https://alaniswright.com/posts/ Recent content in Posts on AlanIsWright.com Hugo en-us Sun, 25 Oct 2026 17:44:37 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/from-python-to-pythagoras-preparing-for-an-msc-in-ai-as-a-ppe-graduate/ Sun, 25 Oct 2026 17:44:37 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/from-python-to-pythagoras-preparing-for-an-msc-in-ai-as-a-ppe-graduate/ How I prepared for an MSc in AI from a non-technical background. The free Python and maths resources that helped me most. https://alaniswright.com/blog/6-ways-i-use-claude-for-data-analysis/ Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:05:16 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/6-ways-i-use-claude-for-data-analysis/ How I use Claude for data analysis to help me make faster, data-driven decisions with less dependece on my team. https://alaniswright.com/blog/prototyping-with-claude-design/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:06:04 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/prototyping-with-claude-design/ How I use Claude Design to build interactive low-fidelity prototypes quickly, so I can test ideas and get feedback sooner. https://alaniswright.com/blog/learning-step-by-step-with-ai/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:45:57 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/learning-step-by-step-with-ai/ How I use Gemini to learn maths for my AI degree, one step at a time, including a daily quiz to check it has actually stuck. https://alaniswright.com/blog/vibe-coding-as-a-product-manager-risks-and-opportunities/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:46:56 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/vibe-coding-as-a-product-manager-risks-and-opportunities/ My experience of vibe coding as a product manager so far: the tools I have used, the opportunities, and the risks I am still wary of. https://alaniswright.com/blog/definitions-of-done-checklist/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:37:45 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/definitions-of-done-checklist/ Here is the latest version of the checklist I use to make sure I don’t forget anything important when I ship new features or significant changes. Hope you find it helpful! Goals & Quality Documentation & Content Communications Testing Rollout https://alaniswright.com/blog/using-cursor-and-mcp-as-a-product-manager/ Fri, 16 Jan 2026 17:26:29 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/using-cursor-and-mcp-as-a-product-manager/ How Cursor and MCP help me do product management work with Notion, Linear, and PostHog - without leaving the Cursor UI. From analytics queries and document creation to ticket creation and proofreading. https://alaniswright.com/blog/using-ai-for-competitor-analysis/ Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:19:02 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/using-ai-for-competitor-analysis/ How I am using AI to help me do competitor analysis. Covers Perplexity Pro & Gemini Deep Research, and experimentation with agentic AI https://alaniswright.com/blog/google-ai-pro-image-editing-deep-research-and-fantasy-premier-league/ Sun, 26 Oct 2025 21:52:15 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/google-ai-pro-image-editing-deep-research-and-fantasy-premier-league/ How I have been using Google AI Pro: image editing, Deep Research, and an experiment with Gemini and Fantasy Premier League. https://alaniswright.com/blog/product-strategy-prioritisation-frameworks-and-responding-to-change/ Mon, 25 Aug 2025 10:44:20 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/product-strategy-prioritisation-frameworks-and-responding-to-change/ The link between product strategy and priorities, when prioritisation frameworks help, and how to empower teams to make smart decisions https://alaniswright.com/blog/jobs-to-be-done-surveys/ Fri, 25 Jul 2025 10:09:49 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/jobs-to-be-done-surveys/ A JTBD / Jobs to be Done survey template I created to learn more about the users of my product. Feel free to reuse! https://alaniswright.com/blog/prompt-engineering-as-a-product-manager/ Sun, 29 Jun 2025 21:41:59 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/prompt-engineering-as-a-product-manager/ Prompt engineering is an important skill for product managers who want to use AI effectively. Here are 8 techniques that work for me. https://alaniswright.com/blog/6-ways-i-like-to-use-chatgpt/ Mon, 05 May 2025 19:17:40 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/6-ways-i-like-to-use-chatgpt/ 6 ways i like to use ChatGPT: Coding assistant, image editor, real-time meeting assistant, teacher, product comparer and cost estimator https://alaniswright.com/blog/trumpet-time/ Sun, 27 Apr 2025 16:36:28 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/trumpet-time/ A fun weekly ritual to celebrate achievements and start show & tells positively. This simple habit is great for remote first teams. https://alaniswright.com/blog/sketching-for-ideation/ Sun, 30 Mar 2025 09:30:05 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/sketching-for-ideation/ How sketching helps product teams generate good ideas fast. Includes a practical workshop plan you can use with your