I’M JIMMY SKUROS

HELLO

ABOUT ME

U of I AlumBachelors in in M.I.S.

Informatics minor

Former Technology ConsultantAccenture

Co-Founder, CEOSoundOff.FM, a music discovery platform for independent musicians

Canaryware, a real-time predictive analytics platform for online publishers

Currently Fooda’s Lead Product Manager

INTRO TO PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

THE ROLE

• CEO of the Product

• Focused on WHAT to build

• Fielding the RIGHT customer problem from • Executive team• Customers • Teammates

• Manage the every movement of a product’s lifecycle• Determine product strategy and it works for users• Lead an idea through development & implementation• Measure and iterate

Customer

Project Manager

Product Designer

Business AnalystData Scientist

MANY HATS

Engineer

Scrum Master

MarketerQA

Customer Support

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Customer Satisfaction

UsabilityMarket Positioning

Strategy & Roadmap

Product Success

Sprint Planning

MUST HAVES

• Strong Analytical Thinking

• Data Driven Mindset

• Organizational Skills

• Good Judgment

FROM GOOD TO GREAT

Humble & Fearless

Empathy•Emotional Intelligence•Interpersonal Skills

Tenacity

Technical Chops

Design Based Thinking

Great Judgment

WHY ITS HARD

Tremendous pressure

Always have to have the answers

Requires constant orientation

Often pulled in many directions

Frequent fire fighting

Constantly relying on others to get stuff done

WHY ITS GREAT

No two days are the same

Exciting and innovative

Cross functional

Learn how to truly lead• Designers and engineers don’t report to PMs• PMs possess all the responsibility with none of

the authority over personnel • Inspire others through your vision, analysis and

passion

START TODAYPick up a technical skill• Learn to talk the talk• No line between business & tech

Learn about Agile Software Development• Scrum• Kanban

Start training your product eye• Scrutinize and question other products• Always ask “why”

Read Up• “Inspired” by Marty Cagan•Everything

Q&A

PROJECT

HOMEWORK

THANKS. FOR YOUR ATTENTION

HOW TO REACH ME

jim@canaryware.com@jskuros