digital development Flashcards
product management
Product management is an organizational function that guides every step of a product’s lifecycle— from development to positioning and pricing — by focusing on the product and its customers first and foremost.
product manager
A product manager is the person who identifies the customer need and the larger business objectives that a product or feature will fulfill, articulates what success looks like for a product, and rallies a team to turn that vision into a reality. To build the best possible product, product managers advocate for customers within the organization and make sure the voice of the market is heard.
program management
Program management is the process of managing programs mapped to business objectives that improve organizational performance.
program manager
Program managers oversee and coordinate the various projects and other strategic initiatives throughout an organization.
give me 5 hard skills
Programming languages such as C++, Java, and Python
Data analysis and visualization tools such as R and Excel
Web development skills such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Network and information security
Project management and agile methodologies.
- Analytical skills – Data & research
- Technical skills/understanding
- UX skills/understanding
give me soft skills
- Emotional Intelligence – Empathy
- Self-awareness – Bias & Assumptions
- Communication & relationship building
- Influencing without authority
- Storytelling
explain the RICE Framework
The RICE framework is a prioritization method used to evaluate and prioritize initiatives, features, or projects based on their potential impact, feasibility, and effort required. It is often used in product development and project management to help organizations determine which initiatives will have the most impact and can be completed within the available resources.
RICE stands for:
Reach: The size of the audience or customer base that will be impacted by the initiative.
Impact: The potential impact that the initiative will have on the audience or customer base, including financial, operational, or strategic impact.
Confidence: The level of confidence that the initiative can be completed within the available resources and constraints.
Effort: The level of effort required to complete the initiative, including time, resources, and budget.
explain the impact/effort matrix
High Impact/Low Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a significant impact and can be completed with minimal effort. These are the initiatives that should be given the highest priority.
High Impact/High Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a significant impact but will require a significant amount of effort to complete. These initiatives should be given a high priority but should be carefully evaluated to ensure that the effort required is justified by the potential impact.
Low Impact/Low Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a minimal impact and can be completed with minimal effort. These initiatives should be given a lower priority and should be considered only after the highest priority initiatives have been completed.
Low Impact/High Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a minimal impact and will require a significant amount of effort to complete. These initiatives should be given the lowest priority and should be carefully evaluated to ensure that the effort required is justified by the potential impact.
explain the rcve matrix
risk-Value-Cost-Effort
High Return/High Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a high potential ROI but will require a significant amount of effort and resources to complete. These initiatives should be given a high priority but should be carefully evaluated to ensure that the effort required is justified by the potential ROI.
High Return/Low Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a high potential ROI and can be completed with minimal effort. These are the initiatives that should be given the highest priority.
Low Return/Low Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a low potential ROI and can be completed with minimal effort. These initiatives should be given a lower priority and should be considered only after the highest priority initiatives have been completed.
Low Return/High Effort: This quadrant represents initiatives or projects that will have a low potential ROI and will require a significant amount of effort to complete. These initiatives should be given the lowest priority and should be carefully evaluated to ensure that the effort required is justified by the potential ROI.
how do you quantify an issue?
- Back of the napkin mathematics; working with ambiguity + making assumptions
- List out what you know & what you don’t know
- What you don’t know –> create assumptions
- Write down a formula (with words)
How to go from a problem to a solution
- Research phase (Read documentation, Talk to users,Look at support tickets,Look at analytics,Read articles)
- Synthesize
i) Find patterns
ii) Cluster topics
iii) Structure
iv) Organize
v) Document,Visualize in a flowchart - Ideation or brainstorming phase (Brainstorm
Draw / flowchart ,Experiment) - Creation phase (Design ,Prototype,Code ,Build)
how do you define a problem
Grey area how defined a problem should be defined
A broad problem limits structure & handlebars
A narrow problem limits creativity
Explore 5 W’s: Who, why, what, when, where
1 sentence
* Helps you find more useful solutions by providing a clear & inspiring aim
* SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely
explain the double diamond of design thinking
The Double Diamond consists of four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
Discover: This phase is all about understanding the problem and the context in which it exists. It involves researching and gathering information to gain a deep understanding of the users, their needs, and the environment in which the problem occurs. It is an open-ended, divergent phase where the team is encouraged to explore multiple possibilities and generate a wide range of ideas.
Define: Once the problem and context have been understood, the team can begin to define the problem more clearly and identify specific opportunities to address. This phase is more convergent, where the team narrows down the scope of the problem and refines the ideas generated in the Discover phase.
