Hyperact

Our recent work with thinkmoney has been recognised at this year's Prolific North Tech Awards, and we are finalists in the 'Best Client Support' category.??? ???? ? We collaborated with thinkmoney to build and launch a new, modern tech stack and mobile app, unlocking their ambitions for growth. ?? We are over the moon that the team’s work has been recognised this year at the Prolific North Tech Awards! #PNTechAwards #CelebrateTheNorth.

The bigger a product grows, the harder it becomes for leaders to make decisions quickly. To avoid inertia setting in, you need to ensure that your teams can make decisions at pace with minimal, or better still no involvement from leadership. Here's four things that can help to avoid bottlenecks (without overloading your decision-making process) between your teams and leaders.? ???? 1. Product principles: usually a set of 3-8 principle statements that provide a clear and concise guide for decision-making during the product development process. 2. A clear, regularly communicated strategy, with clearly defined cascading aims for each team. 3. Good org design to foster cross-team alignment. 4. Excellent async comms. → Adapted from our article: Diagnose and overcome common barriers to scale.

Looking for good books? Want to sharpen your discovery practices? Here are four books our team recommends! By getting better at product discovery, you’ll get better at: ???? Making a product or service that your ideal customers use ???? Improving your product for your customers over time ???? Creating value for your customers in a way that creates value for your business ???????????????????? ?????????????????? ????????????: ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???????????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? by?Teresa Torres. Provides a structured and sustainable approach to continuous discovery. ????????????????: ?????? ???? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????? ?????????????????? ???????? by?Marty Cagan. This book is an essential read for the experienced product manager with 67 chapters that highlights how today’s most successful tech companies discover and deliver technology products. ?????????? ???????????? ????????????????: ?? ???????????? ???????????????? ???? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ????????-???????????????? ???????????????? by?Laura Klein A hands-on, step-by-step guide that helps teams incorporate strategy, empathy, design, and analytics into their development process. You’ll find some great interactive activities in this book that you can implement with your teams. ???????????????? ?????? ?????????? ????????: ?????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ?????????? by?Melissa Perri Melissa Perri will teach you product management principles that can be applied to any organisation, big or small and a really useful practical book! → What books, podcasts, or resources would you add to help teams with product discovery?

If you are looking to articulate your product's definition of success, the 'winning aspirations’ technique can: ? Make your product vision as clear as day. ? Motivate people to support your desire to achieve something great. ?????? ???????? ???? ?? '?????????????? ????????????????????'? ‘Winning aspiration’ is the first box in Roger Martin’s strategy cascade (from the book: "Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works") It combines a strong desire to achieve something great with a description of how a company or product creates unique value for its users. To keep strategy simple: ?? Avoid using multiple vision, mission, and purpose statements? ?? Use a single statement It’s like combining a vision statement with a mission or value proposition statement. Examples of winning aspirations: → To build the most convenient, secure, cost-effective online payment solution. → To provide an unparalleled AR experience that changes the way people experience live sports. → To become the most trustworthy content provider in the world, by combining high-integrity journalism with a market-leading fact-checking product offering. Taken from our article: Four ways of defining your product vision

The four areas of delivery management that accelerate your product’s growth. ???? The three pillars of great products are: product, design, and engineering. If there was a fourth pillar on which great products are built, it would unquestionably be delivery management. By delivery management, we mean a team collectively owning and driving: ? Enablement - having the tools and setup to do their thing ? Flow optimisation - getting through stuff at a healthy rate ? Focus - concentrating on things that move the needle ? Continuous improvement - striving to better themselves As you grow, there is always room for improvement within your team's delivery management. Start by reviewing these four areas.

In our latest article, co-founder Dave Baines goes beyond “the four big risks” exploring the question of: “Is one risk more important than the others”? ?? Understand which risk should be prioritised first. ?? Discover the typical sequence of addressing risks in product development. ?? See how diagramming risks can clarify the process, even if it's not always strictly linear. Use our diagram to to assess how you tackle risks. ?? Explore additional frameworks from Reforge, Ant Murphy, and Jeff Patton, each offering unique insights on risk and decision-making. Article: https://lnkd.in/efqiAXPZ

