Daily, Weekly, Monthly Tasks for Product Managers
Navigating the Cadenced Nuances of Successful Product Leadership
Every great product manager knows that success is a culmination of daily actions, weekly check-ins, and monthly reflections. Here's a roadmap, broken down into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, to guide you on your journey to product management excellence.
Daily Tasks:
Does my team have any hurdles that I am able to remove?*
Check metrics and feedback – Keep an eye on recent releases to ensure the product is on track.
Brainstorm and Innovate – Every day is an opportunity to make your product better.
Engage with Your Product – The best way to know a product? Use it!
Stand-up Meetings – Facilitate with a scrum master quick check-ins with your team to address any blockers and discuss the day’s agenda. Offer to stay late to give an update on key business metrics.
Stakeholder Communications – Stay aligned with cross-functional teams. Put a reminder on your calendar to reach out to (if you are an e-commerce product manager for example) the merchandising team, the marketing team, the analytics team. Ask them what they are working on and if they need any help!
Feedback Loop – Constantly gather and assess feedback to refine the product. Not a bad idea to show the team the feedback once you have it, good or bad!
Engage with Co-Creators – Delve deeper into their roles and celebrate their expertise. Have that co-creator that just showed you how great they are present in the next standup their approach on xyz.
Weekly Checkpoints
What has changed about the story of my product? What did I learn and what am I eager to understand next?*
Strategic Progress Review – Measure the journey towards your goals and pivot if necessary.
Ideation Sessions – Encourage creative sessions to spruce up the product.
Sprint Planning – Depending on your agile framework, orchestrate or participate in planning sessions.
Team Check-Ins – Ensure everyone has the resources and environment to excel.
Stakeholder Updates – Keep them informed about the product’s trajectory and any challenges.
Gather Feedback – Understand your product's performance from both customers and management.
Stay Updated– Refresh any self-serve documentation related to your product roadmap.
Monthly Reflections
Have we learned from our customers? Is the team morale high? Are we offering equal value to both customers and business?*
Continuous Improvement – Host ideation and brainstorming sessions to enhance the product.
Strategy Alignment– Always relate back to the overarching product strategy and company vision. Does it still make sense with the work you are currently delivering or developing?
Product Roadmap Reviews – Ensure your strategy remains focused and adjust if needed. Proactively get feedback on your roadmap.
Retrospectives – Reflect on the past month's achievements and areas of improvement. Create an environment where everyone feels freely to speak even if it requires anonymous input.
Professional Development – Offer learning opportunities for your team. As humans, we all strive to progress - find ways to offer micro-progress opportunities on each co-creator’s journey.
Monthly Reporting – Present product performance insights to the leadership. If nothing has changed and mostly status quo, consider not presenting until you have something worthy to present.
Customer Engagement – Directly interact with users for firsthand feedback on their experience.
The path to becoming an adept product manager is a continuous journey of learning and adapting. By following this roadmap of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks, you can ensure that your product not only meets but exceeds expectations. Remember, in the realm of product management, consistency is key. Happy product managing!
If you found this useful and want to learn more, check out my book Product Protégé Guide: The Art of Product Management for E-Commerce and Beyond available now on Amazon.
Also feel free to forward this to your product manager friends if you think it will resonate with them. Thanks!
To learn more, visit my substack @ https://productprotege.substack.com/
