Product Manager Toolkit

Product Manager Toolkit

Essential tools and frameworks for modern product management, from discovery to delivery.

Quick Start

For Feature Prioritization

python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py sample  # Create sample CSV
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py sample_features.csv --capacity 15

For Interview Analysis

python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py interview_transcript.txt

For PRD Creation

1. Choose template from references/prd_templates.md
2. Fill in sections based on discovery work
3. Review with stakeholders
4. Version control in your PM tool

Core Workflows

Feature Prioritization Process

1. Gather Feature Requests

   • Customer feedback
   • Sales requests
   • Technical debt
   • Strategic initiatives

2. Score with RICE

   # Create CSV with: name,reach,impact,confidence,effort
   python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv

   • Reach: Users affected per quarter
   • Impact: massive/high/medium/low/minimal
   • Confidence: high/medium/low
   • Effort: xl/l/m/s/xs (person-months)

3. Analyze Portfolio

   • Review quick wins vs big bets
   • Check effort distribution
   • Validate against strategy

4. Generate Roadmap

   • Quarterly capacity planning
   • Dependency mapping
   • Stakeholder alignment

Customer Discovery Process

1. Conduct Interviews

   • Use semi-structured format
   • Focus on problems, not solutions
   • Record with permission

2. Analyze Insights

   python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py transcript.txt

   Extracts:

   • Pain points with severity
   • Feature requests with priority
   • Jobs to be done
   • Sentiment analysis
   • Key themes and quotes

3. Synthesize Findings

   • Group similar pain points
   • Identify patterns across interviews
   • Map to opportunity areas

4. Validate Solutions

   • Create solution hypotheses
   • Test with prototypes
   • Measure actual vs expected behavior

PRD Development Process

1. Choose Template

   • Standard PRD: Complex features (6-8 weeks)
   • One-Page PRD: Simple features (2-4 weeks)
   • Feature Brief: Exploration phase (1 week)
   • Agile Epic: Sprint-based delivery

2. Structure Content

   • Problem → Solution → Success Metrics
   • Always include out-of-scope
   • Clear acceptance criteria

3. Collaborate

   • Engineering for feasibility
   • Design for experience
   • Sales for market validation
   • Support for operational impact

Key Scripts

rice_prioritizer.py

Advanced RICE framework implementation with portfolio analysis.

Features:

• RICE score calculation
• Portfolio balance analysis (quick wins vs big bets)
• Quarterly roadmap generation
• Team capacity planning
• Multiple output formats (text/json/csv)

Usage Examples:

# Basic prioritization
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv

# With custom team capacity (person-months per quarter)
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv --capacity 20

# Output as JSON for integration
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv --output json

customer_interview_analyzer.py

NLP-based interview analysis for extracting actionable insights.

Capabilities:

• Pain point extraction with severity assessment
• Feature request identification and classification
• Jobs-to-be-done pattern recognition
• Sentiment analysis
• Theme extraction
• Competitor mentions
• Key quotes identification

Usage Examples:

# Analyze single interview
python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py interview.txt

# Output as JSON for aggregation
python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py interview.txt json

Reference Documents

prd_templates.md

Multiple PRD formats for different contexts:

1. Standard PRD Template

   • Comprehensive 11-section format
   • Best for major features
   • Includes technical specs

2. One-Page PRD

   • Concise format for quick alignment
   • Focus on problem/solution/metrics
   • Good for smaller features

3. Agile Epic Template

   • Sprint-based delivery
   • User story mapping
   • Acceptance criteria focus

4. Feature Brief

   • Lightweight exploration
   • Hypothesis-driven
   • Pre-PRD phase

Prioritization Frameworks

RICE Framework

Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort

Reach: # of users/quarter
Impact: 
  - Massive = 3x
  - High = 2x
  - Medium = 1x
  - Low = 0.5x
  - Minimal = 0.25x
Confidence:
  - High = 100%
  - Medium = 80%
  - Low = 50%
Effort: Person-months

Value vs Effort Matrix

         Low Effort    High Effort
         
High     QUICK WINS    BIG BETS
Value    [Prioritize]   [Strategic]
         
Low      FILL-INS      TIME SINKS
Value    [Maybe]       [Avoid]

MoSCoW Method

• Must Have: Critical for launch
• Should Have: Important but not critical
• Could Have: Nice to have
• Won't Have: Out of scope

Discovery Frameworks

Customer Interview Guide

1. Context Questions (5 min)
   - Role and responsibilities
   - Current workflow
   - Tools used

2. Problem Exploration (15 min)
   - Pain points
   - Frequency and impact
   - Current workarounds

3. Solution Validation (10 min)
   - Reaction to concepts
   - Value perception
   - Willingness to pay

4. Wrap-up (5 min)
   - Other thoughts
   - Referrals
   - Follow-up permission

Hypothesis Template

We believe that [building this feature]
For [these users]
Will [achieve this outcome]
We'll know we're right when [metric]

Opportunity Solution Tree

Outcome
├── Opportunity 1
│   ├── Solution A
│   └── Solution B
└── Opportunity 2
    ├── Solution C
    └── Solution D

Metrics & Analytics

North Star Metric Framework

1. Identify Core Value: What's the #1 value to users?
2. Make it Measurable: Quantifiable and trackable
3. Ensure It's Actionable: Teams can influence it
4. Check Leading Indicator: Predicts business success

Funnel Analysis Template

Acquisition → Activation → Retention → Revenue → Referral

Key Metrics:
- Conversion rate at each step
- Drop-off points
- Time between steps
- Cohort variations