Book Image

Effective Platform Product Management

By : Tabassum Memon
Book Image

Effective Platform Product Management

By: Tabassum Memon

Overview of this book

Scaling a platform is a lot different than scaling a product. This is why product managers developing or transitioning to a platform model are often facing completely new challenges – both technical and strategic. But if you want to build the next Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, or a completely new type of platform, then you need to adopt a platform-first approach to change how you invent, develop, and market solutions. This is where Effective Product Platform Management comes in. This book addresses product management as a critical pillar of platform development. It'll help you understand the difference between traditional and modern product management for platforms and even decide whether the platform business model is the way to go for you. As you progress, you’ll be able to build the right platform strategy, define the MVP, and focus on ongoing backlog prioritization for successful platforms. This book will also walk you through the practical steps and guidelines that can ease your organization’s transition from linear products to platforms. By the end of this platform product management book, you’ll have learned the essential aspects of product management for building successful and scalable platforms. You’ll also have a clear understanding of the next steps you need to take to perfect and execute your new platform strategy – and take on the world.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
1
Section 1: Building the Right Strategy for the Platform Business Model
6
Section 2: Building the Platform
10
Section 3: Measuring the Performance of the Platform

The need for transformation

In Chapter 1, Fundamentals of Platform Business Models, we covered the benefits of the platform business model in detail, such as the variety of choices and lower prices for consumers, increased revenue and profits for producers, and the distribution of responsibilities for all the parties, hence the division of risk between them. These benefits were also applicable to the non-digital platforms that existed until a few years ago and still exist in some cases. For example, real estate agents who connect home buyers and sellers for a commission or a fee have now moved to the digital world, thanks to platforms such as Realtor.com. The platform business model supported by technology has disrupted almost all industries, ranging from retail, travel, and hospitality to entertainment, housing, finance, and so on.

The disruption caused by platform businesses is unavoidable and organizations that do not realize this change find it difficult to compete. While some...