*Product Management: Avoiding Build Traps and Delivering Value to Customers* (by Melissa Perri, translated by Ryutaro Yoshiha, O’Reilly Japan, 2020) is also often cited as a prime example of a product development book. However, this book focuses more on organizational topics than *The Complete Guide to Product Management* and advances its arguments through a narrative set in a fictional company. Since the content and writing style differ significantly from the other book, reading both will deepen your understanding. The “Build Trap” refers to a situation where an organization attempts to measure success by outputs rather than outcomes, leading it to focus solely on feature development. This stems from a failure to understand and put into practice the principle of the Job Theory, which states that “value for the customer lies in solving their problems.” Avoiding this “Build Trap” is one of the key challenges of product management. However, this book argues that the problem cannot be solved simply by hiring a product manager; rather, the entire organization must adopt a product manager’s mindset. This is an extremely important point, and its significance and difficulty become clear when considering examples such as engineers who are only interested in writing code, managers who are only concerned with schedules, and salespeople who make over-optimistic promises just to secure contracts. In response to the question, “So how can we practice product management?” Part 4 of this book, titled “The Product Management Process,” provides a comprehensive explanation of how to approach tasks such as setting success metrics, identifying problems (through user interviews, for example), and exploring solutions. Since this area is practice-oriented, it’s difficult to master simply by reading the book; however, having this knowledge may make it easier to put into practice when you encounter challenges in your work.
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