Sure, a meaty project roadmap with a tangible impact is a common objective for many a product manager. But when PMs have ample room to grow their careers, take on more ambitious projects and receive meaningful recognition for their work, that is what moves a role from good to great.
Take Logic20/20, a consulting company where Product Manager Alison Braun is currently building tech that models the probability of wildfires in arid Western states. To her, it’s a rich project at the intersection of technology, climate change and advanced data, with real-world implications. But beyond that, there’s a substantial opportunity for PMs to advance professionally and see increased ownership over special projects.
“Senior product managers can drive the strategy and vision of roadmaps for major client initiatives that positively affect users across the digital spectrum,” Braun said.
Senior Product Manager Lindsey Peters feels similarly in her role at Flexe, a logistics tech company. According to her, Flexe is scaling quickly, which gives her team a unique opportunity to reevaluate how they’re building products and shape how the company delivers results to customers.
“Something we like to say is, ‘What we did to get here won’t get us to there,’” Peters said. “We’re growing fast and trying to scale more efficiently, and our processes and products need to support that growth.”
Curious to learn more about what these two product teams are working on this year? Built In Seattle connected with Braun and Peters to learn where their roadmaps are leading, how they’ve seen their careers unfold and why other ambitious product managers should consider joining their team.
What are the biggest projects or challenges your team is working on in the next six months?
I work on the Flexe Logistics Platform, which is our warehouse management system. Part of the Flexe value proposition is how quickly we stand up warehouse operations for our customers. To grow our business, we need our products to scale with minimal maintenance.
Right now, we’re reconsidering every aspect of our product lifecycle to ensure we’re solving the right problems in a scalable way. That means reevaluating our intake process and how we gather and prioritize requirements, as well as considering ease of setup and adoption. Our new features must maintain or reduce the required setup time, so we have to be intentional about adding any overhead that increases the platform’s complexity or configuration.
It’s exciting that the biggest challenges we face are ones we introduced ourselves, because we’re always trying to raise the bar.
If you’re process-minded and love building supportive structures for product development, there is so much opportunity at Flexe.”
What opportunities exist at your organization for ambitious PMs?
Our product roadmap has a direct and immediate impact on our customers. At Flexe, we value close relationships with our customers and warehouse partners. We have the power to add features that open up new market opportunities or expand existing business.
Part of helping our customers, and Flexe, scale requires having the right processes in place to move quickly. For example, we’re flexing our Agile product management muscles to ensure we’re working smarter, not harder.
If you’re process-minded and love building supportive structures for product development, there is so much opportunity at Flexe. We solve hard problems, and any product managers who come to Flexe will see the impacts of their product decisions quickly.
How have you been able to grow your career within your company?
Flexe is really intentional about recognizing employees and their contributions. We participate in biannual performance reviews, and every quarter, the company recognizes employees who especially embody Flexe values. In my first year, Flexe promoted me, and my peers nominated me for the “livin’ it” award.
We work together and support each other. We value feedback, encouraging others, and learning and growing every day. As I’ve seen firsthand, if you’re willing to work hard and keep improving, Flexe will recognize and reward your efforts.
What are the biggest projects or challenges your team is working on in the next six months?
A few of our biggest projects revolve around a transitioning technological landscape that is evolving as the planet warms. Data is changing rapidly, providing massive amounts of material that will help clients in the power-generation sector use artificial intelligence to model wildfire probabilities across western states. That data can help them assess historic probability, equipment failure, weather conditions, vegetation and development stressors that have caused large-scale destruction.
As California gears up for the next wildfire season, it is imperative that we continue to build products that allow our clients to quantify and understand the data so that they can make decisions that will help preserve life and property.
What opportunities exist at your organization for ambitious PMs?
Our company culture has generous opportunities for all ambitious personnel. We have a strong company culture that celebrates and rewards those who strive to make a difference for both clients and the company. Additionally, senior product managers can drive the strategy and vision of roadmaps for major client initiatives that positively affect users across the digital spectrum.
This company has afforded me the opportunity to expand my skills not only as a product manager, but as an Agile coach and Scrum educator.”
How have you been able to grow your career within your company?
Logic20/20 has allowed me to pursue my professional goals by providing a culture that supports learning. We are encouraged to continue our training and stay on top of industry trends. This company has afforded me the opportunity to expand my skills not only as a product manager, but as an Agile coach and Scrum educator. It’s also provided me with a canvas to give back to the company while growing my career.
