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A US government funded HIV program implementer in East Africa had seen little movement in their viral load suppression rates which were hovering around 86% for several months. The program was primarily using quarterly data to review performance resulting in delayed actions. To contribute towards attaining HIV epidemic control more effectively, the program needed updated data at a weekly cadence for key performance indicators on viral suppression. Download the pdf here

By Bernard Katz As a surfer, I am at the mercy of the wind. The basic natural phenomenon of wind strength and direction has a direct impact on my life. At a practical level, the wind governs if I surf or not and how much I spend on petrol to get to various surf locations. At a deeper level, the wind influences my mood and thus my relationships with those closest to me. When the wind blows strong from the wrong direction, I am on edge, I get fidgety and annoy those around me. When the wind is fair, and the waves are good I am uplifted. There is a sense that anything is possible. Relationships in product development are like the wind to a surfer. They are powerful forces that cannot be seen or touched but can be felt intensely. Relationships influence the decisions we make. Basic decisions, such as with whom to eat lunch to more complex decisions about roadmap priorities. They fill the space between us and influence our moods and our thoughts. Like the wind they are difficult to control but when they are fair, anything can be achieved. Read more

By Bernard Katz No one grows up saying they want to be a product manager (at least not in the time and place I grew up). Yet, despite this, the product managers, with whom I have worked, have been some of my most passionate colleagues. We all seem to have come from different career backgrounds, but like the proverbial roads leading to Rome our paths have intersected in a spaghetti junction of features and functions and user stories and releases. We often share a common goal, to deliver great products to enthusiastic users in order to make the world a better place. However, can familiarity breed contempt? Can competitive pressures get the better of us? In this post, which is part four of the Relationship Series, I unpack the relationship between a product manager and other product managers. Read more