This conversation uncovers insights into how product teams can make sure their work is driving measurable impact. 

On this episode, our guest is Monica Shrivastava who is a 10-year veteran of the product industry and a go-to thought leader in both product development and product management with a diverse domain background —including working with giants like Ola, Amazon and PWC.

She currently brings that expertise to BYJU'S as the Director of Product Management.

In this far-ranging conversation, we discuss with her:

1. Product lifecycle: what matters most at every stage
2. The concept of 'customer-focused leadership'
3. Tips for hiring a great Product Manager for your product team
4. How to motivate and inspire your team to achieve a better customer experience

How does product management differ in a startup vs an MNC?

Monica explained that despite customers being the obsession of every company out there, product management approach varies a lot. In a startup, the road map for innovation is close to 4 months while in an MNC the same time frame happens to be around 10 months. 

In product management, research plays a very vital role in the initial days. This stage is tough for a startup because it lacks data and is behind in making data-driven choices. While in a multinational corporation, data is well-maintained and updated.

In terms of harmonising the stakeholders, the story, methodology, data-driven information, and vision [what is saved for stakeholders] are all similar in both.

How do you deal with continual change in the Edtech business as a market leader?

According to Monica, the pandemic has caused a significant change among parents. They feel that occupying learning has become an important aspect of traditional education. We took advantage of this chance by doing space research on the ground. Our product team was upskilled as our firm grew, becoming more focused on execution and reaching a higher level of management.

Follow Monica on LinkedIn

Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Junius Dsilva

Springworks is a fully-distributed HR technology organization that is building tools and products to simplify recruitment, on-boarding, employee engagement, and retention. The product stack from Springworks includes:
SpringVerify — B2B verification platform
EngageWith — employee recognition and rewards platform that enriches company culture
Trivia — a suite of real-time, fun, and interactive games platforms for remote/hybrid team-building
SpringRole — verified professional-profile platform backed by blockchain, and
SpringRecruit — a forever-free applicant tracking systemSpringworks prides itself on being an organization focused on employee well-being and workplace culture leading to a 4.8 rating on Glassdoor for the 200+ employee strength company.