Hi! My name is Alberto and I am a Senior Product Manager with 9 years experience in Product Management. I have a background in Computer Science, so I started off my career as a software engineer. I have done two career pivots since then, first to become a Project Manager and a second one to transition to Product. I define myself as a “product maker” because I have always enjoyed building products. I love to work with customers which was my main driver for those career changes to come closer to who had the problems and be able to help solve them first-hand. As a PM I have experience in the Telco world, eCommerce (Fashion) and CRM verticals. I’ve worked as a Platform, B2C and B2B (SaaS) Product Manager, building for Web, Mobile and AI based products. I am currently a Senior Product Manager for the Mobile team at HubSpot. Prior to that I worked in Zalando both as a Platform and end-user PM and for Amdocs in the Big Data & Analytics team. I love to coach PMs in their journey to mastery and help them grow their careers within the PM world. I like to help others don’t make the mistakes that I made in my early career days.
My Mentoring Topics
- Product development lifecycle
- Vision and Strategy
- Scoping
- Product Discovery
- KPIs and Metrics
- Stakeholder management
- Product Delivery - Agile, Scrum
- Mobile and AI product development
- OKRs
- Roadmaps
M.
25.October 2023Alberto quickly gained a comprehensive understanding of my professional relationships and communication challenges. His first insights surpassed my mentorship expectations. Alberto provided a concise and practical plan for me to attain the desired level of skills and professional relationships. He truly exemplifies excellent professional and mentorship skills.
P.
19.October 2023Session with Alberto was very helpful and he was quite clear with suggestions.
D.
5.May 2023Alberto is the absolute best mentor I've ever had. He does not only have expertise in product management and tech but people management and leadership too. Our sessions are more than discussing specific learning or working challenges I have, where he shares plenty of ideas that stimulate me to experiment and figure out what works best for me. The conversations always turn into helping me develop the product manager mindset which is really powerful and empowering. You can hear Alberto sharing plenty of insights from his rich working experience and thoughts on different topics and be really inspired. I always leave the session with a new goal in mind of how I will improve my work and I feel as if I am becoming a better professional and individual after each session. Cannot describe how grateful I am for the time Alberto has to share on mentoring.
S.
2.May 2023I had an excellent mentoring session with Alberto. He was incredibly knowledgeable and provided valuable insights on product management, including daily responsibilities, career progression, and learning from the best. Alberto also helped me to better understand my own strengths and find my place in this field. His guidance and advice were both practical and inspiring. I appreciated his willingness to stay in touch and provide ongoing support. I highly recommend Alberto as a mentor for anyone looking to excel in product management.
M.
23.March 2023Attempting to articulate the experience of a truly remarkable session with a person can be challenging. In my situation, I required assistance with a particular matter and Alberto demonstrated his professionalism and dedication toward resolving the challenges of young product managers. Alberto generously volunteered his time and provided me with an exceptional level of support. During our conversation, we had a meaningful discussion about my situation, and I am extremely satisfied with the outcome. It was an absolute pleasure to meet such an outstanding individual as Alberto and I look forward to maintaining communication with him to further enhance my experience!!!
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Working Backwards - Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon
Colin Bryar, Bill Carr
Key Insights from Working Backwards Amazon's corporate culture heavily emphasizes a customer-centric approach, which is often the driving force behind its innovation and success. The company utilizes a unique approach to decision making and problem solving known as 'working backwards' – starting with the customer and then developing the product or solution. Amazon’s leadership principles form the bedrock of its corporate culture, guiding the behaviors and decision-making of employees at all levels. 'Two-Pizza Teams' - small autonomous teams with a clear mission and resources - are a key component of Amazon's operational model. The ‘Six-Page Narrative’ and the ‘PR/FAQ’ are two unique mechanisms used by Amazon to foster clear thinking and communication. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Amazon Prime, are case studies of the 'working backwards' process in action. Amazon's culture of experimentation and failure encourages innovation and risk-taking among its employees. Amazon's relentless focus on long-term thinking, often at the expense of short-term profits, is a fundamental part of its success. The 'Bar Raiser' program is a unique hiring process that Amazon uses to maintain a high bar of talent within the company. Amazon’s ‘Single-Threaded Leader’ structure empowers leaders with end-to-end responsibility for a single product or service. Working Backwards: A Deep Dive into Amazon's Innovative Corporate Culture "Working Backwards - Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon" by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr presents a comprehensive exploration into the inner workings of one of the world's most innovative companies. As a professor who has been studying this subject for many years, I believe the book provides a valuable study of the unique corporate culture and management practices that have contributed to Amazon's success. Amazon's customer-centric culture and decision-making process The book reveals that Amazon's corporate culture is heavily centered on its customers. This is not a mere slogan, but a principle that permeates every aspect of the company's operations. The customer-centric approach drives innovation, shapes business strategies, and influences decision-making at all levels. The authors delve into the 'working backwards' approach, a unique process where solutions are developed by first considering the customer's