CS177 Human Centered Product Management Syllabus

Course Syllabus For CS 177: 

Human-Centered Product Management


 

Course Information

 

CS 177: Human Centered Product Management, Autumn 2022

3-4 units 

T/Th 1:30-4:20

Canvas: https://canvas.stanford.edu/courses/163052 

Prerequisite: CS106A&B or equivalent.

 

Contact Information

 

Course Instructors

Primary Instructor: Christina Wodtke (she/they)

Email address: cwodtke@stanford.edu

You may call me “Christina” in writing and when we talk.

 

Course Assistant: Shana Hadi (she/her)

Email address: shanaeh@stanford.edu

 

Course Assistant: Katherine Gjertsen (she/her)

Email address: kgjert@stanford.edu

 

Course Assistant: Gilbert Rosal (he/him)

Email address: rosalg@stanford.edu 

 

Office Hours

 

Christina: Wednesdays 2-3pm Pacific, or by appointment (email me to set up a time)

Shana: Mondays 3:30-4:30pm Pacific, or by appointment (Slack or email me @shanaeh)

Katherine: Mondays 5-6pm Pacific, or by appointment (Slack or email me @kgjert)

Gilbert: Mondays 12:30-1:30pm Pacific, or by appointment (Slack or email me @rosalg)

 

  1. Course Overview/Description

 

Ask any product person what the most important skills are for PMs and they’ll say interpersonal dynamics– negotiation, communication, conflict resolution, interviewing and more. This class will look at the role of product management through a human-centered lens, including customers and coworkers. As well, students will experience the Agile-Lean-UX development process. 

 

  1. Course Learning Goals

 

Through active engagement and completion of course activities, you will be able to:

  • Identify a viable market
  • Run discovery sessions
  • Run an effective competitive analysis
  • Identify customer value and choose a business model
  • Have creative conflict with teammates and resolve it equitably
  • Negotiate for a desired outcome
  • Give and take behavioral feedback

 

  1. Course Materials

 

Technology: You will need to have access to a device that connects to the internet so that you can access email and Canvas. All course details and materials will be posted on our Canvas course site. Students can borrow equipment and access other learning technology from the Lathrop Learning Hub.

 

Readings: All readings will be posted on Canvas. 

 

As well, these books are recommended for anyone who wants to be a product manager

  • Inspired by Marty Cagen
  • Product Management in Practice Matt LeMay
  • Lean StartUp by Eric Reis
  • Business Model Generation By Alex Osterwalder
  • Testing Business Ideas by David Bland
  • Continuous Discovery By Teresa Torres
  • Escaping the Build Trap Melissa Perri
  • Storymapping, Jeff Patton
  • Thanks for the feedback,  Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen 
  • Build Better Products, Laura Klein
  • Fearless Organization, Amy Edmonson
  • Radical Focus & The Team that Managed Itself, Christina Wodtke 

 

Affordability of Course Materials

All students should retain receipts for books and other course-related expenses, as these may be qualified educational expenses for tax purposes. If you are an undergraduate receiving financial aid, you may be eligible for additional financial aid for required books and course materials if these expenses exceed the aid amount in your award letter. For more information, review your award letter or visit the Student Budget website. (https://financialaid.stanford.edu/undergrad/budget/index.html)

 

  1. Coursework, and Grading Scheme

 

This will be a project-based and embedded ethics class. It will begin with interpersonal dynamics and collaboration techniques. Then we’ll explore Agile, Lean and Human-centered design as the core modern methodologies of tech companies, and use it to create and test business models and product offerings with potential users. 

The final output will be three prototypes (Look and Feel, Implementation, and Role), a Product Requirements Document, and a final reflection. 

 

This course is worth 4 units of credit, which means you may be asked to complete up to 12 hours of work per week, including class time. Between weekly participation in whole-class meetings and section meetings, this leaves approximately 8 hours of work outside of class that you may be asked to do. 

