Build

By Poornima Vijayashanker

What's Build about?

Build is a weekly podcast brought to you by Pivotal Tracker hosted by Poornima Vijayashanker, the founder of Femgineer.

In this show, Poornima hosts innovators in tech and together they debunk myths and misconceptions related to building tech products and companies.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Build episodes:

06.03.2019
Episode 92: Resilient Management: Building & Managing Highly Functional Teams
Just when you thought you had a handle on your job... it’s time to lead a team! Time to be responsible for others. Their career growth, emotional well-being at work, and job satisfaction. You’re excited by the new opportunity...
05.15.2019
Episode 91: Hiring Technical Talent: What To Look Out For When Hiring Your First Employee
We’re living in an era where there is more than one path to gaining freedom and flexibility, though often it takes some trial and error to achieve it. Gregg Goldner is an example of someone who was tired of missing out...
04.30.2019
Episode 90: How To Get Started As A Freelance Software Developer
When I was in my early 20s and someone told me to prioritize freedom and flexibility, I’d cringe and think, “Yes but how?” Over the past fifteen years, I’ve asked this question to people I’ve met. Through trial and...
04.01.2019
Episode 89: Why Everyone Working On A Product Needs To Be Aware Of The Voice Of The Customer
I am the self-appointed family travel agent. Though if you ask my partner and the rest of my family members they’d agree that I am the best person for the job. Why? Because over the years I have...
03.25.2019
Episode 88: What To Do When An Opportunity Won't Present Itself
We began this month exploring the theme of career transitions. In the first Build episode for this month, we talked about why even if we want to transition in our careers, we don’t and get stuck in a role. If...
03.12.2019
Episode 87: How To Stop Holding Ourselves Back And Explore An Opportunity To Change Careers
Career transitions are tough for all of us. Leveling-up or transitioning into a new role or field is challenging because we have to prove that we can do the job, especially when our resume doesn’t reflect relevant or exact experience...
02.11.2019
Episode 86: How To Source, Vet, Hire, and Work With UX Designers
In the last episode of Build, Sarah Doody, who is a UX designer and entrepreneur, and I debunked many myths and misconceptions around UX (user experience) design, as well as the benefits to having a UX designer on your...
02.04.2019
Episode 85: Top 3 Reasons Your Team Needs A UX Designer From The Beginning
Happy February! It’s a brand new month, which means new Build episodes. If you’re new to Build or maybe missed episodes here and there, know that I’ve previously covered a number of topics related to design like design sprints, product...
01.21.2019
Episode 84: Easy to Set Non-Negotiables But Hard To Stick To Them
Do you ever feel like you’re caught between making personal concessions and compromises in order to advance professionally? I felt this way less than six months ago. I was getting ready to transition from maternity leave back to...
01.14.2019
Episode 83: Why Staying Small Can Be A Great Business Strategy
In the last episode of Build, Paul Jarvis who is the author of Company of One and I, challenged the commonly held myth that that you need to you need to keep growing and scaling your company, otherwise you’re...
01.07.2019
Episode 82: Why You Don't Always Have To Be Growing And Scaling Your Company
Happy new year! I hope your 2019 is off to a great start :) If you’re curious what I’ve been up to and what I have in store for 2019, I’ll tell you right off the bat, I do not...
12.10.2018
Episode 81: 3 Simple Everyday Actions You Can Do To Be A Better Ally And Create An Inclusive Workplace
Last week on Build, we shared what allyship is and why it can help build inclusive workplaces. Anytime new approaches like these come out our defenses go up because it can be challenging to change mindsets and best practices....
12.03.2018
Episode 80: How Being An Ally Can Help You Create An Inclusive Workplace
As the year comes to a close, you’re probably getting ready to attend a holiday party, maybe your company’s. And maybe you’re concerned about what to talk about with your teammates and boss. Diversity and inclusion may be hot buttons...
11.12.2018
Episode 79: 5 Best Practices For Keeping A New Product On Track
Last week on Build, we shared why it instead of rebuilding or redesigning an existing product, it might make sense to build a brand new product, and we walked you through how some folks on the Pivotal Tracker team...
11.05.2018
Episode 78: Why Build A Brand New Product Instead Of Rebuilding Or Redesigning One
Happy November! November is one of my favorite months mostly because I love Thanksgiving. Last year I had a wonderful time celebrating it with Meghan Burgain, Femgineer’s Community Manager in Bordeaux, France. We had a Frenchgiving, and had the...
10.09.2018
Episode 77: 3 Techniques To Improve Your Explanations And Be Understood
In last week's Build episode, we talked about why if somebody doesn't understand your explanation for a technical concept, it's not OK to just tell them to look it up or Google it. We also covered the effects of doing...
10.03.2018
