{"id":149796,"date":"2023-11-21T23:19:36","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T23:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/"},"modified":"2025-03-12T14:07:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:07:17","slug":"product-manager-upskill-jason-knight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Upskill as a Product Manager and Make Progress [Jason Knight]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you feeling stuck and not making any impact at your organization?<\/p>\n<p>If so, you should definitely watch the talk that <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/jason-knight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jason Knight<\/a>, a product consultant and advisor, gave at this year\u2019s Product Drive hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Userpilot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In his talk, Jason talked about<strong> how <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/role\/product-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product managers <\/a>can upskill <\/strong>to meet the challenges in their daily work and how to make sure that their organizations value their work.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"video strchf-type-video regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\">\n<div class=\"embed-container\">\n<div style=\"max-width: 100%; position: relative; height: 400px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;\" title=\"Product Managers should always make progress. By Jason Knight\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/GJeaUfnaT5I?feature=oembed\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"4o61i\">TL;DR<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-role\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Product managers<\/a> often don\u2019t get the due recognition for their work and their role is often marginalized by frustrated <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leadership <\/a>or other teams.<\/li>\n<li>This happens because people don\u2019t always understand what their role involves or see only a fraction of their work. Measuring the value of<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/what-is-product-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> product management<\/a> is difficult too.<\/li>\n<li>The truth though is that product managers are to blame too because they are often unable to demonstrate their progress.<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s worse, they actually often can\u2019t make any meaningful progress because they can\u2019t navigate the challenges of the role and the organizational landscape.<\/li>\n<li>One way to change it is by <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/key-product-prioritization-frameworks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">prioritizing <\/a>high-leverage work while delegating the rest to others.<\/li>\n<li>Instead of staying in the zone of most competence, divide your attention across all aspects of the product, like the business, tech, and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-designer-vs-ux-designer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UX<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Without vision and looking \u2018ahead\u2019 it\u2019s easy to get bogged down in \u2018urgent\u2019 low-impact tasks.<\/li>\n<li>Allocating time for a specific research stage is often a no-go for leadership, so make the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/continuous-discovery-framework-teresa-torres\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">habit of interviewing customers continuously.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>You can\u2019t accommodate all <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-requests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer requests,<\/a> so build a robust decision tree to filter out irrelevant requests and learn to say \u2018no\u2019 instead of maybe.<\/li>\n<li>To keep the development work going, work in small increments, ship them often, and resist the temptation to \u2018just add this in\u2019.<\/li>\n<li>Tech debt will eventually catch up with you if you don\u2019t take time to fix things as you go. Sell the business value of technical fixes to stakeholders and ship them in small batches, just like value.<\/li>\n<li>To avoid wrong assumptions about your job, keep all the stakeholders engaged and informed.<\/li>\n<li>Learn to speak in a way that resonates with them, and don\u2019t just tell them but also show progress.<\/li>\n<li>Want to learn how Userpilot helps product managers boost their impact and build successful products? <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Book the demo!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"4557169bcced2\"><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"hb27\">The dreaded eye roll<\/h2>\n<p>What\u2019s the dreaded eye-roll?<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s how Jason describes the reaction that you get when you tell someone they\u2019re not getting what they want, like the special <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/feature-request\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">feature request <\/a>or bug fix.<\/p>\n<p>So even if you haven\u2019t heard of it before but have been in product management for a while, you must be well familiar with it.<\/p>\n<p>It gets even worse.<\/p>\n<p>As the stakeholders feel like you\u2019re not making progress, they often step in and start making decisions for you. You lose control.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net\/account_6827\/eyeroll_50a78c86f5c628a425383575785fb06a.gif 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net\/account_6827\/eyeroll_50a78c86f5c628a425383575785fb06a.gif 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net\/account_6827\/eyeroll_50a78c86f5c628a425383575785fb06a.gif\" \/><\/picture><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"3beg6\">Why people think product managers aren\u2019t making progress<\/h2>\n<p>There could be a number of reasons why people question the effectiveness of product managers.