How do you define long-term product success? One method we’ve found is using 'Big Hairy Audacious Goals' (BHAGs). What are BHAGs? Developed by Jerry Porras and Jim Collins and popularised by their 1994 book "?????????? ???? ????????", a BHAG?(pronounced “Bee hag”) is a compelling, long-term goal that is intriguing enough to inspire employees of an organisation to take action. You can categorise BHAGs in four different ways: ???????? ???????????? Role model BHAGs are BHAGs which focus on emulating the success of another company or product. E.g. We want to become the Airpods of the medical device industry. ?????????????????????? Don’t underestimate the rallying potential of a common enemy. Competitive BHAGs pit your company or product firmly against your main competitor or category leader. E.g. We want to knock Uber off their perch. ???????????????? Targeted BHAGs are goals that you’re aiming to achieve within a specific time frame. E.g. We want to provide 50% of the FTSE 100 with employee analytics software, within the next five years. ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? Internal transformation BHAGs are centred around the changes you want to make within your organisation, from shifting your market focus, pivoting your business strategy, or overhauling your culture. E.g. We want a ratio of 1:7 Product Managers to Engineers in our organisation. BHAGs are similar to vision statements in that their primary objective is to inspire action but where BHAGs differ (to their advantage), is that they are often easier to track progress against by being more quantifiable. So for anyone creating a visionary product and looking for great reading material, then we’d recommend picking up a copy of Built to Last, by Jerry Porras and Jim Collins!

A bumper turn out for the last ProductTank of the year! We welcomed Michael Palmer to our organising team. Michael is an experienced Senior PM and podcast host, we know he'll be a great addition to the team. ?? (I'm not tiny, they're just really tall! ??). A huge thank you to Zühlke Group for hosting us and finding the biggest pizzas in Manchester! ?? ??Stavros Karydis explored authenticity during the hiring process. As a candidate, you might feel that a PM needs to behave in a certain way and 'act into' that persona. But being your authentic self will give you the most confidence during the process. As a hiring manager, being authentic during the process builds connection and helps you determine the best fit for the role. ??Jade Hanley led an interactive session "from laughs to launches". We tried out some improv exercises, learning how it can help build our ability to collaborate, actively listen and present with confidence. For example, we started with a story and each person in the group added to the story, starting with "yes, and..." encouraging us to build on the ideas of others. ??Dave Baines shared his playbook for successfully landing in a new product role. Meeting your colleagues and reading through artefacts are always important to do early on, as a product person, you also want to get your hands on the product(s) as quickly as possible. Dig into what your customers needs are and what they think of your product. After a few weeks, share what you've learned with the team. We'll be back in the new year for the next event on 29th Jan, looking forward to seeing you there! ?? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ei_6dMuT ?? Want to talk / host? Get in touch with Andy Birds, Michael Palmer or myself.

Kicking off a new product initiative or feature and want a great structured approach? Assumption maps can be used at the start of a new initiative, whether it’s a discovery phase, a complex feature, or a large program that spans multiple areas, products, and teams. Use an assumption map when you need to understand uncertainties and assumptions about the area of interest. It can also can help to: ? Build a shared understanding of challenges ? Identify what is known and unknown ? Determine what is important and what is not ? Prioritise focus areas, starting with the riskiest assumptions In the link below we explain how to use assumption maps effectively when used in a workshop-style setting, encouraging team collaboration and ongoing review of assumptions. Explainer: https://lnkd.in/e_xHKSQi We have also created an assumption map template you can use: Miro Template: https://lnkd.in/ekFvAqfe When used well, it can be an essential part of the discovery and problem-solving process whilst revisiting the findings regularly can serve as a great reminder. Give it a go and let us know what you think!

Looking for tactical product advice while meeting people IRL? Tomorrow, Dave Baines, co-founder of Hyperact will be a guest speaker at ProductTank Manchester, a meet up to exchange ideas and experiences about product design, development, management and more. Hear from Dave and two other product leaders as they deliver insights suitable for anyone regardless of background, career stage or role. Dave’s titled talk “Hit the ground running in a new product role” will walk you through the playbook that has helped him make a positive impact in dozens of cross-functional product development teams. “Whether you're transitioning into a new team or starting at a new company, learn how to quickly assess your environment, establish priorities, and make an impact from day one. This talk will provide actionable insights on building trust with stakeholders, aligning with your team, and creating a roadmap for early wins”. The event kicks off at 6pm at Zühlke, 4th Floor, 11 Ducie Street, Piccadilly Basin. M1 2JB You can find more details and book on to the event here: https://lnkd.in/e3p6VshJ