needs. This methodology is central to Amazon's success and differentiates it from its competitors. The role of Amazon's leadership principles Amazon’s leadership principles, as outlined in the book, guide every decision made within the company. These are not just abstract concepts, but actionable guidelines that influence the behaviors of Amazon employees. The principles reinforce a culture of ownership, long-term thinking, and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction. Two-Pizza Teams and the power of autonomy The authors highlight the concept of 'Two-Pizza Teams' - small, autonomous teams with a clear mission and the necessary resources. This structure fosters agility, innovation, and customer focus. Each team is empowered to act like a small startup within the larger organization, which facilitates the rapid development and deployment of new ideas. Unique mechanisms for clear thinking and communication The book also illuminates two unique mechanisms that Amazon uses to foster clear thinking and communication: the ‘Six-Page Narrative’ and the ‘PR/FAQ’. The former is a detailed document that presents a complete argument or proposal, while the latter is a hypothetical press release and frequently asked questions for a new product or service. These mechanisms help Amazon avoid the pitfalls of PowerPoint presentations and ensure that ideas are well-thought-out and clearly communicated. Case studies: AWS and Amazon Prime The authors provide detailed case studies of AWS and Amazon Prime, demonstrating the 'working backwards' process in action. These examples illustrate how Amazon's customer-centric approach, coupled with its willingness to experiment and learn from failures, has led to game-changing innovations. The culture of experimentation and embracing failure Amazon's culture encourages experimentation and is not afraid of failure. This is not a reckless approach, but a calculated strategy that understands failure as a necessary part of innovation. The company learns from its failures, adjusts its strategies, and moves forward. This culture of experimentation and learning is a key driver of Amazon's continual innovation. Long-term focus and the 'Bar Raiser' program Amazon's long-term focus, often at the expense of short-term profits, is a key contributor to its success. The company is willing to make significant investments and wait patiently for them to bear fruit. The 'Bar Raiser' program, a unique hiring process, ensures that Amazon maintains a high bar of talent within the company. This program underscores the importance Amazon places on having the right people to drive its long-term vision. Single-Threaded Leader structure Finally, the book reveals Amazon’s ‘Single-Threaded Leader’ structure, where leaders are given end-to-end responsibility for a single product or service. This structure empowers leaders, fosters accountability, and ensures a relentless focus on the customer. In conclusion, "Working Backwards" offers invaluable insights into Amazon's unique corporate culture and innovative management practices. The book provides a roadmap for any organization seeking to emulate Amazon's customer-centric approach, its culture of innovation, and its long-term focus. The lessons learnt from Amazon's success story can be applied across various industries and business contexts, making this book a must-read for business leaders, managers, and students of management alike.
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Inspired
Marty Cagan
Key Insights from "Inspired" The importance of deep customer understanding in product development. The concept of Risks and Opportunity Assessment Process (ROAD) in product planning. The role of Product Discovery in creating successful products. The value of using prototypes in product design and testing. The significance of Product Manager in an organization. The application of Agile principles in product development. The difference between product delivery and product discovery. How to create a compelling product vision and strategy. The importance of validated learning in the product development process. Understanding the role of technology and design in product development. The importance of strong leadership in fostering a successful product team. In-depth Analysis of "Inspired" "Inspired" is a seminal work by Marty Cagan that provides a comprehensive guide on how to create technology products customers love. It is based on Cagan's extensive experience in the tech industry, having worked with some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley. The first key insight from the book is the importance of deep customer understanding. Cagan emphasizes that successful product development starts with understanding customers' needs, desires, and problems. This involves conducting user research, customer interviews, and surveys, among other methods. This approach aligns with the principles of human-centered design, a design philosophy that focuses on understanding and addressing the needs and experiences of users. Cagan introduces the concept of Risks and Opportunity Assessment Process (ROAD), a strategic tool for product planning. It helps businesses identify potential risks and opportunities in their product development process and make informed decisions. Product Discovery is another essential concept in the book. It involves exploring and validating product ideas before development begins. Cagan suggests using prototypes during this stage to visualize and test product concepts. This aligns with the Lean Startup approach, which values quick experimentation and validated learning. The author also emphasizes the role of the Product Manager in an organization. According to Cagan, Product Managers should be "product CEOs," owning the product vision, strategy, and roadmap. They should lead cross-functional teams, work closely with customers, and make crucial product decisions. Cagan's approach to product development is rooted in Agile principles. He advocates for iterative development, continuous improvement, and close collaboration between development teams and stakeholders. He also distinguishes between product delivery and product discovery, arguing that while Agile methods are excellent for delivery, different methods are needed for discovery. The author also provides guidance on creating a compelling product vision and strategy. A strong vision and strategy can guide decision-making, motivate the team, and communicate the product's value