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"681b1\">The ambiguity of product management<\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot of ambiguity as to the<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-role\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> role of product managers. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because there are no 2 product organizations that would be exactly the same.<\/p>\n<p>For example, B2B companies work differently from B2C businesses, and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/feature-factory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">feature factories<\/a> are very different from innovation factories. The way things are done also differs from market to market and vertical to vertical.<\/p>\n<p>The consequence is that people\u2019s expectations as to what product managers actually do vary dramatically.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_4f6baef8c5d50c61d2f12a0e5b96e7c4_800.png 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_4f6baef8c5d50c61d2f12a0e5b96e7c4_800.png 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_4f6baef8c5d50c61d2f12a0e5b96e7c4_800.png\" alt=\"The ambiguity of product management\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>The ambiguity of product management.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"9oa54\">The iceberg effect<\/h3>\n<p>The iceberg effect is another reason why people don\u2019t appreciate the work of product managers.<\/p>\n<p>Basically, they see only a fraction of the work that you do for your organization and assume that\u2019s all you do.<\/p>\n<p>Without understanding all the things that happen behind the curtains, they can\u2019t see the value that you bring to the business.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9a74f58d46cf66d49d72614358cc1f95_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9a74f58d46cf66d49d72614358cc1f95_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9a74f58d46cf66d49d72614358cc1f95_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9a74f58d46cf66d49d72614358cc1f95_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9a74f58d46cf66d49d72614358cc1f95_800.png\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>The iceberg effect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"7pse3\">The value of product management<\/h3>\n<p><em>\u2018Measure the value of work defined but not prioritized. Subtract from the work that is prioritized. The difference is the value of the product.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u20181. Average ships per person in the team. 2. Conversion credit or attribution value of the team due to the ships.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p>These were some of the responses that Jason got when he asked how to measure the value of a product team. Not exactly consistent or convincing.<\/p>\n<p>Measuring the value of product management is not exactly straightforward, which is yet another reason why other teams or stakeholders may not give you credit for your contributions.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/the-value-of-product-management_bcce188e5fe022f657345a004629e4d1_800.png 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/the-value-of-product-management_bcce188e5fe022f657345a004629e4d1_800.png 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/the-value-of-product-management_bcce188e5fe022f657345a004629e4d1_800.png\" alt=\"The value of product management\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>The value of product management.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"4hmoi\">Lack of alignment on success<\/h3>\n<p>Try this experiment.<\/p>\n<p>Talk to people at different levels of your organization, starting from the top and going to the bottom, and ask them what their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-goals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">goals <\/a>are. Do the same sideways, across departments.<\/p>\n<p>You will be surprised to see how the definition of success differs across the organization. And you can\u2019t demonstrate your success if everybody understands it differently and keeps pulling in their own directions.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"f7gal\">Is giving up any easier?<\/h2>\n<p>When faced with a lack of understanding and the pressure to deliver features, some PMs give up. Instead of driving the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-strategy-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product strategy<\/a>, they simply fulfill requests.<\/p>\n<p>Does it make things easier?<\/p>\n<p>If you start saying \u2018yes\u2019 to every request, you may get a short respite but in the long run, things will get worse. That\u2019s because trying to satisfy every stakeholder&#8217;s whim is unsustainable.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/giving-up-on-product-management_43ce53677efe5f6c131f3d155d66c86e_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/giving-up-on-product-management_43ce53677efe5f6c131f3d155d66c86e_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/giving-up-on-product-management_43ce53677efe5f6c131f3d155d66c86e_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/giving-up-on-product-management_43ce53677efe5f6c131f3d155d66c86e_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/giving-up-on-product-management_43ce53677efe5f6c131f3d155d66c86e_800.png\" alt=\"Giving up on product management\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Giving up on product management.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"f9a8\">Why do product managers need to upskill?<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at a few habits and practices that may be holding you back and stopping you from making a greater <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/impact-mapping\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">impact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"f52fl\">Problem 1: PMs are so darned helpful<\/h3>\n<p>Product managers have an incredibly high surface area which comes with tons of work to do.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no surprise.<\/p>\n<p>You truly care about your product and you\u2019re ready to do everything to make it successful. The more you talk to others across the organization, the more problems emerge and you have to tackle them all.