 

The class schedule in the last section of the syllabus highlights assignments and due dates so that you can plan your work for the quarter accordingly. Students may opt to take the course for a letter grade, or credit/no credit. The table below summarizes the types of work you will be asked to do and their contributions to your course grade, on either grading scheme. 

 

Category % of Grade Notes
Attendance and participation in class and sections 20%
  • 2 absence ‘passes’, no questions asked 
  • Up to 3 absences can be made up with alternative work
  • Arrival >15 mins late counts as an absence
Weekly solo assignments 20%
  • Eligible for 2 late ‘passes’
  • Must complete at least 6/8 to pass
  • Up to 3 can be revised and resubmitted for up to full credit
Midterm solo paper 20%
  • All components must be submitted on time
  • Can be revised and resubmitted for up to full credit
Final (quarter-long) group project 40%
  • All components and milestones must be submitted on time
  • Will include 3 prototypes, a product requirements document, and final report

 

Course Structure 

 

This course consists of a combination of in-person class lecture, required post-lecture work sessions with CAs, and preparatory assignments posted on Canvas. Our Canvas website is: https://canvas.stanford.edu/courses/163052

 

All readings, recordings, slides, and assignments will be posted on Canvas. Announcements will also be made through Canvas. Homework assignments, project proposals, and papers should be submitted via the Canvas Assignments tab.

 

Some assignments may involve posting on the class WordPress blog (https://highercommonsense.com/). Questions should be posted on Slack, accessible through the Canvas Slack tab, as much as possible. 

 

  • Lecture: Our class will meet on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30-4:20 in Thornton 110. Since class sessions will be highly interactive, they will not be recorded, but all slides will be posted on Canvas. Attendance is mandatory.
    Class sessions will be a combination of mini-lectures and small group breakout sessions where you will discuss, solve problems, and complete activities with a few of your classmates.

    • Hour 1 will be lecture and activities
    • Hour 2 will be the same or will be discussions on ethics
    • Hour three will be team work time.
      Historically teams have a hard time getting together. This fixes that AND you will have the teaching team there to support you as needed. 
  • Homework: You will submit your weekly homework assignments on Canvas on Tuesday and Thursday before class (i.e. 1:29pm.) 

 

  1. Course Policies

 

Presence and Participation

Thinking through the difficult issues described in the cases is most productive and most fun when done out loud in the company of others! This is why attendance and participation is a large part of your course grade (20%). 

 

  • You get 2 ‘passes’ to be absent from class or section, no questions asked. 
  • For an additional 3 classes or sections beyond that, you can make up an absence by: 
    • Watching a recording if there is one; and 
    • Responding to the recording and/or the material for the day by submitting a 500-word statement on how you would’ve reacted and contributed. 
  • Being 15 minutes or more late to a class or section counts as an absence. 
  • Even if an absence is excused, any work due at that class/section is subject to the policies below. 
  • Students who anticipate persistent challenges to participating in class or submitting work on time should share this in our course application and follow up with a course instructor as soon as possible. 


Deadlines and late submissions

Assignment deadlines are listed in the course schedule, along with estimated times of completion, to enable you to effectively plan and balance your academic work and other commitments. Despite the best planning, however, we know that life happens! So:

 

  • You get two ‘passes’ to submit weekly assignments up to 48 hours late, no questions asked. If the assignment is not submitted by the time we grade, we will consider it late.
  • Beyond that, your grade for an assignment goes down a third of a letter grade (e.g., A- to B+) for every 12 hours the assignment is late. 
  • You may revise and resubmit up to 3 weekly assignments for up to full credit. Weekly assignment resubmissions are due within 5 days after the grade is released (120 hours). 
  • You may revise and resubmit the midterm essay for up to full credit, with the resubmission deadline listed in the course schedule. 
  • Given the high-paced nature of this course and the quarter, no late resubmissions will be considered, barring extenuating circumstances.

