Introduce: regard the development personnel of a line as, everybody has experienced with product noisy so cannot open focus, who also cannot persuade who finally even, can come forward to solve by boss finally only experience. Most of the time, the boss does find a way to solve the problem, and it’s a mutually acceptable solution. However, this is not all because of the authority and status of the boss, but more because each boss has stronger product capability than the front-line development, and can understand each other’s demands, grasp contradictions and provide solutions, which is actually a way of product thinking.

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What is product thinking?

As a front-line developer, we have not experienced the experience of arguing with the product can not open the focus, and even in the end, no one can persuade who, can only raise the problem. In the end, it’s up to the boss to solve the problem, and most of the time, the boss does find a way to solve the problem, and it’s a mutually acceptable solution. At this time, most students may think that it is the boss’s authority and status that lead to this result. In fact, this is not accurate (there may be a part of the reason, but it is definitely not the main reason). In fact, it is more that each boss has stronger product power than the front-line development, and can understand each other’s appeal, grasp the contradictions and provide solutions. At the same time, the expression is more acceptable to each other, which leads to the boss stepping in and the problem being solved, as if your point of view has been maintained while the other side has left some room. So where does this important ability come from? In fact, I think it’s more a way of thinking about products.

It can be seen from here that product thinking is a way of thinking to continuously obtain maximum value through scientific methodology, but this may be a little empty. In the product iteration based on daily product technology, we want to say the following forms of product thinking.

Why should technical personnel have product thinking?

1 limitations of the technical perspective

1. I feel that this demand of the product is meaningless, does not help the business, and is a kind of chicken rib demand;
2. Ask why the product requirements change from day to day? Very reduce work efficiency;
3. Think the product idea is unprofessional and unimaginative. Completely did not consider the feasibility of the system, basically cannot be implemented;
4. Feel that the product plan is not comprehensive at all, such obvious logical holes are not considered;
5. .

In daily work, as a programmer do you often heard as fun, in fact, aside from a small number of products may be due to experience more ever think not mature, but is caused by the product thinking and engineers thinking collision, the people’s perception of the same thing is different, from the perspective of each time I feel difficult to understand. Let’s start with a comparison of product and technology thinking.

For example, we have reviewed the products of Hema Warehouse before, and the general idea is that the fresh goods (such as fish and crabs) should be directly managed in and out of the warehouse by the box. But here are a few unavoidable questions that arise from an engineer’s perspective:

1. The scene of box in and box out does not exist in hema’s storage system before, and the implementability is unknown (HOW, technology is Paramount);

2. The whole link should adapt to such transformation, and the transformation point will be very large and difficult to achieve (focus on details and solutions);

3. It is very troublesome to check the inventory of upstream and downstream links in the scenario of short or large goods, and it cannot be aligned at all in extreme scenarios (perfect scenario);

In view of these problems, the R&D side made a demand call back, and agreed on the product business alignment plan and risk, and then conducted a review again. But from a product point of view it’s a completely different scenario:

1, box in box out before does not exist, does not represent now and will not have in the future. This is the real need of offline business scenarios, hema storage needs to expand such capabilities (WHY, user value);

2. The whole link transformation has a large construction period and can be sorted out for normal scheduling iteration (iterative thinking);

3. Abnormal scenarios are small probability events, which should not affect the advance of the whole project. A real small amount of abnormal data by their own business pocket bottom. Overall, completion is more important than perfection

Here, due to the different perspectives of products and technologies, natural conflicts will occur. After emotional involvement, it will be difficult to understand the appeal and problem points of the other party, and whether there is a relatively reliable solution after integrating the two aspects. Would it be more appropriate for technical personnel to change their perspective and use product thinking to deal with this demand and communicate in this way?

1, recognition box in and out of the box is a new ability, let the product determine business value to expand this ability. It is also a supplement to the inventory capacity of the existing storage system.

2, inform the product has the psychological expectation, the whole link transformation plan will be relatively high cost, time-consuming will be long. See if it’s acceptable. If not, try the middle way.

3. If the technical side invests a lot of cost to transform the link, the product and business need to recognize the technical value and input-output ratio of this matter.

In this way, the problems and concerns of the technical side of the product will be clearly told. In this way, when both sides recognize the value and necessity of this demand, they can move forward together. Back to this example, in fact, if programmers have product thinking, you can think from the perspective of the product, and it is easier to communicate and cooperate with the product team to cultivate a more harmonious working relationship, which is more conducive to improving work efficiency.

