Powered by RND
PodcastsTechnologyThe Hotfix Podcast
Listen to The Hotfix Podcast in the App
Listen to The Hotfix Podcast in the App
(524)(250,057)
Save favourites
Alarm
Sleep timer

The Hotfix Podcast

Podcast The Hotfix Podcast
The Hotfix Podcast
Stories from product leaders and unfiltered truths about products that failed. 💥 Made with ❤️ by Christoph & Stefan thehotfixpodcast.substack.com

Available Episodes

5 of 7
  • #007 w/ Mirela Mus: A feature removal that breached customer contracts
    In this week's episode of the Hotfix podcast, we had a chat with Mirela Mus. Mirela is CPO and founder of Product People. Product People is a product management agency that fills temporary product roles, e.g. due to paternity leaves. This type of PM role has given Mirela a wealth of experience. She has over 12 years of experience in product management, including more than 5 years as a product manager. She has worked in more than 20 different companies as a product manager or leader!In her story of failure, she recounted a time when she worked for a large, global B2B2C marketplace. The supply side of the marketplace was B2B customers offering their goods. The other side were the consumers who bought those goods. Most successful marketplace models are B2B2C. Examples are Airbnb, Booking or Fiverr.Mirelas failure storyMirelas failure story, was about a legal risk her team has overlooked. The company Mirela worked for at the time operated a complex platform that served both sides of the market: B2B vendors and B2C customers. Mirela's team was responsible for leading a global initiative that tried to aggregate technical systems and harmonise user experience across different markets. This involved removing features and deleting lines of code. Especially on the B2B side.During this process, a feature was removed that was embedded in certain contractual agreements with B2B customers. Once implemented, the removal triggered a reaction from affected customers. This ultimately resulted in legal threats and intense pressure on the product and support teams.The concept of “Contract debt”Mirela's story reminded me of a number of situations I've experienced myself working in B2B SaaS companies. I've also been in a situation where we've removed or changed features, that were included in some old customer contracts.Just as technical debt accumulates with quick fixes, "contract debt" arises when sales teams introduce custom clauses or features to close deals. Over time, these special cases restrict a product teams' agility. These custom clauses can be wide-spread across multiple contracts and might be protecting certain areas of your product. The product team might not be aware that certain parts are “protected”. It can become difficult to gain an overview of this ‘contract debt’. It will also hinder product teams in designing the best user experience possible. Sometimes it might be necessary to remove features. For example, when the product team has found a better way of solving a problem.Contract debt therefore not only hurts scalability revenue-wise, but also hinders innovation.How to avoid and deal with contract debtIn a healthy SaaS company with a well-established product-market fit, customer contracts should ideally be standardized across the board. This consistency enables the product team to deliver an exceptional user experience and fully realize the scalability advantages of SaaS. When your team is tasked with maintaining unique features for individual customers, it disrupts efficiency and undermines the core benefits of the model.Of course, this is the ideal scenario. In reality, the pressures of B2B sales often lead to customized contract clauses. Sales teams, driven by the urgency to close deals, may prioritize short-term wins over long-term strategic considerations. While these clauses might help secure key accounts, they can accumulate over time, creating "contract debt" that limits the product's flexibility and scalability.Here are actionable steps for product teams to manage customized contracts effectively:* Establish Clear Guidelines for Customizations: Define thresholds for when customizations are allowed (e.g., based on deal size or strategic value). Make it clear that deviations from the standard offering are exceptions, not the rule.* Create a Centralized Repository: Use contract management tools to track and document every contractual obligation tied to specific features. This ensures transparency and prevents surprises during product changes* Conduct Contractual Impact Reviews: Integrate a "contractual impact review" into the product development process. Before removing or modifying features, assess the risk of breaching any agreements.