Test-n-Tell.com - product management and operations

  Impact mapping is a powerful technique PMs can use to improve collaboration and communication within their organisations. Moreover, this visual method can help product people plan and advance their careers.

  In every organisation, if people working there care in the slightest, there will be multiple opinions on what to do. As PMs, we need to collect all this info, synthesise and prioritise it. Then we need to communicate back efficiently and keep everyone aligned.

  Most companies are full of people with good ideas. More good ideas than resources to realise them. Hence the problem for most companies is how to prioritise and align the organisation so everyone pulling in the same direction.

  Impact mapping is a versatile tool that should be in every PM's pocket. You can apply impact mapping to better communicate, collaborate and eventually reach better results for your product and organisation.

  Every dedicated product professional who has been lucky to work in a growing organisation will eventually need to choose: either to remain an individual contributor or move to manage people. This might be a tough choice for some. What if you're not sure what path is better for you?

  How could you simultaneously succeed and fail with your product? Unfortunately, this is easy and common. You can make a product that works for a few, but not for the many.

Making products successful is tough. It requires a lot of skill, even more hard work and a great dose of luck. Most importantly it requires everyone to work together and towards the same objective. This sounds obvious but people aspects, or culture, often become the reason your product fails.