2. Advantages of technical personnel after improving product strength

Let’s take a look at the advantages that technology with product thinking can bring to technicians in addition to easier communication.

Abstract ability to believe that we do technology are more or less some, usually write code is often used. But abstracting from existing content and abstracting for the future are two very different abilities. When technicians have a product perspective, it is easier to find abstract perspectives and express abstract concepts. For example, I recently received a product appeal for intelligent weighing scales in warehouse processing (the weight of raw materials in the process of processing is recorded through the system). If the simple abstraction may be weighing tasks can be called raw materials and finished products. If you have product thinking after communication with the product, you will ask what problem is this weighing mainly solved? Which step is the action in the actual operation? This time may be combined with MES system you think of is the process, will carry out a process of the task of abstraction. But here again consider the expression, whether to let everyone understand what the process is more consciousness? Here will be a natural analogy refinement, sticker, label and so on speaking part whether can through the process to express, coupled with his application scenarios such a future-oriented process model can gradually settle, also facilitate the future extension (interested students can also go to understand the essence of the compartment under loading unit is how to face the past with unified induced precipitation, for the future is like This is a very classic example of abstraction.

Practice thinking ability, improve Angle, easier to see the essence of the problem. When you think about how to visualize the fundamental attributes of things with product thinking, do you usually start from these three perspectives:

1. Give a clear definition;

2. Make simple and accurate analogies;

3, play exquisite analogy;

You’ve had this habit in your work of taking your thinking into your own hands rather than handing it over to others when things get tough. This is a tiring thing at present, but it is very cool for the future. Keeping a certain curiosity and imagination to think will make me gain more growth. There is a famous line in the Godfather: “The man who can see things in half a second and the man who can’t see things in a lifetime are doomed to very different destinies.”

What does a better global perspective, a better global perspective for technicians mean here?

1. Firstly, of course, improve system proficiency. Not only for the modules you are responsible for, but also for the upstream and downstream links of the system you are responsible for. This will give you more opportunities to take on greater responsibilities.

2. Know exactly what the need is, the value of the project, and why you’re doing it, rather than simply executing the machine. Will go from the rationality of demand, input-output ratio and other issues to think about the necessity of demand.

3. It is easier to know how to show value and what the focus of the project is. Know how to precipitate data, explain and achieve goals from a systems perspective.

4, better through technology to create value-added business, technical students with product ability will be easier to find optimization points in products, and create a lot of business value. For example: previously, the preferred grid warehouse carried out secondary allocation to the site for the delivery containers of the central warehouse, but the technical side found that the distribution relationship of goods in the container could be disrupted (the overall distribution relationship remained unchanged) to reduce the number of allocation. This small technology alone reduced the grid warehouse site by 12% of the number of allocations. Another example: before B2C warehouse side pick while sowing, is to pick up a SKU into a roadway, if there are multiple SKU in the roadway need to turn back multiple times; The technical side has a better product experience through slight changes after thinking about the product, and carries out abstract classification of the two actions of total sorting and distribution. The method of unified general sorting and allocation can avoid the problem of multiple trips of pickers under the cross-use of general sorting and allocation, and improve the efficiency of pickers by 14% on site.

How to improve product strength

1. Change of thinking

At different stages of thinking, the way we look at things must improve. To be able to respond to the changes of the specific performance layer and to abstract the concepts and capabilities of the bottom layer with constant changes (for example, the complex evolution process of the storage system is more about the continuous evolution of productivity, human efficiency, cost and digitalization), we should constantly exercise our thinking habits, so as to improve the boundary of thinking ability. Recently, THE author read a book about product method and made some notes. I think the following points about thinking mode are worthy of our technical staff’s attention and continuous learning and improvement

• Essential thinking: First principles work from the beginning, using only the most basic facts as a basis, and then work their way up to a conclusion. Regardless of what others do, how to get a different perspective in the past (refuse to be influenced by the design of similar products and do not understand the design of similar products at all are two things) serial questioning method is a means to clarify the past ideas and key links, help to quickly judge and generate new ideas.
• Think opposite: Sunlight and shadows, making something bright doesn’t necessarily make it brighter, you can turn down the surrounding environment. It’s a kind of reverse thinking. Success and failure, strength and weakness are temporary, relative concepts. Two important perspectives: relationship and time
• Abstract thinking: There will be conflict between the idiot and God, between the high-level abstract perspective and the user’s instinctive hierarchy. The ability to switch between different parts is a very important capability. The concrete and the abstract are like the process in which the points of the plane are constantly reduced. Think about new elements (capabilities) rather than new features. Elements build features.
• Systems Thinking: The place of feedback. Feedback system model is a basic abstract model, which is essentially designing feedback. All extreme and abnormal paths are small probability phenomena.
• Evolutionary thinking: Bottom-up design. Minimalism is the foundation of evolution, and a good framework is focused and flexible.

