For most business leaders, making decisions with data isn’t a speedy process. Take a recent survey by McKinsey, for example, where 57% of C-level executives reported not using their decision-making time effectively. Even when we make this activity a priority, many of us struggle to stay on task and reach ... The post How to Streamline Decision-Making with a 3D View of Data first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

“Somewhere along the way, we understood that building your own products is the ultimate freedom.” Over the past 16 years, Railsware has evolved from a small engineering firm into a thriving product studio. How we got here isn’t exactly a mystery, but it wasn’t a straight path, either. What entrepreneurial ... The post Thinkers Vs Doers: CEO’s Take on How to Invent Roles and Ignite Vision first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

Words can’t always convey the true value of your product. Sometimes, a potential customer needs more than a video or some website copy to understand how they can benefit from your solution. And this is what makes a product demo a powerful tool in your sales and marketing arsenal. For ... The post How to Give Product Demos That Win Customers first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

Every product manager’s career journey is marked by trial and error; especially the early years. Making mistakes is natural – even expected. Sometimes, poor boundaries, rushed decision-making, and lack of communciation are the root causes of our mistakes. But what if you could avoid some of these pitfalls entirely? With ... The post 6 Common Pitfalls Product Managers Should Avoid first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

Research from McKinsey shows that around 50% of product launches fail to hit business targets. The major causes? Poor strategic planning, which includes a lack of risk assessment in early product development. At Railsware, we’ve spent years fine-tuning our development process to avoid these pitfalls. Rapid prototyping is one of ... The post Guide to Rapid Prototyping first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

Conceptualizing, building, and implementing new features is a core aspect of a product manager’s job. But striking a balance between feature quantity and product quality is difficult, even when product managers have a clear vision and strategy for the product. Stakeholder expectations, customer demands, and differences of opinion within the ... The post Product Features Explained first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

The definition of a product manager’s role can vary from company to company, or even team to team. It all comes down to factors like the industry, the specific niche, team size, and where the product is in its life cycle. Here at Railsware, we wanted to give our perspective ... The post A Week in the Life of a Railsware Product Lead first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

A disorganized, overcrowded backlog can derail even the most dedicated product team. In this article, we’ll explain why, and what you can do about it. We’ll also share advice on best practices, as well as who to invite to backlog refinement sessions, how to prepare, and how to effectively prioritize ... The post Backlog Refinement Without BS first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

So you’ve just landed a job as a product manager at a startup. Now what? Maybe you’re unsure about the extent of your responsibilites, or how to structure the product decision-making process. Maybe you’ve never worked with such a small team before, and don’t know what’s expected from you as ... The post Product Management for Startups first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more

In an effort to build transparency, boost engagement, and keep investors in the loop, many startups have opted to release public product roadmaps. But are they actually useful? What tangible benefits do they bring, and what are the risks? If you’re unsure about whether a public roadmap is a good ... The post Do you need a public roadmap for your product? first appeared on Blog by Railsware ..read more