Product Management
We often meet prospective partners and identify the need to transition from a traditional business model to a product-centric one. However, it has proven quite difficult to convey that specific need to the founders and management teams. It’s not just a nice-to-have we’re talking about here - it's a necessity for staying competitive.
AUTHOR
Jasper Venema
Product Management Consultant
May 6, 2024 - 4 minutes read
As an avid product enthusiast, I've had the privilege of listening to and engaging with thought leaders and practitioners who are co-steering this new paradigm in its current direction.
Most recently, I attended a meetup featuring the esteemed Marty Cagan. He shared insights on how to pave the way for companies aspiring to become true product organisations.
The first step in advising CEOs and senior management on embracing a product-centric model is to articulate the 'why'. Change for the sake of change is a recipe for resistance. Instead, leaders need to understand the tangible benefits: faster innovation, closer alignment with customer needs, and, ultimately, a robust bottom line. In playful terms, it's not about joining the bandwagon because it's shiny and new; it's about ensuring you're not left driving the horse and buggy in a Tesla world.
Transforming into a product company requires a shift in leadership style. Traditional command-and-control models, where decisions are made at the top and trickle down, are outmoded in a dynamic product environment. Instead, think of leadership as gardeners: their role is to nurture, provide resources, remove obstacles, and let the team cultivate the garden. This means empowering teams to make decisions close to the ground - where the action happens and where they can react swiftly to customer feedback and market changes.
Transforming to Product-Centric Model
Product Leadership Strategies
Marty Cagan Product Insights
Empowered Product Culture
Continuous Product Discovery
Product Operating Model
C-Suite Product Transformation
Effective Product Management
Leadership in Product Companies
Customer-Centric Product Development
Product Strategy for CEOs
Benefits of Product-Centric Approach
Innovation in Product Management
Product Management Best Practices
Adapting to Digital Age in Product Development
Product Management
May 5, 2025
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10 min read
Steer product development with the right goal-setting framework
SaaS product teams need clear direction. This guide explores essential goal-setting frameworks like OKR, North Star Metric, HEART & AARRR. Understand why they're vital for SaaS success—from boosting retention to powering product-led growth. We compare their pros, cons & ideal uses, helping you select the right framework to connect strategy with execution, avoid the 'build trap' & achieve measurable impact.
Sybren van Putten
Sr. Product Consultant
Product Management
March 20, 2025
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5 min read
Connecting Product Effort to Business Success
As a product manager in a SaaS scale-up, you’re constantly shipping features, improving user experience, and optimizing workflows. But how often do you step back and ask: is this actually moving the business forward?
As a Product Management consultant, I often find product teams celebrate launches as if shipping features is the goal. But releasing stuff is different from making an impact. Without a clear connection between product effort and business success, teams risk prioritizing the wrong initiatives, struggling to get stakeholder buy-in, and ultimately becoming a cost center rather than the company’s driver of growth.
Sybren van Putten
Sr. Product Consultant