By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan announces the second edition of his book INSPIRED, which he describes as essentially a new work rather than an update. He explains that the field has moved past early Lean Startup and Agile ideas, so the new edition focuses on what comes next, including a new section on product at scale for growth-stage and enterprise companies. He also narrows the audience to technology product managers, since resources for that role are scarce. Cagan stresses that great products come from the right product culture and a toolkit of discovery and delivery techniques rather than a prescriptive recipe, and that the job is hard and not suited to everyone. The announcement also covers the book's launch and a benefit event, which are secondary to the main point.
01Key takeaways
- Great products depend more on building the right product culture than on following a prescriptive recipe.
- Know a range of product discovery and delivery techniques and choose the right one for the specific problem at hand.
- Basic Agile and Lean practices are now common, so teams should look to what goes beyond them.
- Growth-stage companies face distinct challenges, often described as surviving success, that need their own approaches.
- The technology product manager role is demanding, and it is a common path to startup CEO positions.
02Key sections
- Announcing the new edition
- The second edition is presented as a fresh, largely rewritten work rather than a light update, with publication and translation arrangements noted.
- Why a full rewrite
- Cagan originally expected to change 10-20 percent of the content, but found he could explain the topics far better, and the field had evolved since the first edition.
- Product at scale
- A major addition covers the challenges of growth-stage and enterprise companies, drawing on Cagan's experience coaching firms through rapid growth.
- Focus on the technology product manager
- The book narrows its audience to PMs at technology companies, because excellent resources exist for designers and engineers but few target this specific role.
- No simple recipe for success
- Cagan argues that great products come from product culture and choosing the right discovery and delivery technique, and that the PM job is difficult and not for everyone.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.