Q&A with Harbani Malhotra from Walmart

Meet the Manifesto Team!

Who are the 12 product people that stepped up to form the Product Management Manifesto working group? Meet Bani!

Each week we’re introducing you to working group members with Q&A on their perspective on why a manifesto is so critical today.

This week’s spotlight is on Harbani Malhotra, Director of Product Management at Walmart. Find out her thoughts on:

How Product Management has evolved

Key challenges that a manifesto must address

Why do we need a manifesto now

What’s motivating Bani

What drew you to this Product Management Manifesto and working group?

For the last couple of years, giving back to the Product Management community has allowed me to feel a greater sense of purpose. As a result, the Product Management Manifesto and the team behind it are driving a never-done-before initiative to simplify several composite paradigms of the field so that every company, product organization, and product manager can aspire to make an impact through their work. 

How have you personally seen the Product Management role evolve in your career?

Transitioning from an individual contributor to a people manager meant more people management, stakeholder engagement, and influence across functions. I sincerely believe that success in any of my Product leadership roles comes from setting my team up for success! I no longer need to get all things done myself. Instead, I focus on aligning teams across a common goal, inspiring them towards quality outcomes, and trusting that they will get the best possible job done. As charters have also evolved, from product managing a part of a portfolio to owning several portfolios, I not only help solve problems but also focus on finding opportunities for big bets. 

What is one major challenge you see product people grapple with frequently that our principles should address?

Influencing without Authority. Quarterbacking multiple teams, even outside of Product Management, to ensure work on stuff that matters gets done--while keeping them aligned, motivated, and high-performing--is a gentle song and dance! 

What are some of the reasons you feel a manifesto specific to Product Management is needed now?

Businesses worldwide are seeing the impact of product-led development, and there is new urgency around having Product Management teams on board. However, standing up a high-performing, autonomous, and big-picture thinking team is no mean feat. This Manifesto will help provide some much-needed insights, guidance, and actionable strategies for businesses, leaders, and product managers to achieve this in today’s landscape. 

In what ways do the Agile Manifesto for Software Development and/or other existing frameworks fall short for Product Management?

The Agile Manifesto has been an excellent artifact for software teams for the last several years. However, there is a tremendous opportunity with a new Product Management Manifesto to emphasize outcome over the output to help all teams understand how to deliver value versus software alone.

We’re in a critical moment for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). In what ways do you hope to see greater DE&I reflected in the work and contribution of product people?

Providing a diverse group of people a seat at the table is more crucial now than ever before. Inclusion and belonging will help build products with purpose, determining how and what problems we pick to solve and how we choose to solve them.