Pivoting as a Way of Life

Pivoting as a Way of Life redefines the core principles of product strategy and innovation, delivering a cutting-edge framework that turns traditional product management norms on their head. In this transformative book, Joseph Hanna and Dr. Petrosso introduce the Pivoting Life Operating Model (PLOM)—a blueprint for continuous innovation that kicks the myth of lasting product-market fit to the curb and embraces the power of perpetual iteration.

The book presents ten robust frameworks, five pivoting disciplines, and fifty metrics designed to help entrepreneurs and product leaders stay ahead of the curve. By highlighting the dynamic nature of modern markets, it pushes companies to embrace agility as their ultimate competitive advantage. Unlike conventional models, PLOM spreads product management responsibilities across an organization and leverages AI to handle a significant chunk of these tasks, positioning companies to thrive in a future where rapid pivots aren’t just possible—they’re essential.

Using real-world examples and storytelling inspired by iconic films and shows like Moneyball, Schitt’s Creek, and Minority Report, the book brings complex business concepts to life in an engaging and relatable manner. The Idea-to-Cash Wheel serves as a powerful GPS for navigating from concept to market domination. Novel metrics like Lifecycle Velocity and Total Pivot Cost empower product teams to measure their innovation capabilities with unprecedented precision and speed.

For startups ready to beat the odds, tech leaders aiming to lead rather than follow, and anyone operating at the intersection of product strategy and innovation, Pivoting as a Way of Life offers a battle plan for conquering an ever-evolving business landscape.

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The Proof is in the Pivoting

“This is probably the most important product management book of the decade.”

Mark Hamdan | Managing Director, HEXA Ventures

Debunking Product-Market Fit

The book shatters the illusion of product-market fit, exposing it as a fleeting, often deceptive milestone. Hanna introduces a dynamic model of continuous innovation that embraces the ever-changing landscape of customer needs, market conditions, and technology. By ditching static goals, it pushes companies to prioritize speed and adaptability as their competitive edge.

Pivoting evolves from a last resort to a strategic superpower. The book provides a roadmap for companies to turbocharge their pivoting speed and efficiency. It introduces game-changing frameworks like the Total Pivot Cost (TPC), equipping teams with the tools to grasp the full impact and cost of strategic shifts, turning pivots into precision maneuvers rather than blind leaps.

Pivoting Life Operating Model (PLOM)

The book unveils the Pivoting Life Operating Model (PLOM), a transformational framework that kicks the outdated concept of product-market fit to the curb. PLOM embraces infinite iteration and adaptability as the new north star. It pushes companies to make continuous pivoting their secret weapon, weaving agility into the very DNA of product strategy.

“PLOM is the product management equivalent of SCRUM for engineering”

Integration of AI into Product Management
AI takes center stage in the book’s vision of product management’s future. Hanna boldly asserts that AI already handles up to a third of product management tasks – and that’s just the beginning. The book positions AI not as a threat, but as your new secret weapon in the innovation arms race. It’s about supercharging product management, making it leaner, meaner, and driven by data, not gut feelings.

The Idea-to-Cash Wheel

The Idea-to-Cash Wheel turbocharges the Build-Measure-Learn cycle, transforming it into an execution powerhouse. It reframes innovation as a relentless, circular pursuit rather than a linear journey. This holistic approach to product management fuses customer feedback, development, marketing, and sales into a seamless, repeatable engine for non-stop value creation.

The book unleashes two game-changing metrics: Lifecycle Velocity and Lifecycle Conversion Ratio. These metrics cut through the noise, zeroing in on a company’s innovation speed and effectiveness. They track how quickly ideas transform from lightbulb moments to cash generators, and how efficiently they morph into valuable outputs. By shifting focus to these metrics, companies are propelled towards perpetual iteration, leaving behind the chase for fleeting milestones.

Distributed Product Management

The book paints a bold future where product management breaks free from departmental silos. It envisions a world where product responsibilities spread like wildfire across the entire organization. Cross-functional teams become innovation powerhouses, each contributing to strategy and execution. This distributed approach isn’t just flexible - it’s future-proof, ready to ride the waves of AI and automation that are reshaping traditional roles.

VALUE-DRIVEN DECISIONS

Practical Frameworks for Strategic Investment

The book equips companies with battle-tested frameworks for strategic investment decisions, including the Value vs. Differentiation Model. This tool cuts through the noise, helping companies zero in on where to place their bets. It weighs customer value against competitive differentiation, offering a no-nonsense approach to the age-old question: innovate or imitate? The result? A balanced strategy that knows when to push boundaries and when to play it smart. These game-changing elements shatter the status quo. Together, they champion a future where companies evolve at warp speed. It’s a world where cutting-edge tech and flexible frameworks become the very engines of business growth.

PLOM is the the product management equivalent of SCRUM in software development Agility is genius; dogmatic frameworks and rituals can be more dangerous than helpful. The classic Product Manager role, as most know it, will no longer exist in five years. Product Management functions need to be distributed across the organization. The only thing that matters is your ability and velocity to pivot, infinitely.
PLOM is the the product management equivalent of SCRUM in software development Agility is genius; dogmatic frameworks and rituals can be more dangerous than helpful. The classic Product Manager role, as most know it, will no longer exist in five years. Product Management functions need to be distributed across the organization. The only thing that matters is your ability and velocity to pivot, infinitely.

PLOM for Data Products

Data management is NOT Data Product Management. Data products are one of the fastest-growing segments of the digital economy; however, the body of research focused on these products’ management, delivery, metrics, and business success is significantly lacking behind the study of other digital products. The whole PLOM model is mapped to these products.

PLOM for Tech-Enabled Services

Despite representing a significant portion of global GDP, the study and research on these businesses lag behind that of pure technology and product businesses. Pivoting as Way of Life bridges this gap by applying the concepts, tools, and metrics to these types of businesses. PLOM is as relevant here as it is to purely technological enterprises.

The Proof is in the Pivoting

”In ’Pivoting as a Way of Life,’ Hanna and Petrosso brilliantly illustrate how Darwin’s principles of adaptation apply to the dynamic world of startups and product management. Those who live at the intersection of technology, information, and strategy need to start reading this book…today.”

Dr. Brooks Holtom | Professor of Management and Senior Associate Dean | McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University

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