proposition to stakeholders. Cagan underscores the importance of validated learning, a concept borrowed from Lean Startup methodology. This involves testing assumptions and learning from customers' feedback to improve the product iteratively. Moreover, Cagan discusses the role of technology and design in product development. He emphasizes the need for product teams to leverage emerging technologies and prioritize user experience in their product design. Lastly, Cagan stresses the importance of strong leadership in fostering a successful product team. He believes that leaders should empower their teams, cultivate a culture of innovation, and ensure alignment with the organization's vision and strategy. In conclusion, "Inspired" is a comprehensive guide that offers practical insights and strategies on product development. It embodies a deep understanding of the importance of the customer, emphasizes the value of discovery and validation, and promotes a culture of innovation and agile principles. All these elements are crucial in the rapidly changing world of technology product development.
ViewContinuous Discovery Habits - Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value
Teresa Torres
Key Facts and Insights Continuous Discovery: The book paints a vivid picture of the continuous discovery process, arguing that it's not a linear or one-off process but an ongoing cycle of learning, adapting, and improving. Customer-Centric Approach: The author underscores the importance of a customer-centric approach, suggesting that understanding customer needs and behaviors should be at the heart of product development. Outcome-Over-Output Mindset: Torres emphasizes the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than outputs. It's not about how many features a product has, but how it impacts customers' lives. Collaborative Discovery: The book outlines the importance of collaborative discovery, promoting the idea of involving the whole team in the product discovery process. Opportunity Solution Tree: Torres introduced a unique tool called the Opportunity Solution Tree to visualize and prioritize opportunities for product improvements. Experimentation and Validation: The author stresses the necessity of experimentation and validation throughout the product development process. Interview Techniques: The book provides insightful interview techniques and tools to gain a deep understanding of customer needs. Building Empathy: Torres highlights the importance of building empathy with customers to create products that genuinely solve their problems. Product Trio: The book suggests that the most effective discovery teams are composed of a product manager, a designer, and a software engineer - referred to as the "product trio". Discovery Cadence: The book advocates for a weekly discovery cadence, where teams engage in regular discovery activities to keep learning and adapting. In-depth Summary and Analysis "Continuous Discovery Habits" is a comprehensive guide to modern product management. Teresa Torres, an experienced product discovery coach, brings to light the importance of continuous discovery in creating valuable products. Torres starts by challenging the traditional, linear model of product development. Instead, she proposes a cycle of continuous discovery where learning, adapting, and improving are continuous processes. As a professor who's been dealing with these topics for years, I find this perspective refreshing. It aligns well with the rapid pace of change in today's digital world, where products must constantly evolve to meet changing consumer needs. The book's emphasis on a customer-centric approach is another crucial insight. Torres argues that understanding customer needs and behaviors should be the cornerstone of product development. This aligns with concepts I've taught over the years, such as "user-centered design," where the user's needs, wants, and limitations are a focus at all stages within the design process. A key theme in the book is the outcome-over-output mindset. Torres points out that product teams often get caught up in delivering features (output) and lose sight of the desired outcomes. This resonates with the "Jobs to Be Done" theory, which argues that customers don't buy products or services; they "hire" them to do a job. Another key insight from the book is the role of collaboration in discovery. Torres argues that involving the whole team in the product discovery process can lead to better solutions. This concept parallels the "cross-functional team" approach popular in agile development practices. The Opportunity Solution Tree, a unique tool introduced in the book, is an effective way to visualize and prioritize opportunities for product improvements. As an academic tool, it encourages systematic thinking and can help teams avoid jumping to solutions before thoroughly exploring the problem space. Torres' emphasis on experimentation and validation is in line with the scientific method and lean startup principles. She suggests that before investing significant resources into building a product, teams should validate their assumptions through small, quick experiments. The book is also a valuable resource for learning interview techniques to gain a deep understanding of customer needs. Torres provides practical advice on how to ask effective questions and listen empathetically. Building on the idea of empathy, Torres underscores the importance of building empathy with customers. She argues that deep empathy leads to products that genuinely solve customer problems, a concept that aligns with the empathize stage in the Design Thinking process. The product trio concept proposed in the book is also noteworthy. Torres suggests that the most effective discovery teams are composed of a product manager, a designer, and a software engineer. This trio ensures a balance of business, design, and technical perspectives in the discovery process. Finally, Torres advocates for a weekly discovery cadence, where teams engage in regular discovery activities. This routine allows teams to continuously learn, adapt, and improve, keeping the spirit of continuous discovery alive. In conclusion, "Continuous Discovery Habits" provides a comprehensive framework for modern product discovery. It echoes many concepts I've taught over the years while introducing new tools and perspectives. By internalizing the book's key insights, teams can create products that create real value for customers and businesses alike.
