Peter has always been passionate about gaming and has worked in product roles at Activision, Unity, Electronic Arts, and Zynga. While his initial interest was in game design, he developed a fascination for the business side of game development and enjoys teaching product managers how to make informed decisions.
Braxton started his career in business and leadership studies. He attended Columbia Business School and, with the help of his network, secured his first product manager position at Zynga. Since then, he has worked at various startups and coached business students interested in becoming product managers. This experience led Braxton to develop his own philosophy, prompting him to collaborate with Peter to delve deeper into the product manager hiring process and the valuable skills they possess.
Peter and Braxton use the acronym "WSB problem" to describe their approach in the book. It consists of four parts:
They emphasize starting with the "why" before determining the "what." Clearly defining goals and following these concepts in the specified order can help "reduce the risk of an undesirable outcome." Product managers should be able to confidently articulate the solution, the pain points it addresses, the target persona, and how the strategy aligns with the company's vision using a set of metrics. Vision and strategy involve analyzing the competitive landscape, customer behaviors, and timing. Peter and Braxton pose the question:
"Why is now the right time to invest in specific strategic areas?"
They describe North Star Metrics as a means to track business goals and determine whether releases have a significant impact.
Peter and Braxton's framework consists of five steps that build upon the concepts of the "WSB" problem and enable product managers to communicate a strategy in a structured manner. It is important to thoroughly investigate the problem space before presenting solutions. The steps include:
They believe that the most crucial task for a product manager is "framing the problem statement and understanding user needs."
The Compass Framework offers a structured approach that allows product managers to guide the discussion effectively. It is recommended to start broad and conclude with the most crucial actions or solutions. Throughout this process, product managers develop confident statements to address the WSB Problem.
The first step is Vision. Begin with the "why" and articulate aspirations, then convert them into measurable form as the North Star Metric, which defines the criteria for success.
The next step is Strategic Themes. These can include monetization, differentiation, or market trends. Peter and Braxton describe them as the "path" and note that in subsequent steps, product managers determine the "what" and "how."
The third step is Personas, which involve understanding the target audience through user empathy. The size of each persona group or "cohort" is crucial for quantifying impact.
User journeys are used to highlight user needs throughout their goal achievement process. This document facilitates visualization and consensus among cross-functional teams regarding "what" to build. Pain points present excellent opportunities to enhance a product as they represent areas for improvement. Product managers evaluate the impact of each pain point on the North Star Metric and assess their confidence in the proposed solution.
The final step is Solution Design, which allows for creative flexibility. Product managers analyze trade-offs associated with each solution option and prioritize accordingly based on resource and technology constraints.
Product managers can adopt Peter and Braxton's Compass Framework to apply a structured approach when answering the question, "What Should We Build and Why?" This framework combines concepts from the WSB Problem with core product management skills, ranging from problem framing to prioritization. It provides product managers with a tool to enhance clarity and build trust, ultimately achieving alignment more efficiently.
Peter and Braxton's book Product Sense can be purchased on Amazon here.
