American Express - Associate Product Manager Flashcards
Tell me about a time when you developed and launched new features and capabilities for mobile apps in partnership with Engineering and Design teams.
- Hackathon (logout script and lightbox, to do view - expand/collapse, adding/removing columns, pop up for task summary)
- SkyNet (spread tasks, project report, teamphoria stars)
- iPrefer
Tell me about a time when you provided input into the mobile product strategy and execution of the mobile product roadmap.
- General roadmap management (anticipating issues, aligning priorities, suggesting solutions)
- Product strategy -
Tell me about a time when you participated in creative development process by balancing an understanding of platform limitations while proactively spotting opportunities to ensure our app remains a market-leading product.
SkyNet - spread tasks?
Tell me about a time when you fed and maintained a product backlog that ensures our Engineering partners have information and detail to interpret user stories, key objectives, and success criteria.
- SkyNet
- Traffic management and Project Management - goal, source, details
Tell me about a time when you ensured product documentation for your feature set was kept up to date.
- SkyNet Process wiki
- Project development process
Tell me about a time when you supported the measurement of effectiveness and definition of success for different product features.
PM and Dev teams KPIs
Tell me about yourself.
I’m a digital project and operations professional who thrives in servant leader positions. I love bettering products and processes to serve customers. I had an opportunity in one of my previous roles to product manage an internal company tool and really enjoyed the process, so this role is a step in the direction of that move for my career. In terms of my experience, I started out as a web developer at a non-profit, then moved onto a travel technology company where I held a few roles on web development teams in traffic management, QA, process improvement, and business operations.
What is your greatest strength?
I think my greatest strength is organization. For example, one of the last projects I executed for my last role was transferring the custom web development work of 16 customers to an outside agency. I needed to be organized with each customer and where they were at in the process, as well as provide all information and files to the agency for on-time completion. I stayed organized through spreadsheets, email, a task list for the development team, and weekly meetings with the development manager and the agency. Being organized was crucial in keeping the momentum going on the project as the longer the work stayed with us, the more it cost us. I was able to transfer 80% of these customers in 8 months.
What is your greatest weakness or a development opportunity for you?
Because I am so thorough and organized and detail-oriented, I don’t tend to take a lot of risks. However, I am learning to ask for forgiveness more than for permission.
Why should we hire you?
- I have a broad range of experience and skills that support the job functions. Particularly - working with engineering and design teams, managing a backlog, documentation, working on teams that are developing new features and capabilities, and an interest in user experience.
- I am eager to expand my skills.
- Your values align with my own.
- —- Values:
- We back our customers.
- We make it great.
- We do what’s right.
- We respect people.
- We embrace diversity.
- We stand for inclusion.
Why should we hire you?
- I have a broad range of experience and skills that support the job functions. Particularly - working with engineering and design teams, managing a backlog, documentation, working on teams that are developing new features and capabilities, and an interest in user experience.
- I am eager to expand my skills.
- Your values align with my own.
—- Values:
We back our customers.
We make it great.
We do what’s right.
We respect people.
We embrace diversity.
We stand for inclusion.
Why do you want to work here?
Three reasons: 1) American Express is a ubiquitous brand whose mobile product has a ton of reach. 2) This role is the direction I’d like to move in for my career. 3) It’s also clear that you care about your employees and how the company works together. I want to be part of a company that cares.
Why do you want to leave your current role?
I’m currently in a contract role which was more of a lateral move. I’m really looking for a full time role focused in the direction I’d like my career to head which is product management.
Describe the most challenging project.
I was brought into a project a few months after it had started as a QA person, but also to help the project architect. I remember working 16 hours one weekend because the development team had missed their deadline and we needed to deliver work to the client. After that weekend, I was able to hire a group of freelance QA folks and anticipated the QA needs ahead of time to schedule QA time on the freelancers for days and hours that I couldn’t make.
Tell me about something you’ve accomplished that you are proud of.
- I’m proud of being basically a product manager for our in-house proprietary tasking tool.
- —- I only got an allotment of 10 hours/month on the development team, but always found more time where it wasn’t being used and used it to make improvements and fix bugs. I addressed staff needs and wants to make the tool work better for them.
- —- I also sent a ‘release notes’ email every month outlining what changed in a fun and engaging way.
- Created quality assurance strategy for our custom website builds.
- —- Basically shift left and involved other teams in the QA (design, PM).
- —- It saved us a lot of scrambling at the end of the project and also allowed us to deliver a better project.
- My first ‘client’/real project management project.
- —- Delivered early. Rush fee revenue.
