Anuradha Sridharan

Image Source: http://study.com/academy/lesson/experimental-design-in-science-definition-method.html  In the last couple of years, I have started to appreciate the power of small, quick experiments. As product managers, we often face the challenge of bringing together the right resources (especially, design / tech expertise) to validate certain ideas and to make progress. Thanks to the lean methodology, many of us have started to embrace the experimentation mindset, which involves Taking a complex problem and breaking down into small, executable chunks Seeking progress, irrespective of the results Incorporating key learnings/insights back into the experimentation process It's easy to read about a framework or a methodology from a book/blog and get excited about the benefits it can bring to your role. But unless we practically experience/execute it in our realm of work, we will not be able to appreciate the benefits or realize the impact. Experiments are akin to...

 It's been a while since I read fiction and when I came across the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued. First, the title. I know an acquaintance of mine who does wedding photography and her work is amazing. Capturing the candid moments as the couple enters an important phase in life must be challenging but interesting too. So I was curious to know how they work and capture such brilliant pictures. I got a good glimpse into their work through the life of the protagonist Risha Kohli. A good person at heart, cheerful, confident and passionate about her work. Through a chance encounter, she gets to meet Arjun Khanna - rich, talented, business guy who generally feels out-of-place in his world. How these two characters meet, fall in love and deal with their setbacks form the crux of this story. I loved how the author has built Risha's character through specific incidents in the storyline that not only move the story forward but also elevates the character. The first sect...

Image Source: http://blog.drift.com/what-is-product-marketing  It's been almost a year since I moved on from a fast-growing SaaS startup. It was an enriching learning experience, working with smart people on various aspects related to target market definition, positioning, customer development, stakeholders motivation, buyer journey and funnel conversion factors that helped me understand the importance and role of product marketing, especially for B2B products. Before the memory fades away, I'm jotting down the 10 lessons I learnt that are important for effective product marketing. Hope you find it useful. (1) Understand the motivations and goals of all stakeholders. The stakeholders involved in a typical B2B purchasing decision are the decision maker, influencer, buyer and end-user. Being aware of the organization's business goals, priorities and challenges are crucial in understanding stakeholder's motivations and expected behaviors. (2) Identify where your p...

A few days back, I was having an interesting conversation with a product manager of an early-stage startup. He's been building a B2B product from scratch and was looking for someone who can listen to his thought process of how he's product-izing the whole concept, the workflow and the UX. We spent around an hour on this exercise where he was talking the most while I was listening intently and was asking a few questions. The questions weren't really earth-shattering but more fundamental and basic. At the end of the hour, he felt energized and was able to identify a few areas that require immediate attention in his product. For me, it was a good learning experience and also gave me an opportunity to exercise my "product-thinking" muscle, if I may say so :-) Product management is a skill that is best learnt through experience and real-life problem statements. No courses or certifications can match upto the learning that you'd get from an actual problem that in...