teams. https://alaniswright.com/blog/cognitive-bias-house-buying-and-product-decisions/ Sun, 09 Feb 2025 16:59:18 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/cognitive-bias-house-buying-and-product-decisions/ How to recognise and overcome cognitive biases that affect bgi decisions. https://alaniswright.com/blog/ai-product-management-in-high-stakes-domains/ Sun, 01 Dec 2024 12:20:15 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/ai-product-management-in-high-stakes-domains/ Best practices for building responsible, transparent AI products in high-stakes domains where accuracy and trust really matter. https://alaniswright.com/blog/my-favourite-tools-for-analysing-user-and-product-data/ Sun, 17 Nov 2024 17:07:43 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/my-favourite-tools-for-analysing-user-and-product-data/ Essential tools for product managers to understand users: analytics, session recording, A/B testing, surveys and user research tooling. https://alaniswright.com/blog/my-favourite-digital-tools-for-house-hunting-around-england-and-london/ Sun, 06 Oct 2024 15:00:07 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/my-favourite-digital-tools-for-house-hunting-around-england-and-london/ Tools for learning about travel times, traffic noise, aeroplane noise, air pollution, floodrisk, planning, sun/shade & house value https://alaniswright.com/blog/pre-discovery-how-to-prepare-for-product-discovery/ Mon, 02 Sep 2024 20:56:51 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/pre-discovery-how-to-prepare-for-product-discovery/ Pre-discovery. How to prepare for product discovery. Strategic context, cross-functional team, start together, remove blockers & plan ahead https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-i-use-obsidian-to-keep-track-of-personal-notes-and-actions/ Wed, 28 Aug 2024 22:30:42 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-i-use-obsidian-to-keep-track-of-personal-notes-and-actions/ The simple workflow, templates and extensions I use to help me take notes and track actions in Obsidian - my second brain. https://alaniswright.com/blog/lessons-about-user-value-and-usability-from-settlers-of-catan-and-arc-browser/ Mon, 15 Jul 2024 19:35:53 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/lessons-about-user-value-and-usability-from-settlers-of-catan-and-arc-browser/ Using Settlers of Catan and Arc Browser as an excuse to write about user value, usability, jobs to be done and switching costs. https://alaniswright.com/blog/personal-vision-regular-reviews-habits-obsidian-organised-focused/ Mon, 10 Jun 2024 07:10:20 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/personal-vision-regular-reviews-habits-obsidian-organised-focused/ Personal vision, regular reviews and habits - how I try to keep myself organised and focused. Some of the personal productivity techniques that work best for me https://alaniswright.com/blog/make-time-busy-bandwagon-infinity-pools/ Mon, 27 May 2024 11:08:29 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/make-time-busy-bandwagon-infinity-pools/ Make Time is one of the best books I have read in the past decade! This post covers how this book has helped me focus on what matters https://alaniswright.com/blog/8-ways-i-am-using-ai-to-help-me-be-a-better-product-manager-4-ways-i-am-not/ Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:43:50 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/8-ways-i-am-using-ai-to-help-me-be-a-better-product-manager-4-ways-i-am-not/ How I am using AI to help me be a better product manager: includes writing content, generating ideas, finding information, coding and more! https://alaniswright.com/blog/roadmaps-delivery-plans-timelines-dependency-maps-civilization-product-teams/ Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:48:07 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/roadmaps-delivery-plans-timelines-dependency-maps-civilization-product-teams/ Roadmaps, delivery plans, timelines and dependency maps - how and why I like to use these artefacts when working with product teams https://alaniswright.com/blog/becoming-a-more-technical-product-manager/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:43:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/becoming-a-more-technical-product-manager/ Why I am trying to become a more technical product manager, and some of the ways of learning that have worked well for me. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-are-using-linear-and-notion-to-manage-our-product-backlog-and-project-work/ Mon, 15 Jan 2024 14:09:14 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-are-using-linear-and-notion-to-manage-our-product-backlog-and-project-work/ The simple approach we have settled on to keep track of our work: actions on Linear and documentation on Notion. https://alaniswright.com/blog/cycle-time-queues-work-in-progress-and-batch-size-four-things-product-teams-need-to-reduce-if-they-want-to-deliver-more-value-faster/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 06:05:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/cycle-time-queues-work-in-progress-and-batch-size-four-things-product-teams-need-to-reduce-if-they-want-to-deliver-more-value-faster/ Cycle time, queues, work in progress and batch size. Four factors that when