* Communicate Proactively with Customers: If changes are necessary, reach out to affected customers early. Explain the rationale behind the decision, highlight potential benefits, and offer alternatives or compensations to mitigate any negative impact.What else die we talk about in the episode?Fractional Product LeadershipFractional product leaders like Mirela step in during times of change—parental leaves, organizational transformations, or post-merger integrations. Unlike traditional product managers who might spend years embedded in a company’s culture, fractional PMs offer fresh perspectives without getting bogged down by internal politics.One of Mirela’s key points was how fractional PMs avoid "empire building" behaviors. Instead, their focus is on outcomes: solving problems, empowering teams, and creating scalable systems that remain long after their engagement ends.The Shifting Job Market for PMsCompanies today are often looking for experienced professionals who can make an immediate impact. Mirela’s advice? If you’re in a stable job, consider staying put for now.A Call for TransparencyMirela also emphasized a broader leadership challenge: the need for clarity and alignment in goals. Leaders should openly share their company’s strategic direction with their teams. Whether it’s preparing for a funding round, an acquisition, or long-term growth, transparency ensures that every decision supports the company’s ultimate objectives.The Future of Product ManagementAs automation takes over repetitive tasks (like data analysis and basic reporting), product managers will need to lean heavily into strategic thinking and decision-making. The complexity of cross-functional collaboration will increase. PMs must master stakeholder alignment, ensuring that teams across engineering, marketing, sales, and leadership are working toward shared objectives.LinksLink to Podcast Episode* 📹 YouTube* 🔊 Spotify* 🔊 Apple MusicIn case you want to reach out, please do so on LinkedIn:* ❤️‍🩹 Follow Hotfix: https://pal.bio/the-hotfix-podcast* 🎙️ Follow Christoph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophbodenstein/* 🎙️ Follow Stefan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-pernek-629901107/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thehotfixpodcast.substack.com
    --------  
    49:58
  • #006: Does Every Feature Need to Solve a Problem?
    Problems are at the centre of everything product managers do⤴️ This is one of the first things every PM will learn at the beginning of their career.This mindset is taught in almost every classic PM literature. A few examples:It is my strong belief, and the central concept driving this book, that behind every great product there is someone - usually someone behind the scenes, working tirelessly - who led the product team to combine technology and design to solve real customer problems in a way that met the needs of the business.The first sentence in Inspired by Marty CaganRunning a lean startup is all about "Minimizing waste and maximizing the creation of value by staying closely aligned with what customers actually want and need.”The Lean Startup by Eric RiesYou need to “fall in love with the problem” that you’re solving. This is the biggest driver of startup success. It will help you deliver value to users, tell a more inspiring story about your company, and recruit a team. “Falling in love” means feeling enough passion about the problem that it can drive you to persist through hard times.Fall in love with the Problem, Not the Solution by Uri LevineHowever, we also know that product management in reality is usually different from what is taught in books. Organizations are made up of people and people make processes messy and often not as easy to control as they are taught in books. In this article I tried to dive into one of the examples, where real life is different compared to literature. The example that we touch on here is, that in reality, not all successful product work starts with a problem.Recent examples of (very) successful features that don't revolve around problems* ChatGPT (Valuated at 128% billion $)* ChatGPT + Canva integration (5M+ conversations)* Spotify Wrapped (Cultural event, Reached 156 million users in 2022)* NotebookLM (80,000 organizations are currently using NotebookLM)You might be thinking now These products solve problems!But let me explain.If you as a PM had to write a PRD for these features today, you would have a hard time writing down a problem statement. Especially not one that you could validate. PMs in these companies didn’t find any problems in data from their user base, that would have validated building these features. It would also be difficult to find any general problem statement that would be solved by these features. ChatGPT, for example, solves so many different problems that we don't yet know what else it will solve. Or Spotify Wrapped is a pure entertainment product, which is not known to solve any problems, but still had to be built by a product team.That got me thinking.Does the obsession with customer problems hinder innovation?Product work without a problem to solveI went in search of other features that are similar to those listed above. Impactful, but not problem-solving. Based on this, I have drawn up the following classification:Strategic GrowthThe first category is strategic growth, usually to grow ARR substantially by reaching new audiences or expanding into new markets.Market ExpansionThese features