Product Management: Make the loop faster

One thing that I learned as a coder was to shorten the feedback loop.  When I write code, I want to write a bit of code, test, fix, check and repeat.  One cycle is a loop.  I found that the faster I can make the loop more productive I became.

For instance, if I spend 10 mins writing code, 5 mins to compile, 5 mins to set up the test system and another 10 minutes to verify the change, I would figure out how to reduce compilation time, set up time and testing time.  Instead of waiting 20 minutes to test 10 minutes of code, I know I could just about double the productivity by reducing that 20 minutes down to 5 minutes, and packing in another 10 minutes of coding and 5 minutes for validation.

Programmers, don't let compiling interrupt the development cycle.
Product managers, don't wait for product feedback; get ready to go find them.
Source: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/compiling.png

It all starts with customers

Only if we didn't have students interrupting us, university will be a so much better place to work.

It seems a totally backward statement.  School without students will be without its purpose.  Rev. Christoper Renz used this example to highlight how we may have things backward during homily today.  Sometimes we are so into day-to-day grind, we forget why we are there to begin with.  It is not uncommon to come across these types of backward thinking in our lives.   

Tips From Three CEOs: Obsess Over Customers To Make Fans Out Of Them

While I was taking a deeper dive from tweets that landed on my Flipboard, I came to discover three separate interviews with CEOs who recently have made headlines. To my surprise -- maybe it's not too surprising if you think about the final message -- I found a clear theme across these interviews: Obsess over customers to make fans out of them.

This lesson has been repeated so many times that it has almost become a cliche. But I think it's a lesson that we should hold close to our heart when we are building a company or service. We have to constantly think about how to improve the customer satisfaction, and turn the customers into advocates so that they can be viral marketing agents working for you.

For anyone who's aspiring to launch a service or create a company, these interviews are must watch.