 

The Honor Code

Class meetings and sections in this course will be highly interactive, you will hear plenty of great ideas from your peers, and if things go as planned, you might even change your mind based on what others say! However, you will be evaluated in this course as an individual and are expected to cite sources and individuals from whom you have learned and borrowed as a display of academic, intellectual, and creative integrity. Failure to do so is a violation of Stanford’s Honor Code and is a serious offense, even when the violation is unintentional. Conduct prohibited by the Honor Code includes all forms of academic dishonesty, among them unpermitted collaboration and representing others’ work as one’s own. Please review Stanford’s Honor Code, these recommendations from the Office of Community Standards, and documentation and citation resources from the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking. When in doubt, contact your section leader. 

 

Extended absences

Despite our efforts to take precautions and protect ourselves and those around us, it is possible that one or more of us in the class will get sick, will need to give care to someone sick, or for other reasons will require an extended absence during the quarter.

 

  • If the instructor requires an absence, an expert substitute will be arranged. 
  • If a student requires an extended absence before more than 70% of coursework is completed, there might be opportunities to Withdraw from the course, or develop a schedule for making up and submitting coursework later in the quarter. Students in this situation should talk to a staff member at the Office of Accessible Education and to their section or course instructor as soon as possible.
  • If a student requires an extended absence after at least 70% of coursework is completed at a passing grade or higher, students may request an Incomplete. Incompletes do not award any credit and can drop students below the minimum required unit load. This could negatively impact academic progress, graduation, NCAA and Veteran’s certifications, and financial aid. 

 

Course Privacy Statement

As noted in the University’s recording and broadcasting courses policy, students may not audio or video record class meetings without permission from the instructor (and guest speakers, when applicable). If the instructor grants permission or if the teaching team posts videos themselves, students may keep recordings only for personal use and may not post recordings on the Internet, or otherwise distribute them. These policies protect the privacy rights of instructors and students, and the intellectual property and other rights of the university. Students who need lectures recorded for the purposes of an academic accommodation should contact the Office of Accessible Education

 

Masking Policies for Fall 2022 In-Person Instruction

 

In compliance with Santa Clara County policies effective March 2, 2022, Stanford University is no longer mandating the use of masks indoors in most circumstances. However, masks continued to be strongly encouraged, and will continue to be mandated in classroom settings through the start of the Fall 2022 quarter. This means that whenever we spend time together indoors – in class, sections, and labs – we are required to wear a mask, until notified otherwise. Individuals will be permitted to remove their masks while speaking, and we will determine together as a class which situations are covered under this clause. In addition, some of us might feel more comfortable wearing masks even when not required, such as when we are speaking or outdoors. All of our preferences are reasonable, and it is important that we treat each others’ preferences with respect and care. 

 

In the first couple of weeks of class, we will formulate community commitments for how we will interact with one another. One of the issues we will explicitly discuss is honoring our respective preferences for COVID-19 health and safety beyond the bare requirements, so that we each feel comfortable and prepared to learn in class. You can find the most current policies on campus masking requirements on the COVID-19 Health Alerts, and policies on student testing before Fall 2022 instruction here.

 

Course Policies for Fall 2022 In-Person Instruction

 

All live instruction and participation in this course will be in person. In addition, given how interactive class time will be, there will be minimal lecturing and few reasons to support class recordings. However, we understand the unpredictability that remains in our lives, due to COVID-19 or otherwise, and circumstances may arise that will interfere with your ability to attend class. This might include the possibility that you, your peers, or we, the teaching team, wake up one morning not feeling too well, or might need to quarantine or isolate for the safety of everyone. In light of these considerations, we request that you:

  • skip class/lab/section if you are feeling unwell.
  • review class notes and activity artifacts posted on Canvas for class sessions you miss.
  • complete asynchronous assignments posted on Canvas for class sessions you miss. 
  • participate in Zoom office hours with your primary instructor and/or TA as you are able to ask questions and get caught up.
  • rest assured that your lowest score/grade in each assignment bucket (reading response, quiz, lab report, section, exam, project status update, etc) will be dropped.
  • remember that you are permitted to miss up to 4 graded class components (class attendances and/or class assignments) without any questions or penalties.
  • remember that for students required to miss more than 6 days of class/section/lab due to medical reasons, the teaching team will devise an alternative plan for you to complete coursework if needed. 