expand your portfolio of features. Mostly through vertical integration. This means that you build a new range of features that in some way fits in with your current main range of features. You open up new adjacent markets. Of all the features listed here, this is perhaps the one that is closest to solving problems. But still, very often you won’t find the problems you’re solving in your current user base. And it’s still often a very risky type of feature as it usually comes with high effort. Often you might be solving problems from a different company. Or you solve a problem, that has been solved 100 times before already, but you want to do it for the 101st time for strategic reasons.Melissa Perry describes an example from a fictional company called Marquetly in her book ‘Escaping the build trap’. The company is building a marketplace for educational courses. When surveying teachers (one side of the marketplace), the company found that teachers needed better video editing features to upload more content. The amount of content uploaded was one of the company's strategic KPIs. While developing video editing features is outside of Marquetly's core business (Education marketplace), it solves a problem that its own customers have. This would be an example of vertical integration, where you solve problems for your own customers.However, there are also other examples of companies solving other companies' customer problems. Spotify's entry into the podcast sector would be an example of this. I'm sure it wasn't a problem for Spotify users that they couldn't listen to podcasts. When Spotify entered the market, the podcast market was much smaller than it is today and most of their users probably didn't have this form of content on their radar. Spotify, however, saw it as an opportunity to leverage their existing strengths (e.g. a great audio discovery experience) to expand their market by offering podcasts as well. This is an example, where Spotify solved a customer problem from a different company. A problem statement could read as something like I am not able to find great podcast content on my mobile phone.Another example would be the takeover of cron Calendar by Notion and the renaming to Notion Calendar. Notion Calendar does not have superior functionality compared to Google Calendar or any other calendar. There was no problem with Notion users not being able to manage their appointments. They simply managed them in another calendar. Notion made the acquisition anyway because it fits with their vision of building a centralized operating system for corporate information. Notion believes that the information from Calendars is important for this.Visibility PartnershipsVisibility partnerships help you to increase your reach. You do this by listing your application in a directory of another application with a higher reach. Sometimes integrations create synergies and solves problems. An example of this would be the integration of Crunchbase and LinkedIn. It's handy that LinkedIn users can now see reviews and funding rounds directly in LinkedIn. This solves the problem of not having to navigate to another site. It's a weak problem, but it can be articulated.An example of an integration that does not solve any problem is the Canva plugin in ChatGPT. There are countless reviews (e.g. here or here) that the plugin is completely unusable. It also has a bad rating in the ChatGPT store (3.1). About a third of all reviews (>100k in total) are 1/5 stars.But: This is still a very successful feature. Not because it solves a problem, but because it creates reach and awareness. It also positions Canva as an innovative company right on the frontier of AI. In the ChatGPT plugin store it’s visible, that more than 5 million conversations have been triggered to date! Apart from the dev costs, which seemed to be kept low on purpose, that's un-paid reach for Canva! Canva's main goal with this plugin was to reach more people for free and position itself as an innovative company.The main objective of increasing reach is also reflected in the quality of the product. Canva is usually known for high quality features. The ChatGPT plugin is simple. Probably too simple. So simple that users don't find it useful. An indication that functionality was not the main goal to be achieved here.Brand PositioningThe second category is Brand Positioning. This includes initiatives like rebrands or viral campaigns. They can e.g. enhance a product’s cultural relevance or generally strengthen its market presence.Virality Drivers & Demo FeaturesVirality drivers have nothing to do with solving a problem. It's all about delighting customers. And this delight must be big. Very big. Virality drivers work by offering a (usually) fun feature that blows people away so that they share it on social media.A good and recent example of this is Spotify Wrapped. Letting you know how many minutes you listened to an artist or what your musical era was called in May is not a solution to a problem. But it is fun! It gets you to share the stats on social media, and that's free reach for