Product Manager Toolkit

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

Quick Start

# Create sample data file
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py sample

# Run prioritization with team capacity
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py sample_features.csv --capacity 15

# Analyze interview transcript
python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py interview_transcript.txt

Core Workflows

Feature Prioritization Process

Gather -> Score -> Analyze -> Plan -> Validate -> Execute

1. Gather Feature Requests: Customer feedback, sales requests, tech debt, strategic initiatives
2. Score with RICE: python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv --capacity 20 See references/frameworks.md for RICE formula and scoring guidelines.
3. Analyze Portfolio: Quick wins vs big bets distribution, effort concentration, strategic alignment gaps
4. Generate Roadmap: Quarterly capacity allocation, dependency identification, stakeholder communication
5. Validate Results:
   • Compare top priorities against strategic goals
   • Run sensitivity analysis (what if estimates are wrong by 2x?)
   • Validate effort estimates with engineering
6. Execute and Iterate: Share roadmap, track actual vs estimated effort, revisit quarterly

Customer Discovery Process

Plan -> Recruit -> Interview -> Analyze -> Synthesize -> Validate

1. Plan Research: Define research questions, identify target segments, create interview script
2. Recruit Participants: 5-8 interviews per segment, mix of power users and churned users
3. Conduct Interviews: Semi-structured format, focus on problems not solutions, record with permission
4. Analyze Insights: python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py transcript.txt Extracts: pain points, feature requests, JTBD patterns, sentiment, key themes, notable quotes
5. Synthesize Findings: Group similar pain points, identify patterns (3+ mentions = pattern), map to opportunity areas
6. Validate Solutions: Create solution hypotheses, test with low-fidelity prototypes, measure behavior

PRD Development Process

Scope -> Draft -> Review -> Refine -> Approve -> Track

Select template from references/prd_templates.md:

Template	Use Case	Timeline
Standard PRD	Complex features, cross-team	6-8 weeks
One-Page PRD	Simple features, single team	2-4 weeks
Feature Brief	Exploration phase	1 week
Agile Epic	Sprint-based delivery	Ongoing

Tools Reference

RICE Prioritizer

RICE framework implementation with portfolio analysis, configurable weights, and multiple output formats. Input columns: assets/rice_input_template.csv.

python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py sample                          # Create sample data
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv                    # Default capacity (10)
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv --capacity 20      # Custom capacity
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv --output json      # JSON output
python scripts/rice_prioritizer.py features.csv --output csv       # CSV output

See references/input-output-examples.md for CSV format, sample outputs, and integration examples.

Customer Interview Analyzer

NLP-based analysis extracting pain points, feature requests, JTBD patterns, sentiment, themes, and competitor mentions.

python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py interview.txt        # Text report
python scripts/customer_interview_analyzer.py interview.txt json   # JSON output

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Prevention
Solution-First	Start every PRD with problem statement
Analysis Paralysis	Set time-boxes for research phases
Feature Factory	Define success metrics before building
Ignoring Tech Debt	Reserve 20% capacity for maintenance
Stakeholder Surprise	Weekly async updates, monthly demos
Metric Theater	Tie metrics to user value delivered

Best Practices

• PRDs: Start with problem, include success metrics, state out-of-scope, use visuals, version control
• Prioritization: Mix quick wins with strategic bets, consider opportunity cost, buffer 20%, revisit quarterly
• Discovery: Ask "why" five times, focus on past behavior, avoid leading questions, validate qual with quant

Reference Documents

• references/prd_templates.md - PRD templates for different contexts
• references/frameworks.md - RICE, MoSCoW, Kano, JTBD framework documentation
• references/input-output-examples.md - Detailed I/O examples