The core concept for every Product Manager is recognising that our work revolves around creating and leveraging knowledge.

Internalising this fundamental concept reshapes one's approach to every task. Creating each artefact with this lens, you start asking profound questions:

– What do I know, and how do I know that?

– Why do I believe that something is true?

– What are the things I don’t know yet?

– How much should I spend answering such questions or validating these assumptions?

– How can I leverage this knowledge?

– How do I ensure every stakeholder and team member knows about this?

– How should new observations change my current beliefs?

You generate knowledge through market research, user studies, and conducting a/b tests. No surprises there. Client feedback, discontinued subscriptions, bugs and tickets also offer opportunities to gain insights. Once validated, they inform adjustments to onboarding, subscription prices, and user support for an enhanced product experience. This is the obvious knowledge lifecycle.

You also create knowledge by visualising PLG motions, modelling unit economy, and even prioritising initiatives in your roadmap. These actions create insights you use afterwards to change your product experience, shift marketing efforts or hire new team members.

<aside> 🔨 “If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail” – when the notion of knowledge is used as such a hammer – you become knowledgeable, rational and effective.

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That’s why true startups are the most impressive vessels of new knowledge creation, and product managers are ultimate knowledge workers. More about that in the next posts.