Spotify.In the podcast, Stefan and I also discussed the equivalent for this in the B2B SaaS space, which would be “Demo Features”. Demo Features have the only purpose to impress during a demo . These features can add a "wow" factor, making the product memorable and helping it stand out in competitive pitches.Brand RefreshesMost PMs have had this experience, and it's always a challenge to prioritize this work over other product work that solves customer problems: Rebrandings. Rebrandings solve 0 customer problems. The only reason companies are doing it is for themselves. To position themselves better. For better long-term market positioning, but also to attract better & retain better talent. The majority of work is usually done in the design or marketing team. But there are often parts that need to be delivered by the product team. Changing colors, fonts, padding, logos etc. It's just work that needs to be done.The key is to keep the effort as low as possible. Ideally, you have a design system that allows these changes to be made centrally without distracting the engineers from their actual work.Experience OptimisationCategory #3 are improvements in performance or delightful interactions that elevate user satisfaction and loyalty, even without solving explicit problems.Performance UpgradesPerformance upgrades improve loading times. It may come as a surprise to many that this type of feature is listed here. However, the truth is that performance improvements, such as faster load times, are usually not a solution to a customer problem. Unless there is one of the following three reasons:* Your app is actively perceived as slow by users.* Speed is a key value proposition of your application (e.g. Cloudflare or AWS)* You are competing with distractions and attention. This is true for B2C e-commerce websites, for example, where milliseconds matter to convert customers.As a B2B SaaS PM you should look for real impact in your work. That means influencing business metrics, such as revenue, retention or customer satisfaction. A performance upgrade will only influence these business metrics if one of the above points are true. Incremental performance improvements are rarely noticed by users. So, be careful when prioritizing performance improvements over delivering real customer value.UX DelightersThis type of feature is about incorporating playful elements such as micro-interactions to increase enjoyment. They are usually aimed at creating emotional connections rather than solving actual problems. A good example is the Apple Intelligence Suite. Apple is known for playful micro-interactions on the iPhone, but the latest version has taken these to a new level. You can see them all in action via this link: https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence/.B2B SaaS companies are traditionally more focussed on efficiency and functionality. But some of them also manage to inspire with their UX. I was recently blown away by the Sidekicks AI function from Miro.You can get AI-generated feedback from a domain expert on your content. UI-wise a cursor will move through your canvas, imitating a real person reading through content, dropping comments. Below is an example for a board i created for writing this article:While this experience doesn’t solve a real problem compared to simply adding the comments without the animation, it’s delightful and made the experience memorable for me.There’s also micro interactions that solve real customer problems. @Nesrine Changuel has some great examples in a recent blogpost: While delight doesn’t solve a problem, it often enhances user retention and emotional connection. For specific features it can be also a strategic element that is important for the features success. It’s important though that you find a good balance of not prioritizing them over solving real customer problems. Foundational InnovationThe last category is Foundational Innovation.By definition, enabling technologies are designed to enable advances and applications in a wide range of problem areas. Examples of enabling technologies include large language models such as GPT-3 and GPT-4 as well as historical innovations such as the steam engine, the printing press and the internet. Although scientists do not intentionally avoid certain problems, the development of enabling technologies often involves an open-ended approach.Companies working on such open problems usually operate under very different financial conditions than traditional SaaS companies. The main objective is not to develop a product and therefore not to solve a specific problem. Only very few commercially-focused organizations can afford to invest in such initiatives. A good example is Google, which have a long-lasting culture of open-ended innovations. A recent example that came out of it and was turned into a product was NotebookLM. NotebookLM is a content-repurposing tool. The most popular usecase is to create a podcast from text-documents. This is not a problem any Google user had. It’s still an incredible innovation, which might be turned into it’s own