individual. This is where product operations can provide much-needed support. Product ops is all about giving your product team the structure, processes, and insights to operate effectively. It equips you with the tools and capabilities to make better-informed decisions that drive value for your customers and business. The core focus areas for product ops include: ♦️Business & Data Analytics for smart prioritization ♦️Customer & Market Insights to build the right solutions ♦️Streamlined Processes for efficient execution These pillars enable product teams to scale and navigate growth challenges. With product ops, you gain transparency into what's working well and areas for improvement, allowing for agile adjustments. However, implementing an effective product ops function is an iterative journey. It requires ongoing effort to listen, adapt, and continuously enhance based on your organization's evolving needs. Whether you're brand new to product ops or want to optimize what you already have, we've got a game plan for you: 1. Standing Up: You want to add product operations at your company, starting from scratch. 2. Evolving: You’ve started product operations already, and the function exists in some form at your company today. To get product operations off the ground, you'll first want to find allies across the company who see its potential value. Don't try to do too much at once. Instead, start small with a pilot project that can deliver some quick wins. As people see the positive results firsthand, it will build support. Those early achievements are just the start. With that good initial momentum, you can then grow and improve your product operations over time to fully meet your team's needs. The possibilities to increase efficiency and make better decisions will keep expanding from there. Why do you believe your product team could benefit from product operations? We'd love to hear your insights in the comments below! Explore the ins and outs of product operations and its impact on business success. Dive into these key concepts in my new book, "Product Operations," co-authored by Denise Tilles. Find it here: https://a.co/d/8biyITB Getting started with Product Operations? You can learn more in our workshop on June 5th: https://lnkd.in/e67ZiC-W #ProductOps #ProductManagement #BusinessSuccess #Efficiency #DataAnalytics

286

13 Comments

Struggling with your product strategy or need guidance on career growth in product management? You’re in luck! Join me on the Dear Melissa segment of my podcast, where I’ll be diving into YOUR toughest questions and providing expert advice to help you navigate the world of #productmanagement. From strategic planning to career advancement, no question is too big or small. Submit your questions at DearMelissa.com for a chance to be featured in the next episode! (P.S. Got an urgent query? Send me a voicemail and get a faster response!) #CareerGrowth #StrategicPlanning #ProductThinking #DearMelissa

29

The Art of Prioritization in Product Management In product management, effective prioritization is crucial. Early in my career, I learned that not every feature request deserves equal attention. By focusing on high-impact features, we were able to deliver a product that not only met user needs but also exceeded market expectations. A strategic approach to prioritization is key to driving product success and ensuring that resources are used effectively. #ProductManagement #Prioritization #Strategy #Leadership

41

3 Comments

Choosing the right pricing strategy can make or break a SaaS product. Types of pricing models every Product Manager should know: Freemium: ---> Offer basic features for free, with premium paid tiers. ---> Perfect for driving user acquisition and building product-led growth. ---> Example: Zoom, Spotify Flat-Rate Pricing: ---> One fixed price for all users, regardless of usage. ---> Simple to communicate, but lacks flexibility. ---> Example: Basecamp Usage-Based Pricing: ---> Pay-per-use or consumption-based pricing. ---> Scales with customer needs and ensures fair pricing. ---> Example: AWS Tiered Pricing: ---> Multiple pricing levels based on features or usage. ---> Ideal for catering to different customer segments. ---> Example: HubSpot Per-User Pricing: ---> Charges based on the number of users. ---> Common in B2B SaaS, it scales as teams grow. ---> Example: Slack Per-Feature Pricing ---> Customers pay for only the features they need. ---> Offers flexibility and customization. ---> Example: Airtable Hybrid Pricing: ---> Combines multiple models (e.g., Freemium + Per-User). ---> Provides greater flexibility and tailored pricing. ---> Example: Salesforce Choosing the right model is crucial for both customer satisfaction and business growth. #SaaS #productmanagement #hiring #pricingstrategy

4