ViewMindset - Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential
Carol Dweck
Key Insights from "Mindset - Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential" The concept of Fixed and Growth Mindsets: How these two different mindsets shape our personalities and our lives. The power of a Growth Mindset: How this mindset can lead to personal and professional success. How our Mindset forms: The role our upbringing, education and experiences play in forming our mindset. The importance of embracing challenges: Why those with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities for growth. The power of effort: How the growth mindset values effort as a means to develop abilities and talents. Criticism and the Growth Mindset: How constructive criticism is seen as valuable feedback for improvement. Fixed Mindset Traps: How to recognize and avoid situations that can push us back into a fixed mindset. Changing our Mindset: Practical strategies to develop a growth mindset. The role of Mindset in relationships: How our mindset can affect the quality of our relationships. The application of Mindset in business and sports: Real-life examples of the power of mindset. In-depth Analysis and Summary In her groundbreaking book, "Mindset - Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential", psychologist Carol Dweck delves into the profound impact our mindset can have on every aspect of our lives. The book essentially revolves around two types of mindsets – the Fixed and Growth Mindset. A fixed mindset, as the name suggests, is grounded in the belief that our intelligence, ability, and character are static and cannot be changed. This mindset leads to a desire to appear smart and thus, a tendency to avoid challenges, ignore useful feedback and feel threatened by the success of others. On the other hand, a growth mindset embraces the belief that our most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This view fosters a love for learning and resilience, crucial for great accomplishment. Dweck explains that our mindset is not a result of a conscious choice, but rather the product of our upbringing, education, and experiences. Praise for intelligence rather than effort can inadvertently foster a fixed mindset, while valuing effort and process can cultivate a growth mindset. The importance of embracing challenges is a key theme in the book. Dweck argues that those with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities for growth rather than threats to their intelligence. This perspective encourages perseverance in the face of adversity. The power of effort is another critical concept in the book. Unlike a fixed mindset which views effort as a sign of inadequacy, a growth mindset values effort as a means to develop abilities and talents. This perspective is in line with the old adage that practice makes perfect. Dweck also discusses how those with a growth mindset approach criticism differently. Instead of disregarding it, they see it as valuable feedback for improvement. This is a crucial aspect of learning and development. However, transitioning to a growth mindset is not always easy. Dweck discusses the 'Fixed Mindset Traps' - situations or thoughts that can push us back into a fixed mindset. Recognizing these traps is the first step towards cultivating a growth mindset. Changing our mindset is at the heart of Dweck's book. She provides practical strategies to develop a growth mindset, such as understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed, viewing challenges as opportunities, and learning to hear and act on criticism. Dweck also explores the role of mindset in our relationships. She suggests that a fixed mindset can lead to a desire for constant validation, while a growth mindset can foster healthier, more supportive relationships. Finally, Dweck provides real-life examples of the application of the mindset theory in business and sports. These examples serve to illustrate the transformative power of a growth mindset in various aspects of life. In conclusion, "Mindset - Changing The Way You Think To Fulfill Your Potential" is an enlightening read that provides practical guidance on how to cultivate a growth mindset. It challenges the conventional belief of fixed intelligence and ability, providing a new perspective on personal and professional success.
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O.
19.May 2024The call with Alberto was extremely valuable with lots of practical pieces of advice about transitioning into a PM career tailored to my personal circumstances, so before giving advice Alberto first made sure he understood well my background. After the call Alberto was extremely generous with spending time on reviewing my resume and providing detailed feedback. Huge thank you!