Episode 76: Why Doing a Bad Job of Explaining Technical Concepts Hurts Our Credibility
Confession time… A few years ago when someone asked me to explain a technical concept and I couldn’t successfully get through to them or didn’t have time, I would send them this link. ;) And it seemed funny...
09.23.2018
Episode 75: How To Train and Retain Top Product Managers
All this month, we’ve been sharing best practices around hiring and interviewing product managers. If you checked out both episodes, you might be thinking: “This is a lot of work! How can we be sure we’ll end up with a...
09.16.2018
Episode 74: How To Interview Product Managers
Last week, we dug into the various product manager personas, and how to go about sourcing candidates. This week, we’re going to talk about another critical step when it comes to hiring product managers: interviewing. Unlike interviewing engineers and designers,...
09.09.2018
Episode 73: How To Hire Product Managers
To build a product, you need a team of engineers, designers, and the glue that keeps them together: product managers! The role of the product manager has dramatically changed over the past decade, and because it’s still a relatively...
08.06.2018
Episode 72: How Bitcoin, Blockchain And Cryptocurrencies Are Being Incorporated Into Valuable Applications That Are Making An Impact In The Market
In the last episode of Build, we debunked a number of myths related to bitcoin, blockchain, and other cryptocurrencies. Despite all the myths and hype these technologies have staying power in the market. But we get that you might...
07.30.2018
Episode 71: The Real Deal Behind Blockchain, Bitcoin, and Cryptocurrencies
Got a laundry list of questions that have gone unanswered when it comes to blockchain, bitcoin, and the myriad of cryptocurrencies out there? Questions like the following: What’s going on with the boom and bust cycles? Are cryptocurrencies really...
06.20.2018
Episode 70: Applications And Resources To Help You Get Started With Augmented Reality And Virtual Reality
In the last episode of Build, we exposed a number of myths about current augmented reality and virtual reality trends, and how new products are evolving by learning from predecessors like Google Glass. If the episode piqued your curiosity...
06.20.2018
Episode 69: Is There Really A Market For Augmented Reality And Virtual Reality Products?
Remember Google Glass? Yeah it didn’t quite take off did it… It was just one example of a failed attempt to productize virtual reality. Its short lifespan along with a number of other products since the 90s has probably got...
06.18.2018
Episode 68: What A Remote Team Needs To Be Successful When Working On A Mission Critical Project
All this month we’ve been talking about remote working as it relates to recruiting, training, and retaining remote works. We started out by tackling how to recruit remote workers for people who may be new to it. Then we...
06.11.2018
Episode 67: Proven Strategies For Training And Retaining Remote Workers
In last week’s episode of Build, we dove into the benefits and best practices around recruiting remote workers. But as you’ve learned from last month’s Build episodes, it’s not enough to hire talent, you also need to onboard new...
06.06.2018
Episiode 66: How To Recruit Remote Workers
Remember our fun live pilot episode back in January 2015? In case you forgot about it or missed it, it was on How To Build A Happy And Productive Remote Team with Ben Congleton the CEO and Co-Founder of...
05.14.2018
Episode 65: When Does It Make Sense To Give A Newly Hired Software Engineer A Meaty Project
All this month on Build, we've been talking about on-boarding techniques for your new software engineering hires. We started out by talking about why on-boarding is important, and then moved on to showcase how pair and mob programming can help ramp up a lot of...
05.09.2018
Episode 64: How Pair And Mob Programming Help Quickly Onboard New Software Engineers
In last week’s Build Tip, we dove into the importance of onboarding new hires, and the benefits your team and company will experience if you invest the time into doing it. Next, you might be wondering, what do...
05.01.2018
Episode 63: Why You Need To Invest In Onboarding A New Software Engineer And Not Expect Them To Ship Code On Their First Day
Have you recently hired a software engineer or maybe a few? Congratulations! Are you starting to worry that they haven’t shipped any code yet? Maybe they’re a bad hire... Seems kinda harsh to think someone is a...
04.18.2018
Episode 62: Why Hourly Estimates For User Stories And Technical Tasks May Seem Crazy But You Need To Do Them Anyway
We began this month with a Build episode where we exposed all the aftershocks of using current product management methodologies to estimate user stories. Then in last week’s episode, we dove into Hiten Shah’s new EAT approach which...
04.10.2018
Episode 61: What We Need To Do To Produce An "Accurate" Ship Date For Our Product
I don’t know about you but I HATE kale… That stupid leafy green vegetable with the ANDI score of 1000. It’s really hard to chew, and any time I see it on a menu, I skip it! But I get...
04.03.2018
Episode 60: Why It’s Hard to Provide Accurate Product Estimates Under Most Popular Product Management Methodologies
What’s probably the MOST popular and frustrating question you’ve come across when building a product: “How long do you think it will take to do task X?” It’s frustrating on so many levels… First, we need to produce...