revenue-generating product soon.The bottomline - How do we build products without a problem?If the majority of your work as a PM is not based on solving problems, you are doing something wrong. Solving problems is still at the centre of product managers' work. But after reading this article, you will have seen that there can also be investments that are not centered around solving a problem. However, these are not usual day-to-day cases for PMs. If you’re a PM in a B2B SaaS company with common financial principles, solving real-life problem is still your best shot to making your organization successful.A clear “Why”Even if the features listed above are not based on a problem, there is still a clear why? behind them. In all of the examples listed, it is obvious why the companies have done them and how they contribute to parts of their strategy.You can’t bypass the Why? part behind a feature.Having a clear problem to solve for your feature has many advantages. It forces you to think user-centric. Features that solve a problem have strong product-market fit in-built. Working on features, that don’t solve a problem have a higher likelihood of failing. And failing is expensive.So, whenever you work on a feature that is not connected to solving a problem, make sure you have a crystal-clear why attached to it.The best way to de-risk features without a problem is to ask the following question to 5 different people working on the feature. Ideally from different teams, such as PMM, UX, Engineering, etc.Why do we, as an organization, need this feature?If you don’t get the same answer 5 times, you can assume it will be risky to work on the feature.Podcast Chapters00:00 The Centrality of Problem Solving in Product Management02:31 Exploring Foundational Innovations and Their Impact10:05 The Role of Product Managers in Foundational Technologies15:46 Strategic Growth: Market Expansion and Visibility Partnerships23:53 Navigating Risks in Market Expansion and Partnerships24:19 Startups vs Established Companies: Distribution Challenges25:54 Brand Positioning: Virality Drivers and Rebranding26:44 Demo Features: The B2B Perspective32:06 Experience Optimization: Performance Upgrades vs UX Delighters34:00 The Value of Rebranding in B2B SaaS35:44 Prioritizing Performance Upgrades: When and Why?38:12 Delighting Users: The Role of UX in B2B Products43:15 The Importance of a Clear 'Why' Behind FeaturesLinksLink to Podcast Episode* 📹 YouTube* 🔊 Spotify* 🔊 Apple MusicIn case you want to reach out, please do so on LinkedIn:* ❤️‍🩹 Follow Hotfix: https://pal.bio/the-hotfix-podcast* 🎙️ Follow Christoph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophbodenstein/* 🎙️ Follow Stefan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-pernek-629901107/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thehotfixpodcast.substack.com
    --------  
    40:32
  • #005 w/ Malte Scholz: The $1,000 Mobile App That Cost Far More
    In this week we talked with Malte Scholz about his biggest failure story. Malte is the CPO & Co-Founder of airfocus.com. He shared a story about a time, where they decided to build a mobile app for airfocus.They decided to do that not because of customer requests or business reasons, but simply because it was easy to do.“There was this developer who said, ‘Hey, I can build that for $1,000.’ It sounded amazing—so we just went for it”The app was delivered on budget, but the team quickly learned that the real cost was just beginning:* Maintenance Effort: The app required ongoing updates, bug fixes, and feature compatibility with the core platform. Their CTO spent three months rewriting it—time that could have been spent elsewhere.* Distraction: Every product decision thereafter needed to account for mobile compatibility, slowing down roadmap execution.* Sunsetting Isn’t Cheap: Even when they realized the app was a mistake, killing it took significant effort—arguably as much as building it.A lesson that all software builds create work, regardless of how small something initially seems.Nothing is ever “cheap” or “easy” to build. Every line of code carries the hidden costs of maintenance, iteration, and eventual deprecation.Malte’s team learned to approach new ideas with a key question: Are we building this because it’s strategically valuable—or just because we can?What Else We Talked AboutBeyond the app story, this episode dives into:* The Value of Failure: Why even a misstep like the app helped AirFocus refine their product strategy.* AI in Product Teams: How large language models can help PMs with time-intensive tasks like feedback synthesis—but why trendy integrations often fail.* PMs in 10 Years: Why stakeholder management and strategic thinking make PMs uniquely irreplaceable in the age of AI.🎧 Listen NowCurious about how to avoid similar pitfalls in your product journey? Check out the full episode:Spotify: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hotfix-podcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thehotfixpodcast.substack.com
    --------  
    28:26
  • #004: How do you effectively push back as a PM?
