# Grateful to Be a Coach F...  ## Metadata - Author: [[@ahuja_karan on Twitter]] - Full Title: Grateful to Be a Coach F... - Category: #tweets - URL: https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370176866972176385 ## Highlights - Grateful to be a coach for @lennysan’s #PM Fundamentals class. Today, I’ll be live-tweeting the workshop on Execution. Grab some ☕️ & let's learn how PMs can become great at execution 🧵👇🏽 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370176866972176385)) - Note: Thread - First up, let’s define execution. Per @lennysan, execution is the layer between the soft skills and the ‘WHAT to build’ skills. It’s what you’re doing day-to-day to keep the team humming. https://t.co/ce59wKXmJv ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370179246958637057)) - To make it more concrete, it’s essentially 3 things and doing that over and over again. 📝 Planning ⚒️ Building 🚢 Shipping It’s the part of the job to get product out the door, efficiently, reliably, and consistently. https://t.co/Pu9lTEq1lO ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370179818365480962)) - Execution is an especially important skill for new PMs. That’s what the company wants from your most – not WHAT to build, but just help us build it [career ladder from Gitlab: https://t.co/Tbqrzye71Y] https://t.co/9oR99eMRna ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370180115208966146)) - Now that we know what execution means, let’s get super tactical & dive in: ✔️ What great execution is ✔️ 3 parts of great execution ✔️ 7 steps of effective roadmapping ✔️ Where great roadmap ideas come from ✔️ Brainstorming tips ✔️ Prioritizing ✔️ Art of the deadline Let’s go! ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370180844619395075)) - What does great execution look like? https://t.co/5qi3TAoxbh ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370181083224961027)) - 🧠 The mental model @lennysan uses when he thinks about a well-executing team is that of a well-oiled machine. It runs smoothly, reliably, efficiently, doesn’t jump or take any attention, it just gets the job done and gets you where you need to be. https://t.co/Xl0YArRmo7 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370181361399525376)) - So if a well-executing team is like a well-oiled machine, what are you as the PM? As the PM, you are the mechanic 🧰 You’re always looking for ways to make the engine run more smoothly. https://t.co/h0GKUEV61F ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370181723472896000)) - Next, let’s talk about the 3 elements of great execution. 1⃣Build the right engine 2⃣(Constantly) Tune the engine 3⃣Drive in the right direction ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370181987617546242)) - PART1⃣: BUILD THE RIGHT ENGINE Step 1: Get the right parts (resources) Resources include: 👥People 💰Budget ⏲️Time ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370182622127648768)) - Let’s discuss tactics on how to get the right resources. Tactic #1: Get granular with your plan Map out a timeline of proposed projects by people before committing to a long-term plan. Here’s a handy example: https://t.co/O1SVSXqE0D ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370182934792077316)) - (how to get the right resources) Tactic #2: Always present your manager w options. “With 2 engineers, here’s what we think we can do, & with 4 here’s the additional impact. And with 6, 25% lift, amazing, don’t you want that?” Whenever possible, have a recommendation & a POV👇🏽 https://t.co/hd0wNMLg4T ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370183231199346689)) - (how to get the right resources) Tactic #3: Ask yourself – what’s one additional resource that will most help your team? Map out the *critical path* for your projects. Then, ask – what’s the one thing that will slow or block the whole project down? Focus on that one thing. https://t.co/IEW7qcL0J7 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370183786562867200)) - 🌟Hanging in there? Let’s do a quick recap. To build the right engine, Step #1 = get the right parts / resources. And we’ve covered 3 tactics on how to get the right resources: ✅ Get granular with your plan ✅ Present options ✅ Focus on the critical path ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370184105934036993)) - 🛣️Step #2 to build the right engine = Define the roadmap. What is the roadmap? For @lennysan, the roadmap is the focal point 🎯 of your execution machine. