Product Manager 101: Always Ship, Rarely Launch

Fitness Product Manager on Launch Strategy (Part 2)

You’ve probably heard the phrase “always be shipping.” This is the best place to be as a product manager. On the other hand, there is a related phrase that I want to talk about in addition to shipping. That phrase is “rarely be launching.”

To start with shipping, this is when you are constantly pushing out new features and functionality for your product. Conversely, launching is focused on introducing new features and creating a story around these enhancements to create a large messaging event.

I am a big fan of continuous deployment to give customers new features. That said, I also understand the impact that product launches can have in advancing your business forward. The challenge is that launches are expensive and you have to consider the benefits of launching a completely new product versus making small enhancements to your existing product.

To make sure that your launch stands out, you need to have a compelling bundle of features with effective user communications to tell a story. At the same time, you need to keep shipping in order to consistently engage with your customers. The key is to build your road map to stay relevant with continuous improvement (shipping) while making a big splash to stay ahead of the game (launching).

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Looking for Part 3? Click here to view