    In this conversation, Stefan Pernek and Christoph Bodenstein discuss the complexities of pushing back in professional settings, particularly in product management. They explore the balance between maintaining relationships and advocating for product integrity, the necessity of context in decision-making, and the importance of strategic insights for effective product management. The dialogue emphasizes the need for clear communication and understanding between product managers and leadership to ensure successful outcomes. In this conversation, Stefan Pernek and Christoph Bodenstein discuss the critical role of product managers in ensuring the success of product development. They emphasize the importance of accountability, risk management, and effective communication in product management. The discussion highlights the need for product managers to validate ideas through customer feedback and to understand the various risks involved in product development. They also stress the significance of empathy and listening in decision-making processes, advocating for a culture that embraces risk identification and validation. 00:00 Navigating Pushback in Professional Relationships Chapters11:11 The Importance of Context in Product Management 22:05 Strategic Insights and Effective Decision Making 30:00 Understanding Risks in Product Development 35:00 The Importance of Validation and Customer Feedback 40:03 Effective Communication and Storytelling in Product Management 45:09 Empathy and Understanding in Decision MakingLinksIn case you want to reach out, please do so on LinkedIn:* ❤️‍🩹 Follow Hotfix: https://pal.bio/the-hotfix-podcast* 🎙️ Follow Christoph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophbodenstein/* 🎙️ Follow Stefan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-pernek-629901107/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thehotfixpodcast.substack.com
    --------  
    45:18
  • #003 w/ Amy Mitchell: Optimize to Be Valuable, Not Needed
    🚀 What happens when you empower your team so effectively that they no longer need you?This week on Hotfix, we sat down with Amy Mitchell, a Product Director at Dell, who shared a story about a journey, that changed her. Over the past two years, Amy led the launch of a new managed service offering at Dell. What started as a hands-on role, driving contracts, securing investment, and assembling the product team, evolved into a situation where her team had outgrown her.In Amy’s words:"I woke up one day and realized—I’m not needed here anymore. My team was managing P&Ls, solving customer escalations, and flagging risks before I even noticed them."While many would see this as a career threat, Amy reframed it as an opportunity:“It’s not about being indispensable. It’s about enabling your team to own the work, and moving on to tackle the next strategic challenge.”Empowerment as a PM SuperpowerAs product managers, we often hear about the importance of empowering our teams. But Amy’s experience takes it to a radical level:✅ Handing over responsibility for business and technical decisions.✅ Documenting critical knowledge to ensure seamless handoffs.✅ Recognizing when it’s time to step away.This isn’t just about delegation. It’s about designing yourself out of a role when the team no longer requires your guidance, allowing them to thrive autonomously.Lessons for Every PMAmy’s story highlights three critical insights:1️⃣ Empowerment Is IntentionalFrom the start, she invested in hiring strong cross-functional leaders, documenting knowledge, and focusing on strategy over micromanagement. The result? A team capable of solving problems independently.2️⃣ Your Value Is in Starting, Not StayingThis shift requires a mindset change. Instead of clinging to your role, focus on creating systems and frameworks that allow others to succeed without you.3️⃣ Don’t Fear Redundancy—Embrace ItWhen Amy’s team said, “We’ve got this,” her first thought was: “Am I about to be laid off?” But instead of succumbing to fear, she sought out new challenges and opportunities within her organization.A Call to ActionWhether you’re a product leader or an individual contributor, Amy’s story is a powerful reminder to prioritize being valuable over being needed. How can you empower your team today so they can thrive without you tomorrow?Listen to Amy’s full story on this week’s episode of Hotfix [insert link]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thehotfixpodcast.substack.com
    --------  
    29:06

More Technology podcasts

About The Hotfix Podcast

Stories from product leaders and unfiltered truths about products that failed. 💥 Made with ❤️ by Christoph & Stefan thehotfixpodcast.substack.com
Podcast website

Listen to The Hotfix Podcast, Lex Fridman Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
Social
v7.2.0 | © 2007-2025 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 1/19/2025 - 4:39:22 PM