Develop: In this phase, the team begins to develop solutions to the problem. This is where the team generates concepts, prototypes, and models of the proposed solutions. The team iterates and tests these solutions with users to validate their effectiveness and identify any necessary improvements.
Deliver: This is the final phase of the process, where the team implements the final solution and delivers it to the users. This may involve launching a product or service, or rolling out a new process or experience. The team continues to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of the solution, and make any necessary adjustments based on feedback.
what are the 3 different research goals ?
1) Exploratory: Exploring information
2) Descriptive: Describing something
3) Explanatory: Finding causation
what are the different research types?
Quantitative: getting as much data -> Seeing Trends
Qualitative: getting as much info ->. Understanding
explain the research process
objective - what do we need to do?
hypotheses - what is our assumption?
methods- what are the methods to use?
conduct- start your UX research
synthesis - organize and analyze results
which research methods are there?
- DESK RESEARCH
= “Secondary” research: gathering information on what other have already researched or done. Documentation! - USER RESEARCH
= Understanding why by asking information
Determine target audience
Users or potential users or haters
Internal stakeholders
Competitors
Structured vs unstructured
Different types
1:1 interviews
Focus groups
Survey - DATA RESEARCH
=Understanding what/how by observing natural behavior
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DATA RESEARCH
Goal = Understanding what/how by observing natural behavior - Looking into data analytics
- A/B-testing & experimentation
explain sales &support analysis, usertesting and
SALES & SUPPORT ANALYSIS
Look into data when
* Looking into data analytics
* A/B-testing & experimentation
USERTESTING
= Understanding how users use a product/tool by observing them while they do so
In a later stage of development, when you are exploring ideas using
* Prototype
* Existing product
how do you create a plan for research
CREATING A PLAN
Needs to include:
Why? Goals & Things you want to learn
Who? Participants
How? Methods
When? Period
What? Logistics
Content (Survey questions/research script)
Communication (Invitations)
explain synthesis
=create understandable, workable conclusions that will inform
* Your Knowledge
* Your Strategy (roadmap, vision..)
* Your Tactics (solutions, next steps
* Your Designs
* Your Stakeholders
How:
Go back to your goals!
Provide answers to the questions
Find patterns & cluster
Count notes
Skill that requires a lot of practice
how do you map a user journey?
Map out ideas chronologically from an users perspective throughout their journey to perform a task
Map out ideas from a user’s perspective
Mapping chronologically (User Journey Mapping) helps you investigate a goal and see it in a wider context (gathering requirements ≠ mapping a journey)
Often more complex situation: you’re planning an update to a product that involves various audiences and many stakeholders
explain how might we’s
The process of creating “How might we” statements is typically done as part of the “Define” phase of the design thinking process, where the team is working to narrow down the scope of the problem and identify specific opportunities to address.
For example, if the problem statement is “Our company’s website is not user-friendly,” a possible “How might we” statement would be “How might we make our website more user-friendly for our customers?”
explain the difference between user journey map vs flowchart
USER JOURNEY MAP
* Tells a story of how a persona interacts with a product
* Chronologically map out the User Experience across different channels
* Not solely focus on individual states and elements that trigger those states → focus on the experience (feelings, thoughts, etc.)
FLOWCHART
* Flow = movement (navigate)
* Series of steps
* ‘Happy path’ + alternative paths
* Visualisation tool to evaluate (existing) interfaces → pinpoint assumptions, problem areas (friction), touch points with users’ goal in mind
why is brainstorming effective?
Faster than exchanging messages (no distractions, emailing, …)
Great for team alignment (break the silos, align perspective)
Facilitation keeps participants on topic (e.g. avoiding CEO dominating the meeting & keep everyone involved)
Diversity matters (e.g. personal backgrounds, age, experiences, roles, hobbies, …)
Collectively finding the best solution (expertise stakeholders, discussing rationale why’s, etc.)
why should you involve stakeholders when brainstorming
expertise, invested in products’ succes, more know-how on internal procedures
* Diversity matters (e.g. personal backgrounds, age, experiences, roles, hobbies, …)
* Ask the client for participants
* Keep everyone involved (ask people who are less vocal about their opinion, change the order people get to present their ideas, voting, letting them work individually/in group, …)
brainstorming vs ideation
BRAINSTORMING
Technique to generate new ideas
IDEATION
Generate new ideas intended to:
Solving problems
Innovation
Combined ideation
The main difference between the two is that brainstorming is more focused on generating a large number of ideas quickly, while ideation is more focused on developing and refining a smaller number of ideas over time.
explain voting
Voting is a process of selecting a specific idea or solution from a group of options. It can be used to prioritize and select the most promising ideas generated during ideation.
