The day has come — your boss has finally asked for a big digital transformation. What now? In this third installment of Postlight’s Doing More With Less panel series, Postlight’s Associate Director of Digital Strategy, Chappell Ellison, chats with three experts in digital transformation. Leyla Ballantyne, Julia Beizar, and Stephen Tateishi share their digital transformation nightmare stories and tips on how to get back on track when managing unruly projects. Links: Chappell Ellison Leyla Ballant...
Nov 08, 2022•52 min•Ep. 356
Get another look into how Postlight works as Chris and Gina discuss how specific training and onboarding guidelines can restrict progress and creative approaches to project delivery. Can encouraging critical thinking lead to better products and happier clients? How much freedom is too much? And do the benefits match the costs? Links: The Agile Manifesto See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Nov 01, 2022•33 min•Ep. 355
How do you account for small change items within larger product roadmaps? Should you keep small changes separate from the bigger items or lump them together? This week Chris and Gina answer a listener’s question about how to do the clean-up work while rolling out big shiny features. They share how to get creative with your work so you can focus on the big and small features in parallel. Links: Stephen Covey See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://...
Oct 25, 2022•21 min•Ep. 354
“Move fast and break things” is a common term in tech, but is that the right way to go about product development? This week, Chris and Gina share their thoughts on when it’s okay to move fast during the product life cycle and when you should take it slow. If you’re at the beginning of the life cycle, moving fast and taking risks can be crucial for the survival of your business, but later on, taking a slower, more methodical approach can get you to the finish line. See Privacy Policy at https://a...
Oct 18, 2022•28 min•Ep. 353
Working with aggressive timelines, multiple stakeholders, and endless constraints can seem daunting. In this live panel recording, Postlight’s Head of Product Design Natalie Kurz chats with Matthew Marco, Jodi Leo, and Todd Hulin about navigating tricky project constraints. From tips on how to identify constraints early on in the design process to ways you can include all stakeholders (think legal and compliance), the panelists show you how to turn your constraints into strengths. Links: Natalie...
Oct 11, 2022•55 min•Ep. 352
This week Chris and Gina are joined by the President of Digital Transformation Service at NTT Data, Aaron Millstone. They discuss managing client relationships, being a leader, and why empathy is a key skill in difficult-to-navigate situations. Links: Be The Hero by Noah Blumenthal See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Oct 04, 2022•46 min•Ep. 351
There’s a lot of bad software out there, but let’s celebrate the good. This week, Chris and Gina share some of their favorite productivity tools that improve their work lives and workflow. From streamlining emails to taking quicker notes to filing company expenses, get an insight into what products Postlight uses behind the scenes. Links: Obsidian Alfred Superhuman Airtable Ramp Google sheets Soulver See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...
Sep 27, 2022•35 min•Ep. 350
Are you prioritizing quick sign-ups with new users, or are you thinking about building long-term relationships? In this episode, Michael Shane, Postlight’s Head of Digital Strategy, joins Chris LoSacco to talk about the mistakes people often make when attracting new users. Michael and Chris give tips on building a seamless, welcoming first-time user experience and bring us back to the ultimate question you should be asking: What is the best way to get to the core value of your product? Link: Luk...
Sep 13, 2022•35 min•Ep. 349
This week Chris and Gina answer a listener who asks, “What do you do when you get work back that isn’t going in the right direction…and you hate it?” From unpacking why you hate the work to coming up with ways forward, Chris and Gina share tips to ensure everyone follows the north star and puts out high-quality work. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Sep 06, 2022•27 min•Ep. 348
Often, your best thoughts come in the shower or on vacation. This week, Gina sits down with Chris — fresh off a two-week vacation — to talk about the recentering that comes with taking a break. They discuss how a vacation can help you realize what matters in the day-to-day and make a case for leaders to take more vacation time, not only for themselves but also to set a standard for others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...
