Product for Product Management

This time we’re diving into a problem almost every product team has felt but rarely names: all the customer research you’ve already done… and then quietly forgotten. In this episode, Jacob Burghardt joins Matt and Moshe to talk about his new book Stop Wasting Research: Maximize the Product Impact of Your Organization's Customer Insights and how to turn research from a one‑off activity into a real product asset.Drawing on his path from early dot‑com research and UX work through consulting and a principal PM role at Amazon, Jacob shares why teams keep re‑running the same studies, ignoring past insights, and treating “research” as a meeting on the calendar instead of an input into every major decision. His book offers a big‑tent definition of research, which includes UX, market, data science, CS insights, and more, and a practical playbook for making all of it usable, visible, and integrated into product work.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Jacob:How he moved from hands‑on research and design into product management, and why he stayed obsessed with the problem spaceWhat “research” really includes today (far beyond user interviews or dashboards)Why so much research gets wasted and the three root causes behind it:Research isn’t prepared for future useStakeholders aren’t motivated to careInsights aren’t integrated into planning, processes, or leadership ritualsA step‑by‑step structure from the book:Taking inventory of the research you already haveDiagnosing root causes in your orgChoosing from a “menu” of tactics that fit your contextWhat good looks like: strong operating models, clear places for research to plug in, and researchers treated as builders of internal productsHow smaller orgs without Product Ops can get started: simple visibility, mapping who’s doing what research, and basic communication channelsThe link between org mindset (feature factory vs. empowered teams) and how seriously research is usedPractical ideas for connecting research to go‑to‑market, pricing, packaging, CS, and sales enablementHow AI is changing the research landscape, where it helps and where human judgment is still essentialAnd much more!Want to learn more or get the book?Book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/stop-wasting-researchIntegrated Research: https://www.integratingresearch.com Medium: https://medium.com/@jakeburghardt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeburghardt You can also connect with us and find more episodes:Product for Product Podcast: http://linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproductMoshe Mikanovsky: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikanovskyNote: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We’re joined by Bhavesh Ratanpal. product leader, author, and long‑time practitioner of yoga philosophy, for a unique conversation about his book Product Ashtangi and how ancient Vedic wisdom can change the way we build products and lead teams.Bhavesh shares his journey from growing up in a family of priests in India, to a career in software development and product management at places like TD Bank, Citibank, and TELUS, and now to founding human‑centric AI startups in Canada. Along the way, he kept returning to one insight: a calm, clear mind makes better product decisions. Product Ashtangi is his attempt to codify that, combining the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga with modern product practice.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Bhavesh:What “Product Ashtangi” means and why the first product you work on is yourselfHow the eight limbs of yoga (starting with Yama - truthfulness, ethics, ego‑awareness) translate into everyday product decisionsThe difference between building from ego and cosmetics vs. focusing on real user pain and social welfareHow to shift between observer and experiencer modes so you can see problems clearly instead of reacting emotionallyStories of applying these principles in practice, from enterprise migrations and platform decisions to Bhavesh’s current AI products (pet adoption and strata governance)Treating your life like a product: personal sprints, self‑retros every two weeks, and continuously “shipping” a better version of yourselfHow karma yoga and product management align when you see products as vehicles for societal good, not just business metricsThe structure of the book:Part 1 – theory connecting yoga sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and product thinkingPart 2 – practical ways to adopt the eight limbs in your product workWhere to start if you’re curious: books, practices, and small mindset shifts you can apply this weekAnd much more!Want to learn more or get the book?Website: http://bhaveshratanpal.caLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaveshratanpalYou can also connect with us and find more episodes:Product for Product Podcast: http://linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproduct/Moshe Mikanovsky: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikanovskyNote: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We continue our AI Tools series with a deep dive into using Large Language Models (LLMs) for research, featuring Slobodan (Sani) Manić, AI skeptic, podcaster, and founder of the AI Fluency Club. Sani joins Matt and Moshe to share why context, careful prompting, and critical thinking are essential for getting real value out of today’s LLMs in product work. Drawing on his work as a product builder, educator, and host of No Hacks Podcast, Sani challenges common myths about AI’s capabilities and underscores both its practical uses and its risks for product managers. The conversation ranges from practical workflows to future visions of invisible AI, open-source models, and the real state of the “wrapper economy” built on major LLM providers. Join Matt, Moshe, and Sani as they explore: - Why most LLM workflows boil down to two mindsets: understanding your work, or avoiding understanding it - The crucial role of context and authority, why careless prompting leads to hallucinations, and how to break questions into smaller steps for better results - How LLMs fit as accelerators for deep research, surfacing insights faster than classic search engines, but always requiring fact-checking - Why Sani uses Google’s Gemini and NotebookLM, and the value of integration with your company’s existing tools - The open-source LLM alternative: privacy, flexibility, and why some see this as the future for secure enterprise AI - Pitfalls of the “wrapper economy,” vendor lock-in, and shaky business models based on reselling tokens - Starting out: how to include LLMs in PM research without reinventing your workflow, and why you must be careful with company data - The risks and limitations of AI today, especially in enterprise and sensitive environments - How internal AI context in tools like Atlassian makes those LLM features uniquely powerful - Future predictions: AI that fades into the background, plus the big unanswered questions about interface and humanoid robots - Sani’s approach to AI education, success stories from AI Fluency Club, and what executives need to learn to stay ahead - And much more! Want to learn more or join Sani’s community? - LinkedIn: Slobodan (Sani) Manić https://www.linkedin.com/in/sl... - No Hacks Podcast http://nohackspod.com/ - AI Fluency Club https://aifluencyclub.com/ You can also connect with us and find more episodes: - Product for Product Podcast http://linkedin.com/company/pr... - Matt Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/ma... - Moshe Mikanovsky http://www.linkedin.com/in/mik... Note: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way. Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We’re excited to feature another visionary builder in product management: Tim Herbig, Product Coach and author of the newly released book “Real Progress: How to Connect the Dots of Product Strategy, OKRs and Discovery”.In this episode, Tim joins Matt and Moshe to share how his journey, from being handed a Product Owner role out of the blue, to leading teams and coaching organizations, shaped his mission to help product managers connect strategy, OKRs, and discovery into a framework for real impact.Tim draws on his years of experience across diverse industries and organizations to address a challenge he’s seen again and again: teams invite him to solve one issue but quickly discover there are deeper, often interlinked problems between strategic planning, measuring progress, and enabling effective discovery. That’s the gap he set out to fill with his book, a hands-on resource designed specifically for PMs and teams looking to go beyond process and frameworks, and start making progress that matters.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Tim:The story behind writing “Real Progress” and connecting the dots between strategy, OKRs, and discoveryWhy so many teams appear busy but are stuck making “alibi progress” instead of real impactThe Progress Wheel: a visual tool for mapping how strategic, measurable change drives product successHow to think critically about frameworks, challenging readers to adapt tools for their own context, rather than following them blindlyThe book’s practical structure: workbook-like prompts and non-linear sections for self-assessment and targeted improvementKey building blocks of strategy and how they relate to various templates and organizational maturityLinking company strategy to product strategy, and the strategic thinking required for product leadersUsing OKRs to measure if your strategy is working, and spotting when OKRs reveal deeper strategic problemsRole of discovery in reducing strategic risk and building conviction, including how Tim’s Evidence Strength Matrix helps teams evaluate signalsFirst steps for teams looking to connect their frameworks and drive improvementAnd much more!Thinking about making progress in your product work? Check out Tim’s book at realprogressbook.com and connect with him on LinkedIn or herbig.co.You can find the podcast’s page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on LinkedIn:Product for Product Podcast - http://linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcast Matt Green - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproduct/ Moshe Mikanovsky - http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikanovsky Note: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As we continue our tradition of highlighting innovative startups building for product professionals, we’re excited to introduce Matan Kleyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Hunch, on this week’s episode.On the show, Matan shares his journey from technical engineering and data science roles to leading product teams and hosting a podcast focused on AI and product management. Now with Hunch, he’s set out to solve a problem many product managers know well: after all the investment in collecting and aggregating data, only a handful of senior data engineers truly know how to use it.With that problem in mind, Hunch is on a mission to democratize data access, giving product people rapid, autonomous, and approachable ways to get insights, act on their hunches, and unlock value from their company’s data.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Matan:The founding story of Hunch and why product managers are at the center of their visionHow Hunch enables any team member to query data using a ChatGPT-like interface and ready-made templatesTurning raw insights into dashboards and customizable data apps with no technical background requiredHunch’s two big differentiators: optimizing for speed and for true autonomyReal-world use cases, from engineers and PMs, to data-driven decision-making in actionHow Hunch supports both quantitative (what happened in the product) and qualitative (what should happen next) analysis, including transcript integrationsMatan’s philosophy on building trust: prioritizing transparency over rigid accuracy and giving users control over contextBest practices for onboarding, context management, and building knowledge sets in HunchLessons from building their public roadmap and belief in open, user-driven product developmentThe future of product management as a hybrid of visionary leadership and orchestrationAnd much more!Curious to try Hunch or learn more? Connect with Matan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matankleyman/ Hunch: https://www.hunch.dev/ You can find the podcast’s page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on LinkedIn:Product for Product PodcastMatt GreenMoshe MikanovskyNote: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As we traditionally have done in previous years, we got to feature some exciting startups this year too. Featuring visionary founders who are building exciting tools for product people, we are starting Startups of 2025 with Sahil Jain, cofounder and CEO of Samepage.ai.On the show we explore with Sahil his journey—from gaming enthusiast and QA tester at Yahoo to serial entrepreneur building products that solve the toughest challenges for product teams. Sahil shares how experiences at AOL, Trigger.io, AdStage (which he ran for 8 years and sold to TapClicks), and weekly conversations with VCs and startups led him to an important insight: most product teams struggle to stay truly aligned. That challenge became the spark for Samepage.ai, where the mission is to solve information asymmetry and help product managers focus more on communicating what matters.