Bar-raising Product Management: Crafting winning product strategies with Adam Pruett

As a Technical Product Manager (PMT) at Amazon Ads, developing robust product strategies is crucial to your product’s and team’s success. This article, part of our "Bar-Raising Product Management" series, explores the art of product strategy development, offering valuable insights and practical tips to help you in your role.

Adam Pruett is the Principal PMT on the Alexa Native Ads team. With six years at Amazon Ads and more than eight years at Amazon overall, Pruett has honed his skills in product strategy and road mapping, comparing the experience to managing "a start-up that you can control and have ownership of." In an internal session for our Amazon Ads PMT community, Adam shared what he considers essential to the strategy development process.

As an advocate for good planning, Pruett shares that “product strategy brings focus to delivering what is most important for our customers. To quote Steve Jobs, ‘People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on, but it really means saying no to the 100 other good ideas.’”

This focus is crucial, Pruett argues, because as product managers, we have finite resources and time. A well-developed strategy helps us prioritize and make informed decisions about where to invest our efforts. It ensures that we're building products that truly meet customer needs and align with broader business goals.

Moreover, Pruett points out that a solid product strategy serves as a unifying force, aligning diverse teams and stakeholders with a common vision. It provides a clear road map for product development, helping to avoid the pitfalls of unfocused or misaligned efforts. "Without a clear strategy," Pruett says, "we risk building products that fail to resonate with customers or deliver meaningful business impact."

At Amazon, our first Leadership Principle is Customer Obsession, and we believe this forms the bedrock of any successful product strategy.

To truly understand your customer, Pruett recommends creating a customer hypothesis. Ask yourself: Who is your target user? What role do they play? What problem can your product solve for them? He suggests leveraging existing resources, such as customer personas developed by the user experience (UX) team, as a starting point.

"Don't rush this stage," Pruett advises. "Spend ample time understanding your customer's needs, pain points, and desires. This investment will pay dividends throughout your product development process."

Once you have a deep understanding of your customer, it's time to develop a vision for your product. Pruett outlines the key elements of a what a strong product vision should contain:

• Customer centricity: Clearly articulate how your product will satisfy customer needs.
• Delightful elements: Describe how your product will positively impact the customer's experience.
• Unifying vision: Think about how you’re going to bring together stakeholders, partners, and leadership around a common goal.
• Simplicity: Keep the main idea simple and easy to understand. Ideally, you should be able to describe it in one sentence.
• Ambition: Think big and set a goal that's 5–10 years out. Thinking big is hugely important at Amazon, so stretch your vision.

"Remember," Pruett says, echoing Jeff Bezos, "Be stubborn on vision but flexible on details."

With your vision in place, it's time to flesh out the details of your product story. Pruett recommends considering core features, user journey, and competitive landscape. He emphasizes the importance of collaborating closely with UX partners to create customer experience (CX) storyboards and mock-ups at an early stage.

"These visual aids will help stakeholders better understand and buy into your product vision," Pruett explains. "It's not just about the features; it's about how the customer discovers and uses your product to solve their problem."

A crucial aspect of your product strategy should be demonstrating its potential impact and viability. Pruett advises working with finance, sales, and engineering teams to quantify business benefits, identify costs, explore flywheel effects, and assess technical feasibility.

"Use sensitivity analysis to showcase different levels of potential impact, from minimum to maximum," Pruett suggests. "This approach acknowledges uncertainties while demonstrating the range of possible outcomes."

Product strategy development is an iterative process. As Pruett advises, "Continuously iterate as necessary." He recommends regularly revisiting your strategy to ensure that it remains relevant and effective:

• Seek feedback early and often from partners and stakeholders.
• Identify and address potential risks and gaps.
• Stay attuned to changes in the landscape or competition that might necessitate strategy adjustments.

When communicating your strategy, Pruett recommends using a product strategy board to succinctly showcase key elements. "Tailor your communication to different audiences," he advises. "Engineering, sales, and leadership may all need different levels of detail."

Developing a winning product strategy at Amazon Ads requires a delicate balance of customer obsession, visionary thinking, and pragmatic execution. By following Pruett's guidelines and continuously refining your approach, PMTs can be well equipped to drive impactful products that delight customers and contribute to their organizations’ success.

Pruett concludes, "As a PMT in ad tech, you have the opportunity to shape its future. Embrace the challenge, think big, and never lose sight of the customer. Your product strategy could be the next game-changer in the industry."