Aug 30, 2022•32 min•Ep. 347
If you’ve ever been the victim of a content management system (CMS), raise your hand. This week Chappell Ellison, Postlight’s Associate Director of Digital Strategy, joins Gina and Chris to unpack their complicated relationships with CMSs. They talk about knowing when it’s the right time to dump your current system, how you can move on from the trauma of past CMSs, and how to choose your next one. Links: Chappell Ellison See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti...
Aug 23, 2022•37 min•Ep. 346
Making mistakes and learning from them is a vital part of project management and product delivery — but what should you do when a recession or a worldwide pandemic hits mid-product launch? From preparing in advance to giving yourself some wiggle room, Chris and Gina share how to minimize impact. Chris Barbin’s Blog Scene from the Sopranos The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel Effects from the unexpected pandemic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...
Aug 16, 2022•25 min•Ep. 345
Something wonderful happened recently — Postlight joined NTT DATA Services! This week, Chris and Gina sit down with Wayne Busch, NTT DATA’s Group President of Consulting and Digital Transformation. They discuss how NTT Data thinks about digital transformation and what this partnership means for Postlight going forward. Don’t worry, Postlight lives on — in a bigger and better version See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-...
Aug 09, 2022•29 min•Ep. 344
Many challenges come up along the way when launching a product. In this live panel event recorded at the Postlight offices, product experts Tait Foster, Phil DiGiulio, Grace Mangum, and Andres Glusman share insights on how to get to a successful product launch — from finding and validating data, prioritization, managing team, managing up and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 02, 2022•50 min•Ep. 343
Feeling anxiety before a big presentation isn’t uncommon. Michael Shane, Postlight’s Head of Digital Strategy, knows all about nailing a great performance. This week he shares the lessons he has learned from over 15 years of training and performing as a clarinetist at the likes of Carnegie Hall. Michael breaks down how the key to overcoming anxiety involves removing uncertainty – and how that translates to presentations at work. Links How to turn anxiety into great performances at work See Priva...
Jul 26, 2022•45 min•Ep. 342
How can you make meetings better? This week Chris and Gina break down what causes a meeting to drag and how a good meeting can unfold. They explore how to get at a meeting’s true agenda — finding the solution to a problem. They also delve into how to ensure everyone feels their time is valued. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jul 19, 2022•39 min•Ep. 341
How do you build a great company that a lot of people want to buy? Paul and Rich join Chris and Gina to discuss their Postlight journey, the process behind NTT Data’s acquisition of the company, and how to date interested buyers when looking to sell your agency. Links An Exciting Next Chapter: Postlight Joins NTT DATA! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jul 12, 2022•35 min•Ep. 340
What was the last show you watched? Why did you choose it? And how would you describe it? As Director of Product at Peacock TV, Kate Radway wants to know. This week Kate joins Chris and Gina to discuss what it’s like shipping product for a major streaming platform. She breaks down some of the biggest pain points she sees — like when the platform brings you back to the credits of an episode you’ve already watched — and why solving them isn’t always as easy as it seems. Links: Kate Radway Twitter ...
Jul 05, 2022•36 min•Ep. 339
Consumer experience should always be the number one priority when developing a product. This week, Chris and Gina are joined by Michael Shane, Postlight’s Head of Digital Strategy, to discuss how to balance pragmatism and panache at every stage of the journey. Links: Chris’s article about why health insurance websites are bad Previous Postlight episode about Speed See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 28, 2022•35 min•Ep. 338
A good product thinker looks ahead, not behind. This week Chris and Gina break down the importance of promoting product management over project management. They explain how you can differentiate between project thinking and product thinking and how a product-led approach can drive teams toward alignment. Instead of being driven by tickets and backlogs, product thinking asks: Where’s the problem, how does it fit into our roadmap, and how can we solve it? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...
