The assorted notes and observations of Janna Bastow. Canadian living in the UK. Everything product, and then some.

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The Problem with the Perfect Roadmap

Sep 18th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 12 min read

Perfect roadmaps fail because they waste time on polish, discourage change, and hide uncertainty instead of guiding strategy. In product management, perfection comes at a cost. I know because I…

The post The Problem with the Perfect Roadmap appeared first on ProdPad.

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The Problem with the Perfect Roadmap

Sep 18th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 12 min read

Perfect roadmaps fail because they waste time on polish, discourage change, and hide uncertainty instead of guiding strategy. In product management, perfection comes at a cost. I know because I…

The post The Problem with the Perfect Roadmap appeared first on ProdPad.

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Product Roadmap Examples

Sep 2nd, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 40 min read

If you’ve ever looked at a product roadmap and thought, “This looks more like a delivery checklist than a strategy”, you’re not alone. Too many roadmaps are still little more…

The post Product Roadmap Examples appeared first on ProdPad.

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Ethics in AI: The New Frontier for Product Managers

Aug 28th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 20 min read

We’ve always said the job of a Product Manager is to sit at the intersection of what’s technically feasible, what’s desirable to users, and what’s viable for the business. That…

The post Ethics in AI: The New Frontier for Product Managers appeared first on ProdPad.

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The One Big Reason Your Team is Stuck

Aug 26th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 12 min read

Product teams are asked to do the impossible. On paper, they’re responsible for making sure the business succeeds. They’re tasked with aligning strategy, figuring out what customers need, testing, learning,…

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Early-Stage Feedback: Fast, Scrappy Ways to Get Ahead

Aug 21st, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 15 min read

I love the scrappy stage of product building. At the very beginning, you don’t have the luxury of steady inbound early-stage feedback. You’re not swimming in NPS scores, review data,…

The post Early-Stage Feedback: Fast, Scrappy Ways to Get Ahead appeared first on ProdPad.

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Nailing the Painted Door Test: When and How to Fake it Before You Make It

Aug 5th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 18 min read

I don’t have to tell you this… building a feature no one wants is one of the most frustrating, costly mistakes in Product Management. So how do you stop that…

The post Nailing the Painted Door Test: When and How to Fake it Before You Make It appeared first on ProdPad.

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7 Product Strategy Examples

Jul 17th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 31 min read

What does a world-class product strategy actually look like in practice – not just in theory? It stands to reason that winning Product Teams build and communicate strategies that drive…

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Fighting the Enshittification of Products: Why Good Products Go Bad and What to Do About It

Jul 3rd, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 15 min read

Most of us have felt the creeping dread when a product we once loved starts to suck. The features that drew us in get buried. Pop-ups appear out of nowhere.…

The post Fighting the Enshittification of Products: Why Good Products Go Bad and What to Do About It appeared first on ProdPad.

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AI Prototyping for Product Managers: How to Test a Hypothesis Fast

Jun 12th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 27 min read

Testing product ideas used to mean lengthy specs, countless design iterations, and precious engineering time spent building something that might not even work. But not anymore. With AI prototyping, Product…

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