03.12.2018
Episode 59: Why You Need To Rethink Your Approach to Diversity And Inclusion
We’re probably all aware of the famous proverb: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I think it’s very apropos when it comes to diversity and inclusion efforts. Too many of us think that having a diversity...
03.05.2018
Episode 58: How To Navigate Conversations About Diversity And Inclusion in Tech
I’m sure you’re aware of the talk and debate around the topic of diversity and inclusion. Maybe it’s left you feeling frustrated, tired, or downright apathetic… I get it. Much of the emotional rollercoaster stems from the challenges...
02.21.2018
Episode 57: How To Balance Accessibility And Interactivity Across Devices
In the last two episodes of Build we tackled why accessibility needs to be prioritized in product design and the three key tips that are critical and will make a big impact on your product's adoption. This week we’re going to answer two...
02.12.2018
Episode 56: 3 Key Tips To Keep In Mind When Designing For Accessibility
Wasn’t last week’s episode on accessibility in product design enlightening? Well get ready for more! The goal of the last episode was to give you solid understanding of accessibility, and all the things you could think about when designing a...
02.06.2018
Episode 55: Why Accessibility Needs To Be Prioritized In Product Design
It’s a new month and with it a brand new theme for our upcoming Build episodes! When designing products we often think about usability: how easy to use a product is. But we often overlook another aspect of product design:...
01.30.2018
Episode 54: What It’s Going To Take To Get That First Check From An Investor
All this month we’ve been exploring how startup fundraising is changing and why it’s going to continue to change in 2018. We started off by talking about why you don’t want to reach out to an investor when you...
01.24.2018
Episode 53: Why Investors Keep Saying NO To Your BIG Idea
Think you’re onto something BIG, and surprised you’re receiving so many NO’s from investors? It can really make you second guess yourself, and shake your confidence... … but it shouldn’t! Receiving a LOT of NO’s is natural. You may be...
01.17.2018
Episode 52: When It Does And Doesn’t Make Sense To Fundraise For Your Startup
Ready for more myth busting around startup funding? Let’s get to it then! Last week I shared a number of reasons you should share care fundraising whether you’re a founder or startup employee. Here they are again, and in the...
01.09.2018
Episode 51: How You Will Be Impacted In 2018 Whether You Are A Startup Founder or Employee
It’s the start of a new year, which is an exciting time all around. You’re probably excited about new opportunities, starting a company, or building product in 2018! While I’m all for optimism, I’ve also gotta stay true to...
12.18.2017
Episode 50: How To Succeed In Your First Remote Working Position
I don’t know about you, but I cringe at the thought of having to commute. The traffic, road rage, not to mention having to find parking… it was enough to make me throw in the towel 7 years ago! ...
12.11.2017
Episode 49: How To Get Your Teammates To Adopt Product Design Sprints
Did you share last week’s Build episode on product design sprints with your teammates? Wait! Give me two chances to guess what the outcome was... … you did and you faced some pushback? Well, kudos to you for...
12.04.2017
Episode 48: How a Product Design Sprint Fast Tracks Testing Your Ideas
How many times have you and your team spent countless hours building, bug fixing, finally releasing a new feature only to hear feedback from a customer that it’s not what they wanted? Or worse, they don’t say anything… ...
11.13.2017
Episode 47: What Is Product Debt And Why You Need To Prioritize Paying It Down
Transcript for What Is Product Debt And Why You Need To Prioritize Paying It Down Poornima Vijayashanker: Did you recently show your designs to an engineer and hear this? Ronan Dunlop: It is going to be challenging to...
11.07.2017
Episode 46: Should You Worry About Your Skills Getting Rusty?
Transcript for Should You Worry About Your Skills Getting Rusty? Poornima Vijayashanker: In the last episode, we talked about what it's like to transition from being an individual contributor into a leader, and explored some tradeoffs. If you missed...
10.31.2017
Episode 45: What Stops Us From Transitioning Into A Leadership Role
Have you been in your current role for a while, and are eager to try something new? Perhaps you’ve thought about transitioning from being an individual contributor into a leadership role, but you’re not sure if it’s the right...
10.23.2017
Episode 44: What To Do Before You Redesign Your Product
A redesign is a great way to reinvent your brand, get a leg up on the competition, and revisit those clunky and outdated workflows. While we may be eager to jump right in, we have to be careful about...
10.16.2017
Episode 43: Project Management: How To Keep Your Team Motivated And Successfully Ship
All this month on Build, we’ve been talking about project management. First, we shared two ground rules you need to set for yourself to get through a software project successfully, and in the last episode, we shared strategies for handling...

