Situation

As part of a kick-off and fresh financing, the company wanted to expand with a new high-performance, best-in-class Product team.

Approach

Hiring great Product Managers is hard, and having an aligned product team is even harder. We worked out a plan in steps: firstly how to filter great candidates, secondly creating aligned momentum quickly, and lastly coaching the team in similar methods to make them the most efficient possible right out of the gate.

• The hiring process was modelled after Google’s, but with fewer resources: high number of CVs as input, a methodical interview process that included phone screens + on-site interviews, and quick group decision. This yielded 3 fantastic hires in under 3 months.
• To create aligned momentum in the team, we engaged them to create their own shared mission and prioritised roadmap. This accelerated their in-depth understanding of the company, the market and competitors, and helped them stand behind their planned contribution to the company’s mission and success.
• Lastly, we coached the team through effective and crisp product management methods, such as lean canvases, prioritisation techniques, crystal-clear metrics and goal-oriented focus to plug any gaps and shape their work in a similar manner. They quickly worked in a strongly synchronised way.

Recruiting in the Product space can be quite challenging, a methodical approach was key and yielded great results. We also saw hiring 3 different Product Managers from different backgrounds not as a challenge, but as an opportunity to train them from the get-go and becoming an aligned and effective team.