Marty Cagan

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Pilot Before Scaling Transformation

  Management

  When transforming an organization, start with a few pilot teams to prove the new model before expanding it to the entire company.

  Supporting quotes

  • “If you're not doing continuous delivery, then at the very least you should be doing true releases no less than every two weeks.”

    “the product team moves from a subservient relationship, to a collaborative relationship where the product team must discover a solution that the customers love yet works for the business.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Company-First Mindset

  Leadership

  A product manager must act in the best interest of the entire company rather than just their own team or personal agenda.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Coaching - Integrity, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

• Prototype as Communication Tool

  Team

  Use high-fidelity prototypes as the primary method to communicate the intended user experience to the entire product team.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Great Products By Design, 2007  (opens in a new tab)

• Sequence Growth by Segments

  Strategy

  Focus on achieving Product Market Fit for one vertical market, persona, or geography at a time before expanding to the next.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Product Market Fit, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

• Test with High Fidelity

  Product

  Use high-fidelity prototypes that include visual design to accurately gauge emotional responses and trust. Low-fidelity tests may miss the persuasive power of the final look and feel.

  Supporting quotes

  • “But the most difficult question is not really whether or not the user can figure out how to use the product, it is whether they even want to use the product.”

    “The truth is, if the carrot is big enough, users will jump though all kinds of hoops to get to the prize.”

• Market Research is Input Not Strategy

  Strategy

  Market research tools help understand current user behavior and frustrations, but they cannot define the product strategy or what to build next.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Market Research Capabilities and Limitations, 2006  (opens in a new tab)

• Match Technique to Risk Level

  Product

  Use lower-risk discovery methods like qualitative user tests or opt-in prototypes when high-risk methods like blind A/B testing are prohibited.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Product Discovery In Regulated Environments, 2018  (opens in a new tab)

• Do Your Strategic Homework

  Leadership

  A leader must study company objectives, dashboards, and the product vision to build the foundation for recognizing significant insights.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Product Strategy - Insights, 2020  (opens in a new tab)

• Iterate Toward the Smallest Viable Product

  Product

  Focus on discovering the smallest possible product sufficient to sell to early adopters before trying to meet broader market needs.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Product Market Fit vs. Product Vision, 2011  (opens in a new tab)

• Keep Core Competencies In-house

  Product

  A product company must never outsource product definition, UX design, or site architecture because these are central to the business's long-term viability.

  Supporting quotes

  • “the product organization absolutely must become the expert on your customers, or you've got no real chance to do either of the first two (defining or designing”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Focus on Objectives Not Features

  Strategy

  A roadmap should reflect high-level business objectives like international expansion or usability improvements rather than a list of specific feature requests.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Product Roadmaps, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• Maintain Strategic Maneuvering Room

  Management

  Keep public roadmaps abstract and dates conservative to allow the team the flexibility to change tactics as they learn what works during development.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Product Roadmaps, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• Right-Size Your Decision Analysis

  Decisions

  Product managers should adjust the time and effort spent on a decision based on its risk and potential consequences. Low-stakes mistakes can be fixed quickly, while high-stakes ones require deep data collection and stakeholder alignment.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Coaching - Decisions, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

• Build Foundations First

  Strategy

  Companies should establish basic data infrastructure and reporting before attempting complex data science techniques.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Leveraging Data Science, 2017  (opens in a new tab)

• Align Product with Business Strategy

  Leadership

  Product planning must verify that the product organization is delivering on the top-level business goals established by the executive team.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Purpose of Product Portfolio Planning, 2009  (opens in a new tab)

• Foster collaboration, not isolation

  Team

  Project managers should ensure effective communication between product owners and the team rather than acting as a barrier.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Following the process becomes an end in itself.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Establish a strong product culture

  Leadership

  A well-defined culture ensures new hires adapt to the company's best practices rather than reverting to old, inefficient habits.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I'll emphasize to them that the new company is interested in them because of their mind and their talents, and of course they wouldn't want to bring with them the bad practices”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Isolate Impact via A/B Testing

  Product

  When multiple teams work on the same metric, use A/B testing to accurately attribute progress to specific team contributions.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Team Objectives - Collaboration, 2020  (opens in a new tab)

• Transition to Outcome-Based Thinking

  Strategy

  Shift the organization's focus from shipping features on specific dates to achieving measurable business results and outcomes.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Roadmap Alternative FAQ, 2015  (opens in a new tab)

• Share Rationale and Case Studies

  Strategy

  Explain the reasoning behind a new operating model and provide real-world examples to help everyone understand the necessity of the change.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Transformation Engagements  (opens in a new tab)