<\/p>\n<p>The consequence is that you end up working on very low-leverage stuff while the high-leverage stuff doesn\u2019t get done. Or worse, someone else steps in to do it for you and take away your autonomy.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the solution?<\/p>\n<p>First, don\u2019t volunteer. As a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-role\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product manager<\/a>, you\u2019re not meant to be the lender of the first resort but the last resort, so let others do the low-leverage stuff.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, focus your energy and time on the high-leverage work. Allocate time for the important things and make it clear to others what you\u2019re working on and why.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9d6321fbaa4a02d4f74eefe6f3a66d30_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9d6321fbaa4a02d4f74eefe6f3a66d30_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9d6321fbaa4a02d4f74eefe6f3a66d30_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9d6321fbaa4a02d4f74eefe6f3a66d30_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_9d6321fbaa4a02d4f74eefe6f3a66d30_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: don\u2019t be so helpful\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: don\u2019t be so \u2018helpful\u2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"fip69\">Problem 2: The zone of most competence<\/h3>\n<p>When faced with challenging conversations or conflicts, people tend to gravitate to what they know best. So if you started as a developer, development is your zone of most competence.<\/p>\n<p>However, the consequence of dwelling in this zone is that other critical aspects of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/what-is-product-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product management<\/a> get neglected.<\/p>\n<p>How do you resist the pull of your zone?<\/p>\n<p>By categorizing your time, recognizing where you&#8217;re spending it, and actively pushing yourself back into the center of the product management Venn diagram.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8205097000a3e31b7a219552c5f50401_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8205097000a3e31b7a219552c5f50401_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8205097000a3e31b7a219552c5f50401_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8205097000a3e31b7a219552c5f50401_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8205097000a3e31b7a219552c5f50401_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: leave the zone of most competence\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: leave the zone of most competence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"fb0f5\">Problem 3: Don\u2019t know what to do next<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s easy for a product manager to get stuck in the weeds.<\/p>\n<p>The deluge of competing priorities and the relentless pressure to deliver mean that instead of focusing on long-term <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-vision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vision <\/a>or strategy, you merely execute.<\/p>\n<p>The catch is that without a clear vision, you have no way to effectively filter and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/feature-request-prioritization-framework\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">prioritize opportunities<\/a>. It also makes it more difficult to push back on random requests.<\/p>\n<p>To break free from this cycle, take a &#8220;look ahead test&#8221;: envision where the product should be in the next three years.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, make sure to carve out time for deep thinking and don\u2019t forget about building relationships with customers, users, and stakeholders.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_d86bb5d7c1760ece662fb02fc163259d_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_d86bb5d7c1760ece662fb02fc163259d_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_d86bb5d7c1760ece662fb02fc163259d_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_d86bb5d7c1760ece662fb02fc163259d_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_d86bb5d7c1760ece662fb02fc163259d_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: look ahead\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: look ahead.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"bc2fm\">Problem 4: Research takes too long<\/h3>\n<p>Another aspect of product management work that often gets side-tracked is customer research.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because there\u2019s a lot of planning to do and the only access to the customer that you get is through the sales or<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-success-roles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> customer success teams<\/a>. There\u2019s no time for actual conversations with users that would reveal new opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>When you try to allocate time for research, you get intense pushback from stakeholders who don\u2019t have the patience to wait for it and instead tell you what to build.<\/p>\n<p>What can you do to address it?<\/p>\n<p>First, make the habit of interviewing customers continuously, and not only at specific stages of the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-lifecycle-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product lifecycle. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instead of waiting to hear what users want from customer-facing teams, go for a ride with them. That\u2019s how you get a first-hand account of<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/analyze-customer-needs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> customer needs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-pain-points\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pain points.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Finally, get comfortable making bets. It\u2019s not always possible to get sufficient evidence to justify decisions, so learn not to rely on it. Otherwise, you get nothing done.