ProductManagementJournalVolume 7 15 Whateverhappensyouneedtoavoidtakingonthefull productownerrolewithoutfirstgettingyourjobdefinitionand resourcingsortedout. 2. Manage your stakeholders Developmentmaybereleasingnewversionsofthesoftware every4weeksbutmarketingwon’twanttolaunchanew producteachmonthandmostcustomerswon’twanttoreceive anddeployit. Inproductmanagementwehaveroadmapsforgood reasons.Whensellingtobusinessesthesalesprocesscantake alongtimesoit’simportanttostartdiscussionsearlyabout whenproductsorfeatureswillbecomeavailable.Another reasonisthatweoftenneedtoplaninadvancetomeetspecific launchwindowssuchastheChristmasrushoramajor industryevent.Andfinallyourorganisations,suppliersand customersallneedtobeabletoplanaheadtowork efficiently.Soasproductmanagersweliketoplanthefuture andbeincontrol....smoothreleaseswithafullsetoffeatures, deliveredontimetoanexpectantmarket. WiththeiterativeandevolutionarynatureofAgileyou mightask“HowcanImarketaproductwhenIhaveonlya limitedviewofwhatwillbeinitorwhenitwillbeavailable?” Thetrickisthecarefulmanagementofwhat’sbeing deliveredandcommunicatedtoyourorganisationand customers.Youneedtocontrolwhatisreleased,whento releaseitandwhentotalkaboutit.Settingtheright expectationsandongoingstakeholdermanagementare critical. 3. Find customers to work with ThebeautyofAgileishowchangesinproductdevelopment directioncanbeeasilyaccommodatedbyre-prioritisingthe productbacklogforthenextiteration.Ifatallpossibleyou shouldbesettingupanearly-adopterprogrammetorecruit customerswhoarekeentogettheirhandsonnewfeatures in returnforprovidingfeedback. CHECKLIST “Shouldyouassumethe productownerroleasa productmanager?It’sa greatquestion.Although asaproductmanageryou oftenhavetheknowledge, experienceandleadership skills–youprobablydon’t havethetime!Howeverthe alternativecanbesomeone toojunior(whoneedslotsof hand-holding),orsomeone fromDevelopmentwhohas littleunderstandingofyour customersandanundoubted conflictofinterest.” Derek Britton, Independent Product Management professional and Agile commentator “Agilegivesproductmanagers greatopportunitiestooffer early-adopterversions tocustomersandget good,instantfeedback –prototypinganduser validationhelpmakegreat products.” Derek Britton