Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Product managers play many roles, but one often overlooked is “Chief Storyteller”. Members in an organization rely on PMs to tell stories about their goals, their accomplishments, their struggles, and ultimately their value. This gives the PM a tremendous amount of power, power that can be used both to the benefit and detriment of the organization overall.

Used wisely, this storytelling pulls teams together towards a compelling shared vision. Used poorly, it quickly erodes the critical trust between a PM, their team, and the org at large. During this talk we will reflect on the stories — and the lies — that we tell ourselves, our teams, and the people we report to. We will talk about goals, value props, estimates, iterative development, and we’ll even touch on some math and statistics. Come to be challenged and equipped to make the most of your storytelling potential.

Presented At

About Me

Chris Powers

Chris Powers has been leading software development teams for the last fifteen years, and he loves sharing his passion for building teams and software with audiences nationwide. As a Clean Coders author, Chris produced an educational video series entitled "Clean Code in the Browser". Chris is VP of Engineering at Thinkful and lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with his wife and two children. In his free time he enjoys drumming, woodworking, and tabletop gaming.

Contact Info

Email: chrisjpowers@gmail.com

Twitter: @chrisjpowers