Published on: September 25, 2024
5 min read
Discover how to transform all aspects of product management, boosting efficiency and improving decision-making. Learn practical tips for leveraging AI throughout your PM workflow.
As a product manager at GitLab, I constantly seek ways to enhance my productivity and decision-making. Recently, I discovered an unexpected ally in GitLab Duo Chat. Let me share how this AI-powered assistant has transformed my approach to product management.
Like many PMs, I juggle many daily tasks — from summarizing issues and merge requests to crafting detailed product specs and investment cases. The sheer volume of writing and analysis required was overwhelming, and I worried about potential cognitive biases influencing my work.
To address these challenges, I needed to:
I decided to experiment with GitLab Duo Chat as a support tool for my daily PM tasks. Here's how I incorporated it into my workflow, with real examples:
I was tasked with creating an issue for a new feature that would enhance the Conan repository by adding revision support. To start, I prompted Chat: "Can you create an issue to add support for downloading Conan revisions to the GitLab package registry? Think about the product's value from a C++ developer and a platform engineer perspective."
GitLab Duo provided a comprehensive draft issue, including:
This gave me a solid starting point with all the necessary sections, which I refined and customized. Instead of spending an hour writing that issue, I spent more time thinking about how this feature fits within the broader GitLab strategy.
I often ask GitLab Duo to summarize lengthy merge requests or complicated epics. For instance, when reviewing the epic for protected container images, I asked GitLab Duo to summarize the key changes and their value for GitLab customers and users from a PM perspective.
GitLab Duo provided a detailed summary, highlighting the following:
This summary helped me quickly grasp and share the key points with my team more effectively.
To get a quick overview of a project's status, I asked GitLab Duo to provide an update "like a hyper-focused project manager." The response included:
This structured overview allowed me to quickly assess the project's status and identify areas needing attention.
When I needed to articulate the value of measuring monthly active users and storage costs for the Package stage, I asked GitLab Duo for help. The response provided a comprehensive explanation, covering:
This well-structured response gave me more than enough content and helped me better articulate the value of these essential metrics.
To reveal blind spots in my thinking, I often ask GitLab Duo to answer in specific personas, such as:
For example, when I created an investment case for GitLab Package, I asked GitLab Duo to review it as a hypercritical CEO. This perspective helped me consider including financial projections and competitive analysis in my proposal, which I had initially overlooked.
The impact of integrating GitLab Duo Chat into my workflow has been significant:
While GitLab Duo Chat hasn't replaced my role as a PM, it has become an invaluable tool in my arsenal. It's helped me be more efficient, thorough, and objective. As AI assistants like GitLab Duo continue to evolve, I'm excited about the potential for further enhancing our product management practices.
However, it's crucial to remember that GitLab Duo is a tool, not a replacement for human insight and creativity. The best results come from combining GitLab Duo's capabilities with our expertise and understanding of our unique business context.
I encourage fellow PMs to explore how AI assistants like GitLab Duo Chat can augment their work. Here are some steps you can take:
With the right approach, these tools can help us focus more on strategic thinking and less on routine tasks, ultimately leading to better products and happier customers.