Great Products Need Closer Collaboration Between Product, Engineering and Design

CuCon Conference and Maria Fernandez's Background

• The CuCon San Francisco conference will take place from November 18 to 22, featuring tracks such as architectures, engineering productivity, and generative AI in production, with senior practicing software developers sharing their experiences in adopting emerging trends (10s).
• Maria Fernandez is a product executive and product manager specializing in emerging technology software, currently serving as Senior Director of Product Management at Google, overseeing Gmail (1m16s).
• Before joining Google, Maria worked at Meta in various roles, including the video and entertainment space, the Facebook app, and virtual reality, where she started the virtual reality for business work (1m29s).
• Maria has a background in electrical engineering and has worked in Silicon, hardware, firmware, and software, developing different roles from engineer to project management, business development, and marketing before landing in product management (1m55s).

Maria's Product Management Journey and Insights

• Maria found product management to be a good fit, as it includes executing and developing products, talking with customers, and understanding their needs and pain points, as well as the business side (2m17s).
• Good product management today involves a mix of traditional and changing aspects, with the basics of product development remaining the same, but AI and rapid change bringing new challenges and opportunities (2m41s).
• Traditional mistakes that startups make, as outlined in Maria's book "Save to Scale," include being too focused on the short term and not having a longer view of where things are going, which is still relevant today despite the rapid pace of change in the AI world (3m4s).
• Maria emphasizes the importance of training oneself to think about the long-term implications of product development, even in a rapidly changing environment (3m47s).
• To create successful products, it is essential to be an avid information seeker, anticipate market changes, and have a long-term perspective, as the world is changing rapidly (3m51s).
• A good starting team or product requires collaboration between a product thinker, an engineering builder, and a storyteller or designer, with these roles working even closer together in the age of AI (4m15s).
• In the world of AI, software engineers need to think more like product managers, product managers need to think more like engineers, and designers need to think more like engineers and product managers (4m41s).
• The three functions of product, engineering, and design must be super in sync to develop valid products, as technology has limitations and user expectations are fluid (5m6s).

Traditional Startup Mistakes and Long-Term Vision

• Traditional mistakes that startups make, as outlined in Maria's book "Save to Scale," include being too focused on the short term and not having a longer view of where things are going, which is still relevant today despite the rapid pace of change in the AI world (3m4s).
• Maria emphasizes the importance of training oneself to think about the long-term implications of product development, even in a rapidly changing environment (3m47s).
• To create successful products, it is essential to be an avid information seeker, anticipate market changes, and have a long-term perspective, as the world is changing rapidly (3m51s).
• A good starting team or product requires collaboration between a product thinker, an engineering builder, and a storyteller or designer, with these roles working even closer together in the age of AI (4m15s).

Building a Successful Product Team

• In the world of AI, software engineers need to think more like product managers, product managers need to think more like engineers, and designers need to think more like engineers and product managers (4m41s).
• The three functions of product, engineering, and design must be super in sync to develop valid products, as technology has limitations and user expectations are fluid (5m6s).

Essential Entrepreneurial Archetypes for Startups

• When starting a product or company, it is crucial to have the right minimum viable team, which can be achieved by finding entrepreneurial archetypes that thrive in ambiguity (5m15s).
• Entrepreneurial archetypes are essential for startups, as they are hardworking, connect the dots, have diverse experiences, and are comfortable in ambiguous areas (5m27s).
• In a rapidly changing world, entrepreneurial archetypes are becoming increasingly valuable, regardless of company size, as they can adapt to ambiguity and changing circumstances (6m9s).
• When hiring, it is essential to find individuals with entrepreneurial archetypes, who can work in various functions, such as product management, software development, or design (6m21s).

Building a Great Startup Team

• A great team in the startup world requires three key skills: a product thinker, an engineering builder, and a storyteller or designer, which can be filled by one person or multiple individuals (6m57s).
• A product thinker is essential for identifying the problem to be solved, being in contact with customers, and building a well-designed product (7m12s).
• To build a successful solution, it's essential to deeply understand the problem being solved, have empathy, ask questions, and then build an elegant, usable, and user-friendly solution (7m28s).
• A product thinker, who can be a product manager or an engineer with a product mindset, is necessary to design a solution from a user's perspective and ensure it solves a real problem (7m51s).
• Sometimes, technical and brilliant engineers may build solutions that don't find customers because they don't solve a problem in a way that has product-market fit (8m9s).
• A startup needs an engineering builder, typically the head of engineering or the first engineer, who understands how to build the solution and can work closely with the team to iterate quickly (8m38s).
• Outsourcing engineering can be a bad idea, especially in the early stages, as it can lead to a loss of context and slower iteration cycles (8m49s).
• Having an engineer with a product mindset is crucial, as they can make decisions that anticipate where things are going and make the development process faster (9m20s).
• A storyteller is also necessary in a startup, as they need to tell the story to customers, investors, and others to secure funding, contracts, and support (9m52s).
• The storyteller must balance the big picture with the immediate goals and help people understand and connect the dots, especially when the first product is a minimal viable product (10m12s).

