Each week I scour articles, wading through the dogs, and bringing you the best insights to help product managers and innovators be heroes.

3 types of product managers and what skills Cloud product managers need. This article addresses three important topics. First are the three types of product managers (technologists, generalists, and business-oriented) along with which type large tech companies like (Amazon uses technologists while Facebook prefers generalists). Second is a maturity model for product managers. Third are the 10 skills that help product managers excel with Cloud products. Read about each at https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2017/07/16/10-skills-that-prove-youll-be-an-excellent-cloud-product-manager/

The new science of designing for humans. Human Centered Design is a process but also involves intuition. Adding practices from the fields of behavioral science and impact evaluation may add predictability. This article discusses a new process for more rigorously testing ideas https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_new_science_of_designing_for_humans

Looking at internal product management from the perspective of IT. An IT department serves the functions of the organization, creating business opportunities and solving business problems. Bringing product management disciplines to IT can improve the value delivered to the business. Read about the perspective at https://centermast.com/2017/07/19/how-it-can-learn-from-product-management/

Procter & Gamble, the consumer goods giant, is ripe for takeover – what happened to innovation? An activist shareholder is looking to shake up P&G, presumably to restructure and create higher profits. You might ask what this has to do with product management and innovation. The answer is simple – this is a powerful reminder that both innovation and product management are the engines of business economic growth. When those engines slow, unfortunate consequences are in store for the organization, those who work for it, and the customers it serves. Your work matters – make it count. Read details of the shakeup at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/business/dealbook/procter-gamble-nelson-peltz-trian.html

A corporate innovation lab that is working – GE’s First Build. I’ve talked about First Build a few times. One of my interviews shared the processes they use to create new appliances. I had the pleasure of visiting First Build to experience it for myself. A large sign reminds you, “A prototype is worth a thousand meetings.”

Not all innovation labs are working for their corporate owners, but First Build is. Soon they will be expanding beyond appliances. Get the details at https://hbr.org/2017/07/how-ge-built-an-innovation-lab-to-rapidly-prototype-appliances

What made Bell Labs so innovative may help your organization also. Bell Labs brought many of the technology innovations into existence that we now take for granted, such as transistors and solar cells. It had the right combination of (1) resources, (2) talent, and (3) culture. Read about how those elements contributed to the innovation powerhouse at https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/07/19/why-bell-labs-was-so-important-to-innovation-in-the-20th-century/