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8a61288976eea93ba7dc2bba20a300a3_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8a61288976eea93ba7dc2bba20a300a3_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8a61288976eea93ba7dc2bba20a300a3_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8a61288976eea93ba7dc2bba20a300a3_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_8a61288976eea93ba7dc2bba20a300a3_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: do customer research continuously \" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: do customer research continuously.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"o69q\">Problem 5: We\u2019re not answering customers\u2019 requests<\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes you may face the opposite problem &#8211; too much <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-feedback-analysis-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer feedback<\/a> and the pressure to accommodate it all in the limited time that you have.<\/p>\n<p>As saying no is just too much work, you end up cramming the tiniest customer requests into your sprints and prioritizing them all religiously.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the consequence?<\/p>\n<p>Lack of progress on the big ticket items that bring you closer to your strategic <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-goals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">goals<\/a>. And whatever you ship is rushed and you have to constantly appease stakeholders waiting for their pet requests.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few tips on how to avoid it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There\u2019s no need to prioritize all requests &#8211; this takes too much time and effort.<\/li>\n<li>Instead, develop a robust decision tree so that you can easily filter out insignificant requests.<\/li>\n<li>Say \u2018no\u2019 instead of \u2018maybe\u2019. Creating false expectations doesn\u2019t make anyone happy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_31a4b254af59b1d9ceced7a16147c573_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_31a4b254af59b1d9ceced7a16147c573_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_31a4b254af59b1d9ceced7a16147c573_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_31a4b254af59b1d9ceced7a16147c573_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_31a4b254af59b1d9ceced7a16147c573_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: find a way to filter customers\u2019 requests\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: find a way to filter customers\u2019 requests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"24d83\">Problem 6: Slow product development<\/h3>\n<p>As your<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-team-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> product team<\/a> matures, you develop more processes and procedures to increase your chances of success, like <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/new-feature-validation-framework\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">validation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, such processes make progress slow. You don\u2019t get started soon enough and end up not delivering what you\u2019re meant to, so keep delaying releases.<\/p>\n<p>The result is that you struggle to turn your brilliant ideas into reality and deliver a working product to your customers. If the senior management sees that you\u2019re not getting stuff done, they intervene.<\/p>\n<p>How can you prevent it?<\/p>\n<p>Work in short <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/iterative-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">iterations <\/a>and deliver products in small but frequent increments. Make it clear to everyone that you can\u2019t build everything. As there are only so many marbles that you can put through the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-funnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">funnel <\/a>at a time, prioritize flow.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_68c6c52460bd4a349b54d25e27b5e657_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_68c6c52460bd4a349b54d25e27b5e657_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_68c6c52460bd4a349b54d25e27b5e657_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_68c6c52460bd4a349b54d25e27b5e657_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_68c6c52460bd4a349b54d25e27b5e657_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: release small, release often\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: release small, release often.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"2qrho\">Problem 7: Tech debt<\/h3>\n<p>If you build lots of features for too long without taking the time to tidy up after yourself or going back to fix bad decisions you\u2019ve made, you will sooner or later hit the wall of tech debt.<\/p>\n<p>Delivery will slow down due to more frequent downtimes, and you\u2019ll spend more and more time firefighting.<\/p>\n<p>This often results in customer and leadership <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-dissatisfaction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dissatisfaction<\/a>, and you lose the trust of the engineers and developers who have to resolve to shadow <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-facing-roadmap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">roadmaps <\/a>to tackle technical issues.<\/p>\n<p>To avoid falling into the trap, collaborate closely with the technical teams so that you\u2019re aware of their issues and allocate enough resources to deal with necessary fixes.<\/p>\n<p>To secure the buy-in of senior leadership, show them the business value of fixing technical debt.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the release fixes incremental alongside the functionality that delivers value.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_793b7a2631f2c1ecea48e3ff169d5577_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_793b7a2631f2c1ecea48e3ff169d5577_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_793b7a2631f2c1ecea48e3ff169d5577_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_793b7a2631f2c1ecea48e3ff169d5577_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/image_793b7a2631f2c1ecea48e3ff169d5577_800.png\" alt=\"How to upskill as a product manager: prevent tech debt\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>How to upskill as a product manager: prevent tech debt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"ctau3\">Demonstrating progress<\/h2>\n<p>How do you actually demonstrate progress to the key internal and external stakeholders?