Inspired Book Summary

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Key Insights

In “Inspired” by Marty Cagan, discusses ways to create a software product that is loved by consumers, the importance of the product manager, what stumbling blocks are most common in the production of software, and the surefire ways to prevent them. 

Technology is popular and booming, but sadly, nine out of ten product releases fail. Why? Usually, it has to do with miscommunication with the product manager, or the incapability of the product manager to perform the duties outlined in the role. So, what makes a good product manager?

An efficient product manager requires a plethora of skills. They must be able to solve customer problems, which also requires a certain depth of empathy, patience, and insight to come up with a solution that benefits all parties.

Similarly, product managers must be able to communicate with a variety of different people. Along with customers, product managers engage with stakeholder groups, engineers, to executives every week. They essentially need to be “bilingual” so they can understand both the tech and business talk surrounding the product.

One of the most important jobs of a product manager is delivering a product on time that meets all the qualifications of what they promised initially. The product manager’s job is tireless, consisting of varying tasks and long workdays, so because of this, it’s important that they can properly handle their own time management by prioritizing tasks and being self-motivated to get work accomplished promptly.

One of the best places to find people who are successful candidates as product managers is in your already established company. All you have to do is ask around, without discriminating against my department. Once you find someone who has expressed interest in being a product manager or having more of a role in a certain product being developed, all you have to do is train and mentor them. 

Clearly Defined Roles Are Necessary For Success

The two foremost duties of a product manager are to assess product opportunities and determine the product that will be created to match those opportunities. In order for a product manager to actively focus on those big duties on their plate, they must have a team surrounding them with well-defined roles.

Within a product manager’s team are a few key players. The first are the user experience designers. These team members create the product’s interface with the customer in mind. These members work closely with the product manager.

Next up are the engineers. These essential team members build the product as explicated by the product manager. These team members are peers of the product manager, rather than assistants to them. The working relationship between the engineers and the product manager starts at the birth of the process. It’s valuable for the product manager to have the engineers observe the intended customers of the product.

Along with a product manager, a project manager is key to any team. The project manager’s job is to supervise the engineers as they execute the product manager’s vision. With the project manager stepping in at this stage to handle...

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