We heard from Ali Lakhanpal, Product Manager Intern in London about his role at Expedia Group.
Tell us about your team?
I work within the eIT department; a subdivision of the DP&I department (don’t worry, you’ll get used to the acronyms here). For my particular project, I am the only London based Product Manager. My manager, my tech lead, and a host of other Expedians that I work with, are based in either Seattle or Chicago (meaning the lighter mornings ease me into the busier afternoons). However, I often find myself collaborating with other London-based Expedians within the same department (DP&I) as their adjacent projects often cross-over with mine.
Tell us about your role?
There’s a lot to say about product management. We drive the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of the products/initiatives that we are working on. Driving the value of a particular initiative is at the crux of what Product Managers do; however, I sometimes find myself in the weeds of problem solving with my tech-lead as well. What does this practically look like? Lots of meetings, mind-mapping and coffee. There is an element of detective work required too, as problems are not often clear cut. It is up to us to try and pin-point pain-points from our target personas (end-users) to better define the problem – before we even think about solving it. Finally, it is an intrinsically collaborative role – it’s ok if you don’t have all of the answers. You won’t. Meaningful discussions and teamwork are what drive worthwhile solutions.
What skillsets do you think are required to be successful in your role?
The first thing to note is that product management at Expedia attracts people from a multitude of academic/employment backgrounds. Therefore, this isn’t a role that champions a very rigid and specific set of technical skills. However, there are a few general skills that are key. The first is communication; as previously stated, collaboration is key in this role. The second is organisation – more specifically, prioritisation. This is vital if you want to break down a large, vague problem into sizeable, achievable tasks and approach them in a methodical manner. This ties nicely into the third skill – having a general grasp of data analysis. You don’t have to be an Excel whizz (though it certainly doesn’t hurt); however, if we want achievable tasks, we need to know what achievement looks like. Success metrics are a cornerstone of product management, and they are always driven by data. The final, and most important skill, is being a self-starter. At Expedia, you are not micro-managed. It is up to you to steer your product/initiative in the direction that you need it to go in. All of these skills make you an effective problem solver – thus an effective Product Manager.
What technologies/tools do you work with?
Okay, so I’d recommend that there’s nothing quite like a physical notepad to take down notes – though I sometimes use Microsoft Word to flesh them out. Microsoft Excel is key for data analysis and Microsoft PowerPoint is key for preparing and performing presentations. Confluence is another great web-app that Expedia uses to document all sorts of things; it’s become Expedia’s own Wikipedia in certain respects. JIRA is vital for product management. It’s a web-app that Expedia uses to break-down the work Expedia does into strategies, initiatives, epics and stories. Strategies are, as expected, representative of Expedia’s overall goals. Initiatives represent the overall problem you (as a Product Manager) are trying to solve. Epics break these problems down into smaller tasks, and epics are broken down further into stories/issues. Don’t worry, you will be taught about JIRA in more detail – just rest assured it’s a Product Manager’s bread and butter. Finally, Miro is a nifty web-app that acts as an infinite white-board – allowing you to ideate and collaborate with ease.
What’s your favourite thing about working at EG?
I know it sounds like a corporate cliché, but it’s absolutely true… the culture. The staff and interns here are incredibly friendly, supportive and – when it comes to work – generally happy to assist you (even if it is outside of their project space). The London office is amazing. The open desk set-up, the colourful booths, the open kitchens and (of course) the rooftop terrace are all great aspects of the office. Free snacks and coffee on each floor are welcome bonuses (though, be warned, I have fell victim to the allure of free coffees to the point I’ve had three before 11:00 on too many occasions). Expedia run many social events too, so you’ll have plenty of time to network and let loose. Finally, it goes without saying, but travel is at the heart of EG – and this is reflected in its culture. The travel and welfare bonuses that are provided to Expedians promotes a healthy work-life balance.
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