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

More about me »

Consulting and Coaching »

Copyright 2026 SimplyBastow.
Designed by ThemeWarrior

Why Product Teams Don’t Have a Prioritization Problem, They Have a Decision Confidence Problem

Jan 15th, 2026 Product Janna Bastow 22 min read

Product teams love to say they have a prioritization problem. I hear it from PMs, Heads of Product, and CPOs. It shows up in retros, roadmap reviews, leadership meetings, and…

The post Why Product Teams Don’t Have a Prioritization Problem, They Have a Decision Confidence Problem appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

The Best New Product Management Books of 2025: A Fresh Reading List for a New Era

Dec 16th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 16 min read

Product people are usually not short on books. Many of us already have shelves full of the essentials, the ones we reach for again and again. I’ve gathered those classics…

The post The Best New Product Management Books of 2025: A Fresh Reading List for a New Era appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

The Only Thing That Matters On Your Roadmap Is the Next Step

Dec 9th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 18 min read

There’s an unspoken truth lurking underneath every product roadmap review and every quarterly planning cycle. Most product leaders feel uncomfortable admitting it publicly, yet privately acknowledge it with a quiet…

The post The Only Thing That Matters On Your Roadmap Is the Next Step appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

Product Management Conferences: The Ultimate Guide (Updated for 2026)

Nov 28th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 37 min read

Product Management conferences are one of the many ways people in Product can gain and share knowledge and information. Many of them have become annual events and pretty big deals…

The post Product Management Conferences: The Ultimate Guide (Updated for 2026) appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

Why Agile Transformations Fail (and how to get back on track in 90 days)

Oct 30th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 25 min read

Agile was supposed to make us faster, sharper, and closer to customers. Yet more than a decade on, most companies are still mid-transformation. This is why agile transformations fail: we…

The post Why Agile Transformations Fail (and how to get back on track in 90 days) appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

The Feasibility Fallacy: Why Teams Still Trip Over Technical Feasibility

Oct 14th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 21 min read

I once greenlit a “quick win” that was supposed to make a customer demo sparkle. Small feature, tiny scope, easy engineering. Halfway through the sprint, the team tripped over a…

The post The Feasibility Fallacy: Why Teams Still Trip Over Technical Feasibility appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

Your Roadmap is a Prototype for Your Strategy

Sep 30th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 17 min read

When I talk about Lean Roadmapping, I always come back to the principle that makes Lean so effective: build, measure, learn. Out of those three, the real magic is in…

The post Your Roadmap is a Prototype for Your Strategy appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

Product Metrics to Use Instead of Vanity Metrics

Sep 25th, 2025 Product Janna Bastow 16 min read

Product metrics are the compass of product management. They show how customers interact with your product, what value they get from it, and how those behaviors connect to business outcomes.…

The post Product Metrics to Use Instead of Vanity Metrics appeared first on ProdPad.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More
Older Posts