Course Dates:
Monday April 28 & Tuesday April 29
20% Bulk Discount , Email us on : info@ontarioconsulting.ca
Course Description:
In this two-day workshop, we’ll explore the role of product management. While there are many job titles and names associated with this critical role, this workshop focuses on the activities that are commonly required to create an idea, and then to bring that idea to life… Within your organization, you may have Business Managers, Product Managers, Product Owners, Business Analysts, UX Researchers, and Project Managers who are currently involved in identification and delivery of these ideas.
This is a hands-on, participatory workshop. If you’re expecting to be talked-at for two days, you’ll be very disappointed! Together, we’ll explore how we identify potential opportunities, prioritize & sequence those ideas, prepare them for delivery, and then validate that we’ve had the impact to allow us to learn and adjust.
Key Learning Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of how titles & roles like “Product Owner”, “Product Manager”, and “UX Researcher” are connected in identifying opportunities (covering topics such as Human Centred Design, Customer Journey Mapping, and Personas)
- Gain practice in effectively creating a backlog (we’ll explore Product Backlog Items such as User Stories, Job Stories, Outcome Stories, Mapping, and effective Acceptance Criteria)
- Prioritization of a backlog (Risk Management and a variety of prioritization methods)
- Product Management Metrics (measuring the impact and return on investment)
- Facilitation (one of the most overlooked skills and attributes of great product leaders)
- Forecasting and Product Management (how we work within an organization, meeting the needs of our users, customers, and both internal & external stakeholders)
Course Structure:
What is Product Management
We’ll explore what’s meant by Product Management, and the pivotal role, skills, and experience someone might need as a Product Manager or Product Owner.
How might we discover Market & Customer Opportunities
We’ll introduce a variety of techniques to be aware of that can help a Product Manager develop deeper insights into unmet needs and opportunities and then explore one of the techniques – specifically Customer Journey Mapping – in a little more detail.
Defining a Product Vision
A Product Vision guides everything that follows, informed by a desired outcome. We’ll look at some successful approaches to writing an effective vision statement to create alignment with our team and stakeholders.
Creating and Refining Product Backlog Items
A big part of this workshop will be on crafting valuable pieces of work that can help us learn if we’re building the right thing, in the right way, and at the right time.
Common techniques that will be covered include User Stories, Job Stories, and Outcomes Stories. We’ll explore how these are connected to our vision and desired outcome with an introduction to User Story Mapping techniques.
What does it mean for a Product Backlog Item to be Done
We’ll introduce a proven and effective way for aligning expectations with stakeholders, customers, users, and the delivery team on what it means for a piece of work to be done. We’ll learn a deceptively simple technique, introducing participants to using Gherkin as a way to both align on desired outcomes while also creating a foundation for ensuring a high-quality product is delivered and sustained.
Sequencing, Prioritization, Roadmaps
We’re always going to have more ideas than we have capacity to deliver. How can we determine the value of our Product Backlog Items, and figure out what we should do now, next, later, and have a difficult discussion about things we should never do!
We’ll explore approaches for creating and evolving a Roadmap, discuss the differences between a Roadmap and a Release Plan, and learn about how we use both tools to communicate effectively with stakeholders while creating focus and alignment with our delivery team.
We’ll look at a variety of prioritization methods including Kano Analysis, Net Present Value, MoSCoW, and Weighted Factor Scoring Models.
Metrics and Measuring the Impact
Discovering how we know that the work we’re doing is having the expected outcome is critical as a Product Manager, but is often overlooked for things that are easy, but meaningless, to measure. We’ll look at metrics that help us better understand the impact of our work, and how we might use these insights to help us plan for the future.
We’ll discover how to create a realistic forecast using Monte Carlo forecasting techniques, and how using this real-world data can provide a solid foundation for expectations management.
Target Audience:
- Product Owners
- Product Manager
- UX Researcher
- UX Designer
- Business Analysts
- Scrum Masters
- Agile Coaches
- Directors of Product
- Business Leaders
- Managers
- Directors
- HR / OD
Location:
In Person, Toronto, Canada
Trainer Name: Jeff Kosciejew Jeff is a seasoned Agile practitioner with extensive experience helping organizations, teams, and individuals adopt and thrive in Agile environments. He excels in simplifying complex Agile concepts, facilitating teams of all sizes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. With a deep understanding of Agile frameworks, Lean principles, and modern ways of working, Jeff has a proven track record of driving transformation across industries such as finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and government. His work with organizations like Transport Canada, Capital One, TELUS Mobility, and Walmart reflects his ability to implement Agile best practices, scale Agile frameworks, and create environments where innovation and adaptability flourish. While he holds several industry certifications, Jeff values real-world experience and hands-on coaching as the most powerful tools for enabling lasting Agile success.