2 A small step in reality

See here you may ask, the above said so many soft thinking, methodology-related views. If from the perspective of landing, how to improve in ordinary work? How to change your thinking imperceptibly?

• Common routine: read more books to cultivate their knowledge reserves; Do more summary, will learn as far as possible systematic expression, this is to further consolidate their knowledge achievements; Do more sharing. If you can not only understand a knowledge point by yourself, but also let everyone understand what you say and what your thinking is, this will further improve your structured thinking and expression ability.
• Be curious: This is a point I would like to express in my daily work, don’t limit yourself to your own boundaries, don’t just be satisfied with the work assigned to you, explore the allocation of parts of your field to expand your ability. Basic requirements: for example, if you are in charge of a module of a project, whether you can cover the problems of your upstream and downstream, and whether you can locate the causes of online problems in time and help solve them; The other is to keep exploring the surrounding fields, comparing the work content and thinking of the surrounding students to see what part of my ability is still lacking, and what targeted improvement I can do. For example, at work, a student may be responsible for the picking part of the warehouse: did you know the main process of the picking order generation part? Do you understand the packaging design? Do you know the main methods and constraints of caged shipping? Do you know the interactive nodes and main data of documents outside the warehouse system?

Do you care about other people’s life experiences outside of work? Do you turn a deaf ear to everything from international news to internal gossip? This will let oneself in the information occlusion state, over time will lead to the fossilization of thinking. So be curious, keep your knowledge wide, and keep your mind active.

• To think more about the nature of product requirements, at least in PRD review, more empathy, more understanding of the reasons behind product design. For example, if a user needs to lose weight, what do you think of? The average person might be thinking about weight loss, but the product thinking should be thinking about, maybe he wants to look better? Maybe he needs to find a partner? Looking to move up the social ladder?

• Keep more association, exercise imagination, can you associate with the existing capacity of the system after receiving the demand of the product, can you combine the existing system to achieve the optimal solution of the demand? Here is an example of warehouse system picking: before Hema Processing Center had a demand for picking goods by goods, the general idea is that when the picker sees the goods in the warehouse, he can take the initiative to choose goods to pick goods. Picking goods by goods is a relatively simple demand from the product side. What’s the general association here?

A. The first response to receiving this demand is generally to directly return the pick list of goods to the user and then let the user make a choice (at the same time, the relevant index of the pick list needs to be changed);

B. Associating with the global, if you think about the combination of B2C warehouse picking task real-time scheduling, you can think of whether the implementation of task scheduling is more in line with the warehouse real global scheduling planning?

C. Considering the bottleneck and optimization points of the existing system, the current scheduling selects queue pull tasks according to partition and task capability, which is essentially a “real-time sorting” and can only be pulled first based on configuration. In fact, we should also expand the “selection capability” of task scheduling, such as the demand by goods, which is actually an intra-queue selection capability. In addition to the ability to select different queues at L1 level, we should have the ability to select different queues at L2 level inside queues to enrich another scheduling mode (and the ability of sorting level) of our task scheduling center in the practical operation side;

D. Finally, in combination with the past and possible future, the temporary filtering method of pulling through tools should not be a long-term way, except by commodity pick, the previous DPS pick & label pick and go task queue. Including follow-up may be picking by location (the inside of the partition of roadway location, according to the position of human in real time to obtain the optimal picking orders), according to the sales order picking which orders to timeout the emergency increase (priority) possible scenarios, essence and so on are all based on real-time field action to L2 dimension choice ability, whether can borrow the demand to build basic implementation capability ;

E. Finally, it gives some abstract and inductive suggestions, changes in the actual operation of picking goods, human factors and dynamic selection. Create tasks according to the normal production, the actual operation of the dynamic ability (insert selection ability according to human factors to choose) if not configured, the default use of the original queue sorting ability.

Of course, this is just an example of association, and input-output ratio and other factors may also be considered in the final decision. Being imaginative is a great way to increase the depth of your thinking for both programmers and product managers. All we have to do is develop the habit of allowing our thinking to grow along with our imagination.

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