Jun 21, 2022•29 min•Ep. 337
As a hybrid and remote-friendly workplace, it’s rare that the whole Postlight team gets together, but recently the entire team congregated in New York City for a week of in-person events. In this episode, Chris and Gina chat about the importance of Remotes Week in building trust and relationships and share tips on how to make everyone feel at home during in-person events. IRL cheers to IRL meet-ups! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...
Jun 14, 2022•20 min•Ep. 336
Keeping huge software projects on track is hard but not impossible. This week Chris and Gina walk us through how they come up with deadlines that work both for the client and the team. They explain what questions you should be asking to make sure nothing is overlooked in the beginning planning stages and explain what to do in that dreaded scenario when you realize you’re not going to hit your target. A good tip: Challenge anyone who says, “This should be easy.” Links: The New MVP: The Minimum Va...
Jun 07, 2022•27 min•Ep. 335
Does leadership start when you’re made a “Head of” or as a bossy child? Postlight’s senior leadership team takes over the podcast for a roundtable discussion on leading and learning. Nathan (Product Management), Michael (Digital Strategy), Natalie (Product Design), and Aaron (Engineering) share the mistakes that have made them better leaders, how being vulnerable builds trust, and how they can spot the spark of a potential leader within their teams. Links: Nathan Henry on Twitter Michael Shane o...
May 31, 2022•40 min•Ep. 334
There’s nothing worse than waiting for a page to load. This week, Chris LoSacco and Gina Trapani go deep on a crucial yet underappreciated feature of digital platforms — speed. They break down how things can get so slow and share tips on how you can build for speed, from database indexing to managing how much processing is happening on the service side versus the client side. We’ve got the need for speed! Links: Why Are Health Insurance Websites So Bad? Lighthouse Honeycomb See Privacy Policy at...
May 24, 2022•23 min•Ep. 333
Software is never done — but that doesn’t mean you need to be stressed about constantly reworking it. The codebase architecture choices you make at the outset can set you up better for the future. This week, Chris and Gina share their tips on building for the future, from reusing code wherever possible to deciding what kind of technical debt you’re willing to take on to addressing accessibility concerns first instead of last. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...
May 17, 2022•26 min•Ep. 332
Founding Executive Editor of Wired Magazine Kevin Kelly just turned 70, and on his birthday, he shared 103 bits of advice that he wished he had known. This week, Paul and Rich share some of their favorite pieces of Kevin Kelly wisdom from the list. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
May 10, 2022•12 min•Ep. 331
From sports teams to newspapers and now social media platforms, rich people have been making wildly expensive purchases for decades. This week, Paul and Rich discuss Elon Musk’s efforts to buy Twitter. They break down what this purchase could mean for the future of Twitter and how we got to this point in internet history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
May 03, 2022•29 min•Ep. 330
Is impatience the root of anxiety? Is a lack of others’ anticipation the root of our impatience? Is good communication the root of anticipation? This week Rich, Gina, and Chris discuss when impatience is a feature and when it’s a bug — and call on a framework from Gina’s kid’s school to prioritize what should get done when. Links: Rich on Twitter Gina Trapani Twitter Chris LoSacco Twitter See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#d...
Apr 26, 2022•32 min•Ep. 329
At what age should you give your kid a phone? This week Paul and Rich sit down to discuss the inevitable moment when their kids ask for a phone. They break down how it can be a tool for freedom and the many concerns that can come with kids having their own phones. Could the answer be banning content creation for kids? Links: Postlight - Our Work See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Apr 19, 2022•28 min•Ep. 328
Paul and Rich love experimenting with new tech and love the idea of decentralization, so why are they so skeptical about Web3? This week Paul and Rich distill their feelings about Web3 and explain why they’re already bored by conversations about it. They ask: Is it really worth investing in something long-term if the only benefit is that you’re not missing out? Links: Is Your Religion Art or Technology?: With Aaron Lammer Decentralized Finance: Tim Meaney on the Boom of Defi and Cryptocurrencies...
Apr 12, 2022•38 min•Ep. 327
