Books by Richard Banfield

In todays lightning-fast technology world, good product management is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage. Yet, managing human beings and navigating complex product roadmaps is no easy task, and its rare to find a product leader who can steward a digital product from concept to launch without a couple of major hiccups. Why do some product leaders succeed while others dont?This insightful book presents interviews with nearly 100 leading product managers from all over the world. Authors Richard Banfield, Martin Eriksson, and Nate Walkingshaw draw on decades of experience in product design and development to capture the approaches, styles, insights, and techniques of successful product managers. If you want to understand what drives good product leaders, this book is an irreplaceable resource.In three parts, Product Leadership helps you explore:Themes and patterns of successful teams and their leaders, and ways to attain those characteristicsBest approaches for guiding your product team through the startup, emerging, and enterprise stages of a companys evolutionStrategies and tactics for working with customers, agencies, partners, and external stakeholders

What does it take to be the leader of a design firm or group? We often assume they have all the answers, but in this rapidly evolving industry theyre forced to find their way like the rest of us. So how do good design leaders manage? If you lead a design group, or want to understand the people who do, this insightful book explores behind-the-scenes strategies and tactics from leaders of top design companies throughout North America.Based on scores of interviews he conducted over a two-year periodfrom small companies to massive corporations like ESPNauthor Richard Banfield covers a wide range of topics, including:How design leaders create a healthy company cultureInnovative ways for attracting and nurturing talentCreating productive workspaces, and handling remote employeesStaying on top of demands while making time for themselvesConsistent patterns among vastly different leadership stylesTechniques and approaches for keeping the work pipeline fullMaking strategic and tactical plans for the futureMistakes that design leaders madeand how they bounced back

With more than 500 new apps entering the market every day, what does it take to build a successful digital product? You can greatly reduce your risk of failure with design sprints, a process that enables your team to prototype and test a digital product idea within a week. This practical guide shows you exactly what a design sprint involves and how you can incorporate the process into your organization.Design sprints not only let you test digital product ideas before you pour too many resources into a project, they also help everyone get on boardwhether theyre team members, decision makers, or potential users. Youll know within days whether a particular product idea is worth pursuing.Design sprints enable you to:Clarify the problem at hand, and identify the needs of potential usersExplore solutions through brainstorming and sketching exercisesDistill your ideas into one or two solutions that you can testPrototype your solution and bring it to lifeTest the prototype with people who would use it