Machine Learning Platform Product Management is like the Jug in a Lemonade Selling Business

I recently attended the Mind the Product Conference, one of the biggest and most respected in the product management field. While during some talks I was glued to my seat as much as during To Kill a Mockingbird play I couldn’t help but notice an enormous missed opportunity.

There was no mention of platform product management.

What is platform you ask? Let’s use an analogy and imagine ourselves as kids selling lemonade

You are a kid and you set up a stand to sell lemonade outside your house The platform will be the jug where you put the lemonade. The lemonade is the actual product you sell. One is the enabler, the jug, and the other is the revenue-generating product, lemonade.

Imagine a group of 30 thirsty people came at the same time but the one jug could only hold 4 portions. You need to run back to the house and refill after serving just 4 people. Chances are those people will have taken their business elsewhere by the time you come back.

Where will you as a lemonade business owner put your next investment? Getting more jugs or improving the taste of the lemonade?

Of course, both are important but the jug, as a platform, is foundational to you doing good business.

A platform delivers value to external users as much as the tangible product. However, it has second-order effect as a contributor rather than the driver.