My Key Takeaways from LPC Paris 2023

The LPC Paris conference, known as the number one annual event for Product Lovers in France, offers a unique opportunity to delve into the world of product management. Having attended last year's Flupa conference with iAdvize 's product design team, which focused on UX research and design, we decided to switch gears this year and participate in a product conference with the entire iAdvize product team. In this article, I will share the key takeaways from the conferences I attended at the LPC Paris conference.

Introduction by Jean-No?l Barrot, Minister of Digital Transition

• It is necessary to regulate the digital economy and make it a safer space.
• French culture needs to be infused into the AI wave for the benefit of the French people.
• France needs to regain/create sovereignty over the infrastructure that underpins world-changing innovations such as AI and the cloud.

Keynote "Beyond the Build Trap: Becoming Truly Product-Led"

By Melissa Perri, CEO @ Produx Labs, author of “the build trap”

• When trying to get people within an organization to embrace the product's way of working, avoid criticizing what they currently do. Try to empathize with them and focus on doing things well and letting the results speak for themselves.
• The product strategy consists of different layers that should be well-crafted and effectively communicated from both top-down and bottom-up perspectives in order to create successful products. These layers include vision, strategic intents, product portfolio strategy and initiatives, product strategy and initiatives, and options.
• ProductOps enables the orchestration of a product-led organization, and it is already being implemented by many companies. Melissa has authored a book on this topic.

Scaling Shape Up Beyond Bootstrapped Companies

Ryan Singer, Founder @ Felt Presence, former Basecamp, author of “Shape Up”

• It is crucial to involve a developer representative early on when discussing potential solutions.
• Shaping a product includes thinking about solutions, and a shaped product should be feasible to build. This stage differs from framing the product, which focuses on defining the problem to solve without specifically addressing a solution.
• In situations with high time pressure, it is important to prioritize figuring out the delivery process before diving into strategy and research.

Personal note: I respectfully hold a different perspective on this final point. While I agree that it is crucial to focus on figuring out how to solve a problem effectively and build the product right, I believe that the ability to identify the right problem is even more important in order to build the right product. However, it is possible that the speaker intended to highlight the need for a balanced approach, suggesting that we should allocate less time solely to problem discovery and instead promote early consideration of potential solutions.

Unlocking Stakeholder Management Skills

Bruce McCarthy, Founder @ Product Culture

• Everyone within the organization has the potential to be a stakeholder and can be classified based on their level of influence and interest in a project, using a matrix. Top management typically has high influence but low direct involvement (interest), while impacted teams have low influence but high interest.
• Understanding whether your company is business, engineering, or product-led is important for prioritizing stakeholder management.
• Treat your stakeholders like customers, use active listening and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) principales to understand and lead them.

Personal note: PMs may utilize tools like NLP and active listening to lead customers or stakeholders, while UX researchers and designers prioritize understanding user needs rather than attempting to lead them. It's also worth highlighting that users are not always synonymous with customers (the buying persona). While customers are individuals who make purchases, users encompass a broader range of individuals who interact with our products or services.

Round table: Product team efficiency & effectiveness: how to win in the current economic context

Melissa Perri, CEO @ Produx labs, Ryan Singer, Founder @ Felt Presence, ex-Basecamp, Sebastien Levaillant, VP Product Management @ Payfit, moderated by Axel Sooriah, Co-Founder @ Panash

• The current economic situation represents a return to normal rather than a downturn.
• Companies are now focused on generating value, return on investment (ROI), and adopting lean practices.
• In-demand skills for product managers are either a strong business/financial or technology hands-on understanding. They need to be highly adaptable and capable of continuously upskilling and reskilling.

Thank you for reading!