kept to a minimum, enable teams to deliver more, more often and at a higher quality https://alaniswright.com/blog/being-a-product-manager-in-a-start-up-vs-the-public-sector-big-organisation-vs-small/ Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:07:26 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/being-a-product-manager-in-a-start-up-vs-the-public-sector-big-organisation-vs-small/ Product management in small organisations/start-ups vs bigger organisations/the public sector. Insights from my career experience. https://alaniswright.com/blog/the-value-of-user-research/ Tue, 31 Oct 2023 21:09:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/the-value-of-user-research/ Why we do user research at Climate Policy Radar, how we have done it so far, and what we have learned from our users. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-to-run-a-daily-stand-up/ Sat, 21 Oct 2023 08:48:57 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-to-run-a-daily-stand-up/ Why daily stand-ups are useful, and some tips on how to run them so they stay short and actually help the team. https://alaniswright.com/blog/team-manual-and-team-charter-my-two-favourite-workshops-to-run-with-new-teams-or-teams-with-new-members/ Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:47:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/team-manual-and-team-charter-my-two-favourite-workshops-to-run-with-new-teams-or-teams-with-new-members/ Team manual and team charter: my two favourite workshops for helping a new team, or a team with new people, figure out how to work together. https://alaniswright.com/blog/splitting-one-product-team-into-two/ Tue, 15 Aug 2023 18:00:56 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/splitting-one-product-team-into-two/ This post explains why and how we decided to split from one big product team into two smaller teams. https://alaniswright.com/blog/tracking-our-products-user-lifecycle-funnel-in-google-analytics/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:20:34 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/tracking-our-products-user-lifecycle-funnel-in-google-analytics/ How we defined our user lifecycle funnel at Climate Policy Radar and set it up in Google Analytics. https://alaniswright.com/blog/new-feature-english-translation-of-climate-law-and-policy/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:21:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/new-feature-english-translation-of-climate-law-and-policy/ How Climate Policy Radar lets you search climate laws and policies in other languages, and read the matching passages in English. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-have-setup-notion-to-help-our-startup-stay-organised/ Sun, 21 May 2023 12:49:18 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-have-setup-notion-to-help-our-startup-stay-organised/ How we set up Notion so a small startup can find information easily as the team grows. What we use it for, and what we don't. https://alaniswright.com/blog/climate-policy-radar-launches-public-product-roadmap/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 12:30:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/climate-policy-radar-launches-public-product-roadmap/ Why we published Climate Policy Radar's product roadmap, and how being open about our priorities helps us build the right things. https://alaniswright.com/blog/managing-product-backlog-bets-with-notion/ Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:36:58 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/managing-product-backlog-bets-with-notion/ How we use Notion to keep track of product bets at Climate Policy Radar, from the first idea through to something we have shipped. https://alaniswright.com/blog/doing-user-research-as-a-product-manager-in-an-early-stage-startup/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:44:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/doing-user-research-as-a-product-manager-in-an-early-stage-startup/ How I do user research as a product manager in an early-stage startup, without a dedicated user researcher on the team. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-to-run-a-retrospective/ Sun, 12 Mar 2023 14:41:51 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-to-run-a-retrospective/ An introduction to team retrospectives, and a practical guide to running them so improving how you work becomes a habit. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-to-run-a-premortem/ Tue, 28 Feb 2023 19:09:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-to-run-a-premortem/ How to run a premortem for a product or project https://alaniswright.com/blog/writing-good-okrs/ Sat, 07 Jan 2023 17:21:35 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/writing-good-okrs/ How I write good OKRs. Focused on the content of the objectives and key results, from my time at GDS, the BBC and Cazoo. https://alaniswright.com/blog/metrics-i-use-to-help-teams-improve-the-timing-of-meetings-to-increase-team-health-and-productivity-makers-time-and-collaboration-time/ Mon, 07 Mar 2022 12:15:25 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/metrics-i-use-to-help-teams-improve-the-timing-of-meetings-to-increase-team-health-and-productivity-makers-time-and-collaboration-time/ Makers time and collaboration time: two metrics I use to help teams protect time for deep work without losing the meetings that matter. https://alaniswright.com/blog/better-meetings-for-remote-teams/ Wed, 12 May 2021 16:32:07 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/better-meetings-for-remote-teams/ What we changed to make meetings work better for a remote team: fewer big meetings, and less of the drain that comes with back to back video calls. https://alaniswright.com/blog/running-effective-show-tells/ Tue, 06 Apr 2021 16:13:54 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/running-effective-show-tells/ Practical tips for running effective show & tells, so stakeholders can see the work and the team can get useful feedback. https://alaniswright.com/blog/show-and-tells-sprint-reviews-and-showcases-whats-the-difference/ Tue, 06 Apr 2021 05:50:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/show-and-tells-sprint-reviews-and-showcases-whats-the-difference/ What show & tells, sprint reviews and showcases mean to me, and why I treat team reviews and show & tells as different events. https://alaniswright.com/blog/not-all-objectives-are-created-equal/ Mon, 24 Jun 2019 20:46:01 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/not-all-objectives-are-created-equal/ Not all objectives are worth the same. How giving each one an economic value leads to better prioritisation decisions. https://alaniswright.com/blog/measuring-and-improving-ways-of-working-on-digital-teams/ Sun, 28 Apr 2019 17:29:13 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/measuring-and-improving-ways-of-working-on-digital-teams/ Some of the approaches I have used to measure and improve ways of working on digital teams, including Spotify-style health checks. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-government-digital-teams-can-use-cost-of-delay-to-prioritize-work/ Wed, 12 Dec 2018 19:50:46 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-government-digital-teams-can-use-cost-of-delay-to-prioritize-work/ What I have learned about cost of delay, and how government digital teams can use it to prioritise work by value and urgency. https://alaniswright.com/blog/people-over-resources/ Sun, 13 May 2018 20:16:54 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/people-over-resources/ Why I talk about people rather than resources. Most of a digital team's value comes from people, and how we treat them shows up in the work. https://alaniswright.com/blog/firebreaks-on-gov-uk/ Thu, 03 May 2018 10:03:46 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/firebreaks-on-gov-uk/ Firebreaks on GOV.UK give people one week every three months to pause, recharge and spend some self-directed time improving the service. https://alaniswright.com/blog/gov-uk-a-journey-in-scaling-agile/ Thu, 26 Apr 2018 21:31:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/gov-uk-a-journey-in-scaling-agile/ How GOV.UK stays agile at scale by adapting how we work based on what we have learned, rather than sticking to one methodology. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-i-stay-organised-using-trello-kanban-gtd-and-inbox-zero/ Sun, 22 Apr 2018 16:15:20 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-i-stay-organised-using-trello-kanban-gtd-and-inbox-zero/ The system I use to stay organised and productive: Getting Things Done, Personal Kanban, Inbox Zero and Trello. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-do-team-selection-on-gov-uk/ Wed, 07 Mar 2018 17:17:18 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-do-team-selection-on-gov-uk/ How we planned who works on which team on GOV.UK, and how that process evolved through 2017 and 2018. https://alaniswright.com/blog/using-kata-to-help-teams-deliver-value-faster/ Sat, 24 Feb 2018 19:50:16 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/using-kata-to-help-teams-deliver-value-faster/ How Toyota's Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata help teams get better at solving problems on their own and delivering value faster. https://alaniswright.com/blog/starting-up-a-new-team/ Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:05:36 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/starting-up-a-new-team/ The steps I took to start up two new GOV.UK teams, from learning how people like to work through to getting them delivering. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-use-trello-on-the-gov-uk-publishing-platform-team/ Mon, 13 Mar 2017 22:57:00 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-use-trello-on-the-gov-uk-publishing-platform-team/ How we use Trello boards, lists and cards to run Kanban on the GOV.UK Publishing Platform team. https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-use-kanban-on-the-gov-uk-publishing-platform/ Wed, 15 Feb 2017 22:48:15 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/how-we-use-kanban-on-the-gov-uk-publishing-platform/ How the GOV.UK Publishing Platform team uses Kanban to manage our work, and the principles that make it work for us. https://alaniswright.com/blog/getting-things-done-with-wunderlist/ Fri, 28 Aug 2015 08:40:20 +0000 https://alaniswright.com/blog/getting-things-done-with-wunderlist/ How I use Wunderlist and GTD Getting Things Done to organise my life.