What's Build about?

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Build episodes:

Episode 92: Resilient Management: Building & Managing Highly Functional Teams

Episode 91: Hiring Technical Talent: What To Look Out For When Hiring Your First Employee

Episode 90: How To Get Started As A Freelance Software Developer

Episode 89: Why Everyone Working On A Product Needs To Be Aware Of The Voice Of The Customer

Episode 88: What To Do When An Opportunity Won't Present Itself

Episode 87: How To Stop Holding Ourselves Back And Explore An Opportunity To Change Careers

Episode 86: How To Source, Vet, Hire, and Work With UX Designers

Episode 85: Top 3 Reasons Your Team Needs A UX Designer From The Beginning

Episode 84: Easy to Set Non-Negotiables But Hard To Stick To Them

Episode 83: Why Staying Small Can Be A Great Business Strategy

Episode 82: Why You Don't Always Have To Be Growing And Scaling Your Company

Episode 81: 3 Simple Everyday Actions You Can Do To Be A Better Ally And Create An Inclusive Workplace

Episode 80: How Being An Ally Can Help You Create An Inclusive Workplace

Episode 79: 5 Best Practices For Keeping A New Product On Track

Episode 78: Why Build A Brand New Product Instead Of Rebuilding Or Redesigning One

Episode 77: 3 Techniques To Improve Your Explanations And Be Understood

Episode 76: Why Doing a Bad Job of Explaining Technical Concepts Hurts Our Credibility

Episode 75: How To Train and Retain Top Product Managers

Episode 74: How To Interview Product Managers

Episode 73: How To Hire Product Managers

Episode 72: How Bitcoin, Blockchain And Cryptocurrencies Are Being Incorporated Into Valuable Applications That Are Making An Impact In The Market

Episode 71: The Real Deal Behind Blockchain, Bitcoin, and Cryptocurrencies

Episode 70: Applications And Resources To Help You Get Started With Augmented Reality And Virtual Reality

Episode 69: Is There Really A Market For Augmented Reality And Virtual Reality Products?

Episode 68: What A Remote Team Needs To Be Successful When Working On A Mission Critical Project

Episode 67: Proven Strategies For Training And Retaining Remote Workers

Episiode 66: How To Recruit Remote Workers

Episode 65: When Does It Make Sense To Give A Newly Hired Software Engineer A Meaty Project

Episode 64: How Pair And Mob Programming Help Quickly Onboard New Software Engineers

Episode 63: Why You Need To Invest In Onboarding A New Software Engineer And Not Expect Them To Ship Code On Their First Day

Episode 62: Why Hourly Estimates For User Stories And Technical Tasks May Seem Crazy But You Need To Do Them Anyway

Episode 61: What We Need To Do To Produce An "Accurate" Ship Date For Our Product

Episode 60: Why It’s Hard to Provide Accurate Product Estimates Under Most Popular Product Management Methodologies

Episode 59: Why You Need To Rethink Your Approach to Diversity And Inclusion

Episode 58: How To Navigate Conversations About Diversity And Inclusion in Tech

Episode 57: How To Balance Accessibility And Interactivity Across Devices

Episode 56: 3 Key Tips To Keep In Mind When Designing For Accessibility

Episode 55: Why Accessibility Needs To Be Prioritized In Product Design

Episode 54: What It’s Going To Take To Get That First Check From An Investor

Episode 53: Why Investors Keep Saying NO To Your BIG Idea

Episode 52: When It Does And Doesn’t Make Sense To Fundraise For Your Startup

Episode 51: How You Will Be Impacted In 2018 Whether You Are A Startup Founder or Employee

Episode 50: How To Succeed In Your First Remote Working Position

Episode 49: How To Get Your Teammates To Adopt Product Design Sprints

Episode 48: How a Product Design Sprint Fast Tracks Testing Your Ideas

Episode 47: What Is Product Debt And Why You Need To Prioritize Paying It Down

Episode 46: Should You Worry About Your Skills Getting Rusty?

Episode 45: What Stops Us From Transitioning Into A Leadership Role

Episode 44: What To Do Before You Redesign Your Product

Episode 43: Project Management: How To Keep Your Team Motivated And Successfully Ship