Technology is changing the way we approach construction - from planning and visualization to project management. In this week's episode, Aaron Henderson of STACK Construction Technologies shares insights from his perspective after having shifted from traditional construction consulting to the tech-driven realm. George and Aaron talk about showcasing some of the exciting aspects of construction to attract new talent, niching down to specialize in specific markets, and picking the right...

In 2024, the core principles of PdM haven’t changed. The number one role of a product manager is getting to the root of how serve your customer better. How do you make them LOVE your product and your business. Innovation is the name of the game, but how can you front new technologies while still creating value for customers? This and more on the episode with guest Blake Reichenbach, a product manager at Hubspot.

George Brooks interviews Anna Jordan-Douglass, the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Makefully Studios. Anna shares her profound journey through the realms of technology and creativity. Basked with an innate passion for making learning more interactive and fun, Anna explains the sheer magic of assimilating play with education and shares insights into her collaboration with the Jim Henson Company, and how she gathered experiences that later led to the creation of her very own Makefully...

George Brooks interviews Lamees Butt, the Senior Vice President of Global Alliances and Channels at Zoovu. Lamees shares her passion for improving the customer experience and reducing employee workloads through AI-powered solutions, the importance of focusing on customer value, and reimagining the customer journey to drive growth. They discuss the role of AI in personalizing the buying experience and helping businesses make data-driven decisions. Lamees also highlights the opportunities for...

George chats with Ryan Glasgow, CEO of Sprig, a seasoned product expert. They discuss the key to successful product development: understanding customer problems. Ryan emphasizes the value of asking the right questions and draws insights from his experience at Weebly, where user feedback revolutionized their mobile app. They also dive into the broader concept of customer-centric product management, exploring the impact of genuine understanding on product-market fit and the significance of...

George Brooks interviews Bryan House, Chief Experience Officer at Elastic Path. They discuss the world of composable commerce, the synergy between product management and customer success, and the role of user-centricity in e-commerce development.

George Brooks interviews Artem Koren, Co-founder of Sembly.ai. Artem shares the journey of creating Sembly, an AI-powered meeting companion. Artem unveils Sembly.ai's unique team structures for different technological components and emphasizes the flexibility required in handling NLP (Natural Language Processing) and AI development. The interview showcases the pivotal role of product managers, who drive innovation, user experience, and customer interaction. Discover how Sembly.ai transforms...

George interviews Karthik Suresh, co-founder of Ignition, a platform that unlocks revenue opportunities by aligning product, marketing, and sales teams around new market initiatives. Ignition aims to help companies achieve a strong product-market fit and successful product launches by providing an AI-powered platform that guides users through the entire go-to-market process. Their discussion delves into the challenges of coordinating product launches, the importance of effective messaging and...

Join George in a conversation with Jon Darbyshire, the visionary founder of SmartSuite as they explore the art of user experience, relentless iteration, and the value of customer feedback in crafting a game-changing work management platform. Throughout the episode, Jon reveals the key principles of effective product design, emphasizing the value of continuous iteration and incorporating customer feedback. Whether you're an entrepreneur, product manager, or design enthusiast, this conversation...

George Brooks interviews Jon Ricketts, CEO and Co-Founder of a game-changing software platform that is set to transform content creation—Writerly AI powered by Generative AI. Tune in to learn how generative AI is reshaping content creation and marketing automation, and its incredible potential for businesses worldwide.

We regularly preach to our clients that they ought to be seeking ways in which they should be evolving with the times. The same is true for our company. Crema is officially pivoting our business direction in 2023. In this episode, George explains why now.

This week Dan Linhart is joined by Crema's VP of Strategy to explain our new company direction. As we've evolved from a software agency into a design consultancy, we're taking a slightly new approach to our work. Hear how we use design thinking and more holistic strategies to solve highly complex business challenges. And whether you might be a good candidate to partner with a design consultancy.

Storyblocks is a top video library for marketers and creators. In this episode, George and Justin Wieners (senior product designer at Storyblocks) discuss the unique structure and dynamics of the design and engineering teams. They highlight the importance of collaboration and a strong relationship between these two crafts. Justin provides insights into the team set up at Storyblocks, where designers are grouped into different focus areas: growth, marketing, and workflow. Justin provides...

George interviews Sean Steppe, senior manager of Restaurant Systems at Hawaiian Bros Island Grill. Hawaiian Bros is a breakout restaurant that is expanding across the country, using technology to create a better end-user experience, not only for ordering and checkout processes but also in the kitchen and on the backside of their organization. Hawaiian Bros uses technology and data to help make decisions and provide better service to their customers as they scale up. With the freedom to test...

It's good to recognize what AI is and what it is not. In this episode, George Brooks is joined by Michelle Frost to de-bunk myths & misconceptions about what AI can mean for processes in the workplace. Learn about the necessary steps to train a model, from collecting and preparing data to testing and evaluating the model. Plus, the importance of ML Ops and the impact of using third-party libraries and packages.

George interviews Gharib Gharibi, the Director of Applied Research and Head of AI at TripleBlind, a startup based in Kansas City that has now expanded globally. TripleBlind enables data-driven innovation while preserving privacy, allowing for the training of fair and generalizable models with diverse data from multiple institutions. In this episode, they discuss the need for collaboration between academia, industry, researchers, and policymakers to shape the future of AI and build responsible...

In this episode of People of Product, George Brooks speaks with Carmel Wynkoop, a partner at Armanino, a Top 25 CPA and consulting firm. Carmel leads the business analytics and automation practice at Armanino, providing data-driven practice improvements and automation for international clients in various industries. They discuss the potential of AI and how organizations can start small to achieve small wins that create momentum toward realizing the full potential of AI, machine learning, and...

AI is becoming more complex as it begins to touch multiple facets of our everyday lives -- including business. In this week's episode, George and Dan discuss what AI could mean for the future, from the way we work to the products we create.

The bi-weekly Sprint is at the heart of the Agile methodology. In this episode, we discuss why Sprints are structured the way that they are and tips for making them successful. Why is a sprint typically 2 weeks? What are the traditional activities that happen over that period of time? Plus expert tips for how to set clear goals and stay aligned for cross-functional teams.

Stop using hour-based estimation for your work. There’s a better way! Whether it's a project as a whole or just a Sprint, Story Points and Velocity are key tools in trying to predict the future and make the most of your team's time and effort. In this episode, Dan & George talk about how Story Points offer a means of estimation that is relative to a particular frame of reference, enabling you to get a more accurate understanding of your true Velocity.

George and Dan delve into the world of epics and stories, both in literature and in the tech industry. Learn how epics and stories in the digital product world can be deconstructed into smaller, more manageable chunks in order to achieve success.

Having a roadmap is important, even in an Agile environment, because it provides a shared understanding of where a project is headed. In this week's episode, Dan and George discuss the process of creating a roadmap, including the timeline and the stages involved, such as planning, prototyping, and user engagement. They also touch on the benefit of being agile and making adjustments as necessary, while still maintaining the overall direction towards the project's north star.

The best products are built by creative individuals working together towards a common goal. However, with the diversity of skillsets, experience levels, and influences present in a team, achieving alignment can be a challenge. George and Dan discuss how to overcome obstacles and maintain a productive and aligned product team in this week's episode of People of Product.

The idea of starting a custom software initiative within your company is a daunting one. From gathering buy-in from leadership to conducting user interviews, in this week's episode, we'll break down some of the best ways to tackle the overwhelming beginnings of a custom software initiative.