The Book "Save to Scale"

• Mona, Heather, and the third co-author, who have 25+ years of experience in technology and entrepreneurship, wrote a book to share practical tips and experiences from their time in startups, as they found many books on frameworks and success stories but lacked the voice of entrepreneurs in the trenches (10m59s).
• The book is extremely practical, allowing readers to find relevant chapters and implement tips right away, filling a gap in existing literature that often focuses on big success stories rather than everyday entrepreneurial struggles (11m57s).

Scaling a Company and Adapting to Growth

• As a company grows from its early stages to becoming bigger, it needs to tackle scaling issues, heavily regulated environments, and bring in different skills, which may require shifting from entrepreneurial types to people with other archetypes (12m28s).
• Entrepreneurial types are crucial in the early stages of a company, but as it scales, the company needs people who love to scale, are great system thinkers, and optimizers by nature, who can see how everything connects and make things better (13m2s).
• In regulated industries, companies need people who love attention to detail and compliance, and are great at ensuring the company passes all necessary checks and has the required marks (13m23s).
• As a company scales, its leaders, including the CEO, need to adapt to the new face of the company and find different archetypes for different areas of growth, including themselves (13m48s).
• Some people can adapt to these changes, while others may struggle, and it's essential to recognize this and make necessary adjustments, such as finding a new head of product who can scale with the company (14m1s).
• In a startup, it's essential to recognize when to let go of a role or task and pass it on to someone else, as there's limited time for coaching and training, and it's better to hire for the current stage of the company rather than trying to change someone's nature (14m23s).

Self-Awareness and Recognizing One's Role

• Self-awareness is crucial in recognizing one's strengths and weaknesses, and it's okay to acknowledge when a role or task is no longer a good fit, even if it's a product or idea you're passionate about (15m11s).
• In a non-startup setting, individual contributors with great ideas can face challenges in getting them heard, but having the right forums, such as hackathons or pitch sessions, can help (15m57s).
• Timing is critical when presenting an idea, and it's essential to be prepared and wait for the right moment, which may not always be in one's control (16m44s).
• To increase the chances of success, it's vital to show passion for the idea, as it demonstrates resilience and confidence, which can be persuasive in securing funding or support (17m15s).
• Being an "entrepreneur in residence" requires a willingness to take risks and face challenges, but having a well-prepared idea and showing enthusiasm can help overcome obstacles (17m17s).
• Recognizing one's archetype and what they enjoy doing is essential in determining whether to pursue an idea or pass it on to someone else who may be a better fit (15m36s).

Pushing Ideas Forward in Non-Startup Settings

• To successfully push an idea forward, it's essential to know the details and have done thorough research, as simply presenting an idea without understanding its feasibility can lead to a lack of confidence in one's abilities (17m47s).
• Building a reputation and credibility within an organization is crucial, which can be achieved by having small wins and demonstrating the ability to deliver and build things (18m15s).
• Persistence is necessary, as one will likely face numerous rejections and setbacks, and it's essential to keep going and not give up (18m45s).
• Asking for help and inviting others into the conversation can be beneficial, as it allows for the idea to be improved and can enlist others to become invested in the idea and provide support (18m59s).

Writing and Publishing the Book

• Writing a book can be a challenging but rewarding experience, and it can help to share knowledge and tips with others (19m45s).
• Collaborating with multiple authors can be difficult, especially when coordinating schedules and ensuring a unified voice, but it can also be a valuable learning experience (20m32s).
• Writing a book can provide opportunities to learn from others, such as co-authors who are experts in their fields, and can be a way to share knowledge and experiences with others (20m57s).

Conclusion and Next Steps

• The conversation has provided valuable learnings about the life cycle of a startup, including preparing for an exit and scaling a company (21m5s).
• The experience of working with Mona and Heather has been beneficial in gaining knowledge about scaling and selling a company (21m10s).
• The book "Sale to Scale: Steer Your Startup Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit" is available on Amazon in various formats, including hardcover, softcover, and Kindle (21m34s).
• Maria is on LinkedIn and is open to continuing the conversation with those who are interested (21m46s).