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370184598332731394)) - How do you build a roadmap? Don’t worry, @lennysan has 7 steps to help you. https://t.co/8V38lgve3w ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370185006379794437)) - 🛣️ Step #1 for building a roadmap → Crystallize the problem or opportunity What are you trying to achieve? What is the point of all of the work on the roadmap? ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370185759278305281)) - 🛣️ Step #2 to building a roadmap → Ideate Where do great roadmap ideas usually come from? (in priority order) https://t.co/usgh5oPAO9 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370186055073230848)) - 💭 Brainstorming is a great way to generate ideas. Here’s @lennysan’s tips for running effective brainstorms. https://t.co/DwT2CWhuVM ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370186554220572675)) - 🛣️ Step #3 to building a roadmap → Synthesize Collect all of the ideas into a flat list. https://t.co/0ZZCUwWU9O ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370186947101007876)) - 🛣️ Step #4 to building a roadmap → Prioritize There are many inputs into priorities. And there a million prioritization frameworks – RICE, Kano, WSJF, MoSCoW, HiPPO, etc. @lennysan’s advice ➡️ KISS (Keep it simple stupid) In the end, it all comes down to impact vs. effort. https://t.co/ALRGit8bTn ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370187413113294848)) - 🗣️ While you’re step #4, remember to RUTHLESSLY PRIORITIZE (aka say no). How do you do that? Some tips: https://t.co/WQ5V3sp3CX ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370187774733643785)) - 🛣️ Step #5 to building a roadmap → Get feedback Share your draft priority list with the team, give them a date by which to give feedback. One tactic @lennysan uses: let people vote on their favorite ideas. https://t.co/vPCj4kATTL ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370188798538129408)) - 🏁 Final two steps to building a roadmap. Step #6 → Finalize Step #7 → Communicate ‼️ It’s really important that you share out your final roadmap, and make it easy to find. PRO TIP: Set a schedule for the roadmapping process. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370189358456696837)) - 🌟Alright, we’re 1/3rd done. Quick recap of how to build the right engine: https://t.co/lJEm4kpGLS ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370189863543185408)) - PART2⃣- TUNE THE ENGINE 🛠️ @lennysan says there are 5 tactics to keep your team’s operating efficiency. Tactic #1: ABU – Always Be Unblocking https://t.co/WpOddD4rLl ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370191091979276293)) - 🛠️ (On Tuning The Engine) Tactic #2: Systemize it Here’s a handy daily #PM checklist. https://t.co/dod67a9B32 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370191632725725190)) - 🛠️ (On Tuning The Engine) Tactic #3: Art of the Deadline Deadlines help in many ways: - force prioritization - keep work contained - constraints create better work - humans generally work better w deadlines 📝Great post on this by @BrandonMChu: https://t.co/xHeMjOJ3Ne ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370192249032613890)) - 🛠️ (On Tuning The Engine) Tactic #4: Timeboxing Things to possibly timebox - Design sprints - Discovery / exploratory work - Eng prototypes - Ideation work - Visioning work @lennysan's PRO TIP: Use it, but don’t abuse it ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370192655079014402)) - 🛠️ (On Tuning The Engine) Tactic #5: Mix big bets vs. incremental wins @lennysan’s advice is to follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of your investment should be in low-risk, incremental. If you’re a startup, you should be taking big bets - more like 50/50 or even 20/80. https://t.co/3tN58B0E55 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370193388864073731)) - 🌟Recap of part 2. Tune your engine by developing 5 skills: 1⃣ABU - Always be unblocking 2⃣Systemize it - create a checklist 3⃣Art of the Deadline 4⃣Timebox 5⃣Balance big vs. small bets ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370194040809922565)) - 🏎️ FINAL PART: DRIVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION That’s all about Strategy. It’s at the top of @lennysan’s pyramid. We’ll share more about this in next week's workshop. Stay tuned! https://t.co/YZd2OMj5f6 ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370194917230669824)) - 👋🏽 That's all folks! Recap: Execution is what you're doing day-to-day to keep the team humming. As a PM, there are 3 things you need to get right ⬇️ https://t.co/6t5nKPFvnf ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370195446841233408)) - 🔝 Back to the top: https://t.co/fuxOFb0i2U ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/ahuja_karan/status/1370195988942450688))