Asaf Shochet Avida & Stas Wishnevetsky | Product and R&D, All on the Table: A Special Episode

Description

A special three-way episode: Eyal David hosts Asaf Shochet Avida, Front End Tech Lead at accessibility company Evinced, and Stas Wishnevetsky, Director of Engineering at Melio, to put on the table everything that bothers engineering about working with product people. They discuss the most important skills for a product manager, the tension that arises when product steps into the "how", and the need for one business KPI that connects product and engineering. Through the building-and-neighborhood analogy and a Stripe example they explain why a software product is never finished, and how to approach time estimates through confidence, design reviews and transparency. Later: how to prioritize tech debt and infrastructure projects with product, when R&D ends up writing a PRD, and how to build trust with a shared North Star, shared wins and emotional intelligence. They close with a recommendation for the book Peopleware.

Key moments

1. 4:14 · The most important skills of a product manager
2. 6:28 · The source of tension: when product steps into the "how"
3. 7:36 · A shared KPI: product as engineering's API to the business
4. 13:11 · The building, the neighborhood and the Stripe analogy
5. 18:51 · Time estimates, design reviews and aligning expectations
6. 23:23 · Confidence in estimates and balancing budget vs. scope
7. 28:17 · How to prioritize tech debt and infrastructure projects
8. 35:25 · A shared language, trust and a North Star
9. 41:45 · Recommendations: no nonsense, shared wins and EQ
10. 46:05 · Book recommendation: Peopleware