Product Coaching and AI

Marty Cagan argues that the scarcest resource for product people is effective coaching, since most managers lack the time or skill to provide it, and that foundation AI models configured with good instructions and company context can now serve as a personal product coach at least as good as many managers. He stresses that the right question is whether AI can help most product creators build product sense, not whether it matches the best human coaches. He recommends human coaches focus on product leaders, who face harder people and political problems. He also says the models lower the barrier for newcomers to product, shifting his earlier worry about entry into the field. Users should specify the product model versus the project model and critically question the advice they receive.

01Key takeaways

• If your manager cannot coach you, configure a foundation model with product instructions and your company's strategic context as a personal coach.
• Tell the model which operating model you want to learn, such as the product model or the project model, since advice varies widely.
• Question and critique the model's advice rather than accepting it, and expect answers to vary between sessions.
• Use AI coaching to build knowledge of your company, industry, metrics, economics, and constraints, which is table stakes for product sense.
• Human coaching remains most valuable for product leaders facing political and people challenges during transformation.

02Key sections

The limits of human product coaching

Most product people lack managers who can coach them well, because managers are inexperienced with the product model or overloaded with direct reports. This shortage is the main obstacle to strong product organizations.

The model as product coach

Cagan's team has moved from custom GPTs to foundation models configured with project instructions and company strategic context. Answers have become reasonable to quite good across major models, though they are not deterministic.

Always-available coaching and adoption barriers

Anyone with agency and internet access can get round-the-clock coaching on company, industry, metrics, and craft. Adoption will follow the technology curve, with some companies hesitant over security and privacy.

Human coaches and the zero-to-one problem

Human coaches should concentrate on product leaders, while AI coaching serves the wider base of product creators. Cagan now believes AI can accelerate newcomers' learning enough to open entry to the field.

03From the post

“This article represents a significant change to what we have been advocating for the past two decades. But hopefully you will agree it is necessary, and that it also represents a substantial step forward. We have been gradually but consistently raising the alarm about the need for product owners and feature team product managers to... The post Product Coaching and…”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.