How Product Thinking Can Help Your Game with John Cutler | #69
Welcome to another episode of Building Better Games! Today, we are thrilled to have John Cutler, a capable and experienced product leader with a background in tech (with some game development and music thrown in). John will share his insights on fostering a healthy product culture, maintaining vision, and avoiding common pitfalls in the industry.
Key Points:
John Cutler's Journey:
Started with a video game studio.
Transitioned from music to software product management.
Writes, consults, and leads product organizations.
Product Thinking:
Importance of product managers alongside talented designers and engineers.
Focus on product viability and market fit.
Balancing craft excellence with overall vision.
Diminishing Returns:
Maintain momentum while ensuring quality.
Internal motivation is key for team success.
Role of Product Managers:
Act as partners, not overseers.
Importance of involvement in daily standups and retrospectives.
Leadership and Culture:
Create environments fostering creativity and coherence.
Address issues harming team dynamics and productivity.
Feature Factory Approach:
Avoid treating development as a feature factory.
Focus on sustainable growth and internal culture.
Complex Adaptive Systems:
Balance process-centric and variable approaches.
Embrace uncertainty as an opportunity.
Ideal Prioritization:
Effective prioritization is crucial.
Example of a CTO refocusing by deleting the backlog.
Aspiring Product Managers:
Key traits: curiosity, problem-solving, team orientation.
Gain hands-on experience before diving into product management.
Culture and Leadership:
Leadership behaviors impact performance and creativity.
Address performance asymmetries within teams.
00:00 - Intro
01:20 - Dysfunctional Studios and Product Thinking
01:56 - The Rare Gift of Product Thinking
06:43 - The Importance of Healthy Team Dynamics
07:55 - Avoiding the Trap of Over-Focusing on Craft
10:02 - Leadership in Game Development
11:20 - The Role of Product Managers in Game Studios
14:23 - Long-term perspectives and traits as a Product Manager
17:19 - Traits that make successful Product Managers
22:11 - Identifying Good Product Management Traits
25:12 - Product Thinking applied to other disciplines
27:10 - The role of motivations in Product Management
29:32 - The Culture and Leadership Connection in Game Development
32:53 - Holistic Leadership approach in Game Development
34:29 - Process versus Culture and What Matters More
37:10 - The Importance of Appropriate Behaviors
39:48 - The Power of Prioritization in Game Development
45:00 - The Impact of Trust in Game Development
48:50 - Conclusion and Key Takeaways
50:24 - Outro
Thanks for joining us! We explored John's journey, highlighting the importance of a healthy product culture and clear vision. John provided advice on the role of product managers, effective prioritization, and fostering creativity within teams.
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To learn more about John Cutler:
LinkedIn: / johnpcutler
Twitter: https://x.com/johncutlefish
Newsletter: cutlefish.substack.com/
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