Narrowing ideas → Dot Voting
HOW TO VOTE
(1) Audit the options (group similar-sounding ones & keep options low)
(2) Explain what the next step/outcome will be
(3) Amount of votes per person (rule of thumb = 25% of all options)
(4) Explain voting criteria/goal (e.g. feasibility, ownership, short/long term win …)
(5) First think, then vote (prevent biased voting)
explain the raci framework
The RACI framework is a tool used to define and clarify roles and responsibilities within a project or organization. It stands for:
Responsible: The person or team who is responsible for completing a specific task or deliverable. They are accountable for the outcome and are expected to do the work.
Accountable: The person or team who is ultimately accountable for the success of the task or deliverable. They are the decision maker and have the final say on the outcome.
Consulted: The person or team who is consulted for input or advice on the task or deliverable. They are not responsible for the outcome, but their input is important.
Informed: The person or team who needs to be informed about the task or deliverable. They are not responsible for the outcome, but they need to know what is happening.
what is a risk analysis
- Foresee risks in your project
- Create plan how to remediate them if they were to happen
- Communicate to your stakeholders
what is managing up
= The art of building a better relationship with your manager in order to influence decision-making
* Most important soft skill in complex environments
* Overcommunication > under communication
* Be prepared
* Be brief & concise
* Ask for what you need
For example:
Keeping your boss on schedule
Bringing new information into the decision-making process
Suggesting innovative solutions to longstanding challenges
how do you measure succes
product metrics - determine product metrics to measure against your goals (KPI’s (PM)
taxonomy design - design the taxonomy needed to track your metrics (Event & attribute
definition (PM) )
instrumentation - instru ment your taxonomy (Implementation /engineering)
explain taxonomy design
measuring tools need
* User with attributes
* performs an event (=action) with attributes
You define taxonomy after design is finished & you understand the full
user flow (and thus screens that will exist)
KPI = Increase time listened to local music (versus non-local)
* User = Elisa
* Email: XXX@hotmail.com
* Country: Belgium
* Region: Ghent
- Event = Plays a song
- Artist: Lady Gaga
- Song: Paparazzi
- Artist region: USA
- Duration: 00:20sec
explain instrumentation
“measure of a product’s performance”
* Concrete measuring through tools
* Tools
* Mixpanel
* Amplitude
* Hotjar
* Google Analytics (not as detailed)
what is release management
= The process of managing, planning, scheduling and controlling a software build through different stages and environments
“Launching software features or full products & what is needed to do so”
More important with agile way of working; continuous development & releases
what are different software releases
Alpha-release
* All features are added, but it’s not thoroughly tested
* Code/system testing
- Beta-release
- Buggy, but available to external testers
- Functionality testing
- Early access
- Open
- Closed
- General availability
- Stable
- Available & marketed to all
what are unsuccessful releases
TECHNICAL
Crashes & bugs
Data loss
Not able to handle the volume (server issues)
OPERATIONALLY
Support not up to date
CUSTOMER
UX/UI - Not understanding functionality
Commuhication - Not knowing about the new/changed functionality
GUIDELINES
* Never release right before a weekend
* Dare to postpone
* Overcommunicate internally
what is quality assurance
Term used in both manufacturing and service industries to describe the systematic efforts taken to ensure that the product(s) delivered to customer(s) meet with the contractual and other agreed upon performance, design, reliability, and maintainability expectations of that customer
quality control vs quality assurance
Quality Control is the process of inspecting and evaluating products or services to ensure they meet specific quality standards, while Quality Assurance is the overall process of ensuring that a product or service is of the required level of quality, including the planning, implementation, assessment, and reporting of quality-related activities. In short, QC focuses on detecting defects and preventing them from getting to the customer, while QA focuses on ensuring that the product or service meets the required level of quality before it gets to the customer.
both : (International) Standards possible; ISO-norms
* Contractual obligations (SLA’s for instance uptime)
how to perform quality control ?
Know your product/feature & take documentation & Write testscripts (test case / steps / expected result)
documentation= Any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use
FOR SOFTWARE:
* Requirements/ scope of work
* Usertesting & research
* Software design and functional specification * System design and functional specifications
SEVERAL TOOLS:
Google Docs / Notion; JIRA (Confluence); Gitbook
