The document discusses the importance of problem finding as the first step in the product management process. It outlines a process for problem finding that includes gathering information from various sources, identifying trends and gaps, taking breaks to gain new perspectives, distilling findings, pitching ideas to soundboards, and formalizing problems. The key takeaways are to develop an individualized problem finding process, set aside dedicated time for problem finding, and leverage internal and external resources and feedback.

1. www.productschool.com
Finding Product Inspiration Through
User Needs by LinkedIn Sr PM

2. CERTIFICATES
Your Product Management Certificate Path
Product Leadership
Certificate™
Full Stack Product
Management Certificate™
Product Management
Certificate™
20 HOURS
40 HOURS
40 HOURS

3. Corporate
Training
Level up your team’s Product
Management skills

4. Free Product Management Resources
BOOKS
EVENTS
JOB PORTAL
COMMUNITIES
bit.ly/product_resources
COURSES

5. Webinar: Product Inspiration through User Problems
Alana Smith, Sr. Product Manager @ Linkedin
www.productschool.com

6. Alana Smith
S P E A K E R
Senior Product Manager

7. A B O U T A L A N A
Guiding Words: “Your next role probably doesn’t exist yet.” &
“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”

8. CAREER JOURNEY

9. #LINKEDINLIFE - NYC!

10. Agenda
www.productschool.com
● Learn why it’s important to take a step back from problem solving to
recenter on problem finding - and the magic that will happen when
you do
● Walk through a process I use to determine which problems stick and
how to distill them
● Why you should think about yourself as a problem manager FIRST
product manager second

11. “What are we building Next?”
“... Look at this cool new thing. Can we use it for
something?”
Have you ever been asked…

12. Be a Problem Manager First
1
1

13. The Problem Journey
Problem
Finding
Problem
Solving
Before solving a problem, you need to focus on finding problems, and
defining them.
Otherwise you may end up solving the wrong problem, or no problem at all.
Problem
Definition

14. “One mistake that I have made before and I see PMs often make is they
start prioritizing solutions or feature ideas without thinking about the
core problem and alternative solutions.
A problem can have many different solutions and it’s important to know
and communicate to your peers which problem you are tackling. The
product manager is essentially the problem manager.”
-Ravi Akellla (Sr. Director of Product @Roblox, via Medium)

15. How are they Different?
1
1
● PROBLEM FINDING: Arguably the most challenging and most important skill. We are educated in systems that teach us to solve problems, not find
them. It takes time to unlearn our natural instinct and, instead, take a step back and really understand what we're trying to solve and for whom.
● PROBLEM SOLVING: Iterative problem solving is at the heart of building. This is when we aim to balance value with usability and feasibility. We
always have fewer resources than we'd like and this skill helps us make the trade-offs necessary to get a product out of the door.
Source - Notes on Product Management Linkedin Newsletter- by Rohan Rajiv
Critical to spend a
lot of time here
before jumping into
Phase II

16. A well-defined problem often contains its own solution within it, and
that solution is usually quite obvious and straightforward.
By properly defining problems, you make them not only easier to solve,
but easier to communicate.
which means saving time, money and resources.
- remember -

17. sometimes defining the problem is more work than solving it.
- also remember -

18. So how do you do this?
1
1
Test & find a process that works for you

19. My process
1
1
1. Get All The Puzzle Pieces
2. Start Putting them Together
3. Walk Away, Then Come Back
4. Distill.
5. Casual Pitch with Your Trusted Sounding Boards
6. Rewrite it. Re-Distill
7. Time for Longer Form

20. Research, Analyze & Take a Break
1
1
1. Get All The Puzzle Pieces
Cast a wide net (research, competitors, real users, data)
2. Start Putting them Together
Trends. Gaps. Questions. Lots of Questions (write them down)
3. Walk Away, Then Come Back
Sometimes you have to look at it in a different light (and set aside your
original POV)

21. - defining problems -
requires patience, repetition and thorough
examination. It is the most important
element of critical thinking.

22. Distill, Pitch, REPEAT
1
1
4. Distill.
With a goal to be in the simplest form possible
5. Casual Pitch with Your Trusted Sounding Boards
A good test that helps find gaps in your narrative and the idea.
6. Rewrite it. Re-Distill
Challenge yourself, get what you need and try it again. (go back to #5)

23. - ask “why is this a problem?”-
if the answer is another problem,
that’s progress! keep doing this, you’ll
probably be tired but you’ll get closer
to the source.

24. - ask if it’s a problem worth solving-
many problems aren’t.
they take time, energy, resources...

25. Formalize and Pitch
1
1
7. Time for Longer Form
This is usually when I’ll write a succinct one-pager, with the
goal of larger distribution

26. What if everything changed by #7?
1
1
That’s ok!
Write it out anyway ! It’s important to have a record of the thought process, decision
making & recommendations to share with the team and reference later.

27. Takeaway 1: Find your Sounding Boards
1
1
● Find your trusted internal idea sounding boards
○ Those comfortable in “working” ideas (grey area)
○ Usually good listeners
○ Ideally someone you have a recurring meeting with
○ that person who has “good questions”

28. Take away 2: Make it Your Own
1
1
● Work on developing your own process for problem finding
● Company & Team cultures are different (resources too) - How would
you lay out your process? How about the process you want?
and remember → Spend more time defining the problem than you do
solving it.

29. Take away 3: Set Aside Time
1
1
● Set aside time each week to focus on it .
○ You’ll thank yourself when planning time comes around (it always sneaks up
on you)
○ Make a list of resources (people, data sources, users/community, external
research) to call on

30. Recommended Resources & References
1
1
● Careers.Linkedin.com for opportunity info!
● Notes on Product Management, Weekly Linkedin Newsletter by Rohan Rajiv
● Linkedin Learning Courses & Videos
○ Product Management Starter Kit
○ Problem statements are your guiding star
○ Problem Definition
○ Finding the Real Problem: Design Thinking
○ Asking Better Questions
○ Defining the Problem you solve

31. Thank You!
www.productschool.com

32. www.productschool.com
Part-time Product Management Training Courses
and
Corporate Training