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Sahil:The founding story of Samepage.ai and why alignment is the central challenge for product managersHow product teams lose context and fall out of sync—with communication making up to 80% of a PM’s roleThe evolution of Samepage.ai from a “blank slate” approach beyond traditional tools like email and SlackLeveraging GenAI to surface relevant, daily insights from scattered sources (Slack, Linear, Github, and more)AI copilots for product managers: creating streams for weekly status updates, release notes, and trend analysis while keeping humans in the loopThe real challenges of transmitting vs. interpreting information, and supporting teams with diverse learning styles and cultural backgroundsEarly success stories from beta usersSahil’s process for validating and iterating Samepage, building in stages, and focusing on solving the right problemsThe future vision for Samepage.ai and how context-aware AI tools will enable better information retrieval, synthesis, and distributionAnd much more!Want to try Samepage.ai? Sahil will expedite your access to the beta program, so do connect with Sahil directly for access!You can connect with Sahil at:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilio/ Email: Sahil@samepage.aiSamepage.ai You can find the podcast’s page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on Linkedin: Product for Product Podcast - linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcast Matt Green - linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproduct/Moshe Mikanovsky - linkedin.com/in/mikanovsky/Note: any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do you have a method to reach Product Market Fit (PMF) with your product?In this episode, we’re joined by Giacomo Poggiali, a Sparring Partner for bold partners at Sparring Startups, to learn about his “Product Engine” framework for reaching PMF. Giacomo is a product coach and repeat founding product leader who has helped over 150 startups navigate the challenging path to product-market fit (PMF). Giacomo shares how his journey began with the lean startup methodology as his thesis, and how he’s since applied those principles across design, product, and marketing in early-stage companies. After experiencing the transformation that comes with reaching PMF firsthand, Giacomo became passionate about helping other teams replicate that journey—again and again.We dive into Giacomo’s perspective on what PMF really means, moving beyond textbook definitions to describe how it actually feels for a team: the shift from pushing a boulder uphill to racing after it as momentum takes hold. Drawing from years of hands-on experience, Giacomo introduces his “Product Engine” framework—a practical playbook for identifying your most valuable users, uncovering what truly drives value, and systematically removing blockers to adoption.Join Matt and Moshe as they explored with Giacomo:The difference between pre- and post-PMF challenges for product teamsWhat the Product Engine is, and how it helps startups identify their lighthouse users and core valueHow to use behavioral data and qualitative insights to uncover value blockersThe 80/20 approach: why doubling down on core value matters more than fixing every blockerWhen and how to off-board users who aren’t a good fitReal-world examples of the Product Engine in action, including pivots and surprising discoveriesApplying the Product Engine to B2B, B2C, and API productsPractical steps for product managers to start implementing the frameworkWhere AI can support the process of finding PMFAdvice for teams and PMs on building something truly valuable—and knowing when you’ve reached PMFAnd much more!You can connect with Giacomo at:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giacomopoggiali/ Sparing Startups: https://www.sparringstartups.com/ You can find the podcast’s page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on Linkedin: - Product for Product Podcast - linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green - linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproduct/Moshe Mikanovsky - linkedin.com/in/mikanovsky/Note: any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this episode we welcome Marcus Polini to share the story behind his recent job search in product leadership, and the practical tools, frameworks, and mindsets that helped him land his next big role.Marcus’s journey, like almost every product person we talked with, is anything but linear. From his roots in geomatics engineering and a hackathon win that led to founding CityConnect, to the hard lessons of startup failure, Marcus’s path has been shaped by persistence and a passion for building. After applying to 60 front-end engineering jobs, he pivoted into project management and quickly found his calling in product, bridging his entrepreneurial appetite with a growing interest in healthcare and technology.Before entering the job market, Marcus headed Product at Medstack, which was acquired and his position was cut during the merger. This was an opportunity for him to explore what he loves doing and where he sees himself in his future career path. His path to his current position, as Head of Product, Platform at Dispatch Integration, inspired us to talk with him on the show about the process and tools he applied.Join Matt and Moshe as we dive deep into Marcus’s most recent job search, exploring:How he used the Phyl Terry’s “Never Search Alone” process to set up a Job Search Council who helped him move through the searchThe frameworks he used to narrow down his values, passions, and motivating forcesHow he planned his career path as a product, complete with KPIs for personal outcomesThe tactical tools that made a differenceUsing consulting as a path to a full-time product leadership role at Dispatch IntegrationThe critical role of community and mentorship throughout the processThe impact of AI on the modern job searchHow to use AI thoughtfully to enhance, not replace, your authenticity in the job searchHis favorite AI tools and how he uses them And so much more!You can connect with Marcus at:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpolini/ Article and template used for the process: https://open.substack.com/pub/productbymarcus/p/the-compass-i-didnt-know-i-neededYou can find the podcast’s page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on Linkedin:Product for Product Podcast - linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green - linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproduct/Moshe Mikanovsky - linkedin.com/in/mikanovsky/Note: any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️