What you can learn from ‘Decode and Conquer’ by Lewis C. Lin (2013, 202 pages)

Posted by Max on January 25, 2019 in Book reviews | Leave a comment

In his book ‘Decode and Conquer’, Lewis breaks down the separate roles of the Product Owner.

His advice includes:

Have a clear set of criteria for design (he likes Dieter Rams), these should be three of four criteria that you use to evaluate other/your designs

The CIRCLES method of analysing design

• Comprehend situation (what, who, why, when, where and how)
• Report the Customer’s Needs (use personas)
• Cut through, prioritisation (evaluate against clear criteria)
• List solutions
• Evaluate tradeoffs (evaluate pro/cons)
• Summarise your recommendations

The five steps to design:

• Identify clear goals & constraints
• Develop users & use cases
• Prioritise features (clear criteria)
• Brainstorm solutions

Metrics AARM

• Acquisition
• Activation
• Retention
• Monetization

Strategy use Porters Five forces

• Buying power
• The threat of new entrants
• Supplier power
• Substitute products
• Rivalry among existing firms

There are many books available on product management/leadership.  This book stands out, mainly due to the Circles method of analysis.  Read this book for an introduction/recap on creating customer focused products.

You can buy Decode and Conquer on Amazon UK here.