<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"asvo9\">Don\u2019t keep stakeholders at arms\u2019 length<\/h3>\n<p>Keep your stakeholders in the loop. If you don\u2019t talk to them about what you\u2019re doing, they will make assumptions and that\u2019s how you lose control.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t mean constant engagement as neither you nor they have the time for it. Keep them engaged just enough.<\/p>\n<p>To get your message across, learn to speak their language. Avoid technical jargon or theory and speak about your work in business terms.<\/p>\n<p>What if they\u2019re not listening?<\/p>\n<p>Keep repeating the message.<\/p>\n<p>Again. And again.<\/p>\n<p>Until they get it.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"9kup9\">Show and tell<\/h3>\n<p>Whenever you talk to stakeholders, use the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/outcome-based-product-roadmaps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">roadmap <\/a>to illustrate progress. It\u2019s not a sprint retro, so show them not only what you\u2019ve achieved since last time but also what\u2019s coming up next.<\/p>\n<p>To make your narrative more compelling, use <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/real-time-customer-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer feedback <\/a>as evidence and speak in terms of business goals.<\/p>\n<p>Mix things up by inviting guest speakers. For example, invite a CS colleague you\u2019ve collaborated with on a feature to share their perspective on the work you\u2019re doing and its impact on the organization.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, don\u2019t forget to praise your partners from across the organization. You can\u2019t build a great product without their help, so recognize it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"b97qi\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>As there are a lot of misconceptions about what PMs do, they often struggle to get their progress recognized. And sometimes there\u2019s no progress because they buckle under external pressure and compromise on good product management practices.<\/p>\n<p>To avoid this, PMs need to prioritize the tasks that make a true difference and find ways to demonstrate the effects of their work.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to see how Userpilot\u2019s analytics and feedback features can help you make better-informed decisions, help you get stakeholder buy-in, and better communicate your results, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">book the demo!<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"4557169bcced2\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you feeling stuck and not making any impact at your organization? If so, you should definitely watch the talk that Jason Knight, a product consultant and advisor, gave at this year\u2019s Product Drive hosted by Userpilot. In his talk, Jason talked about how product managers can upskill to meet the challenges in their daily work and how to make sure that their organizations value their work. Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":149798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[214],"tags":[216,215,232],"class_list":["post-149796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product-management","tag-product-management","tag-product-manager","tag-product-managers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Upskill as a Product Manager [Jason Knight]<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to learn how to upskill as a product manager and make progress? We share a few tips from Jason Knight, a product consultant and coach.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Upskill as a Product Manager [Jason Knight]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Want to learn how to upskill as a product manager and make progress? We share a few tips from Jason Knight, a product consultant and coach.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Thoughts about Product Adoption, User Onboarding and Good UX | Userpilot Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-21T23:19:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-12T14:07:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/how-to-upskill-as-a-product-manager-and-make-progress_1d185cfc426d67c52479fe0ce5a3cf3b_2000.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"393\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Saffa Faisal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Saffa Faisal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Saffa Faisal\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5c50b3bd5418ac8167f909e10a6dc1da\"},\"headline\":\"How to Upskill as a Product Manager and Make Progress [Jason Knight]\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-21T23:19:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-12T14:07:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/\"},\"wordCount\":2339,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/how-to-upskill-as-a-product-manager-and-make-progress_1d185cfc426d67c52479fe0ce5a3cf3b_2000.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Product Management\",\"Product Manager\",\"product managers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Product Management\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/\",\"name\":\"How to Upskill as a Product Manager [Jason Knight]\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-manager-upskill-jason-knight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog-static.userpilot.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/how-to-upskill-as-a-product-manager-and-make-progress_1d185cfc426d67c52479fe0ce5a3cf3b_2000.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-21T23:19:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-12T14:07:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5c50b3bd5418ac8167f909e10a6dc1da\"},\"description\":\"Want to learn how to upskill as a product manager and make progress? 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