 

We want you to learn, and enjoy learning, in this course as much as possible, and we are committed to meeting you where you are and helping you complete the course successfully. Please reach out to us, your Academic Advisor, or both, to discuss your concerns and questions so that we can work together to address them! 

 

  1. Academic Accommodations

 

Stanford is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for disabled students. Disabled students are a valued and essential part of the Stanford community. We welcome you to our class.

 

If you experience disability, please register with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate your needs, support appropriate and reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Academic Accommodation Letter for faculty. To get started, or to re-initiate services, please visit oae.stanford.edu.

 

If you already have an Academic Accommodation Letter, we invite you to share your letter with us. Academic Accommodation Letters should be shared at the earliest possible opportunity so we may partner with you and OAE to identify any barriers to access and inclusion that might be encountered in your experience of this course.

 

Important as of Fall 2021: Students who are immunocompromised should register with the OAE as soon as possible

 

Student athletes who anticipate challenges in being able to participate in class or submit assignments on time should speak to a course instructor or teaching assistant as soon as possible about available alternatives or allowances.

 

Email the teaching staff with your OAE letter as soon as possible (send a group email to cwodtke@stanford.edu, shanaeh@stanford.edu, kgjert@stanford.edu, and rosalg@stanford.edu). 

 

  1. Course Schedule

 

Here is an initial overview of class topics and assignments. Note that there are two pressing logistics form deadlines at the start of the quarter that we ask you to complete on time to ensure we can finalize class rosters and teams.

 

This schedule is subject to change based on student feedback and input!

 

Go to Canvas modules for the most updated “source of truth.”

 

Class Date Assignment Deadline in PST
Week 1: What is a Product Manager?
9/27 Class application form 9/28 5pm
Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

start of next class

9/29 1:30pm

9/29 Team survey form 9/30 11:59pm
Readings and short response 10/4 1:30pm
Week 2: How do we “team” effectively? What should we make together?
10/4 Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

10/6 1:30 pm
10/6 Readings and short response 10/11 1:30pm
Week 3: Key Choices in New Products
10/11 Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

10/13 1:30pm
10/13 Readings and short response 10/18 1:30pm
Midterm essay prompt released 10/25 1:30pm
10/14 University deadline: Last day to add/drop a course 5pm
Week 4: Processes for Tech Teams
10/18 Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

10/20 1:30pm
10/20 Work on midterm essay 10/25 1:30pm
Readings and extra short response
Week 5: Validating Ideas
10/25 Submit midterm essay 1:30pm
Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

10/27 1:30pm
10/27 Midterm student and group feedback form 10/28 11:59pm
Readings and short response
Week 6: Navigating Conflict
11/1 Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

11/3 1:30pm
11/3 Readings and short response 11/10 1:30pm
Work on midterm essay resubmission
Week 7: Feedback (of all sorts)
11/8 Democracy Day: day of civic service (no classes)
11/10 Resubmit midterm essay 1:30pm
Week 8: Quant and Qual data
11/15 Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

11/17 1:30pm
11/17 Readings and short response 11/28 1:30pm
11/18 University deadline: Last day to change course grading basis (e.g., letter grade to C/NC), and last day to withdraw from a course 5pm
Thanksgiving 
11/18-28 Thanksgiving recess (no classes)
Week 9: Fine turning
11/29 Case study

Research and prepare for in-class discussion

11/30 1:30pm
12/1 Work on final project
Week 10: Final Presentations
12/6 Submit all final project components 1:30pm
Work on final presentation
12/8 Final in-class presentations 1:30pm
12/9 Last day for all weekly assignment resubmissions

(University calendar: last day of classes)

11:59pm
Week 11: End-Quarter Period
We will finalize grades during this week.