Hey!
Welcome to your monthly dose of product wisdom, straight from the dualoop team.
What makes a product manager truly strong? We’ve asked that in trainings, coaching sessions, hiring debriefs, and the answer is rarely just experience or process. It’s a mix of skills that shape how PMs think, lead, and make decisions every day.
In this edition, we’re sharing the 7-competency PM framework we use with clients to assess and grow product talent. You’ll also find a quick interview with Nesrine Changuel on her new book Product Delight, a review of Radical Focus, events to keep an eye on, and more.
Let's dive in 👇
🚨 What's up in product?
Are you a product leader trying to level up your team? Or you a product manager trying to grow, but unsure what to work on next?
We’ve worked with product orgs of all shapes and sizes, and in most cases, leaders and PMs were missing a clear, shared, practical way to define what “strong” product. management actually looks like.
That’s why we built a structured framework to assess PM competencies.
🧠 The 7 core competencies of product managers
Strategy: Can they explain where the product is going and why it matters? Do they make clear choices and adjust when needed?
Discovery: Do they talk to users, test ideas early, and drop bad ones fast?
Delivery: Can they help the team move forward, handle change, and stay focused on what matters?
Marketing: Do they know how the product reaches the customer and what makes it stick? Do they work with others to get it right?
Analytics: Do they define success clearly and use data to make decisions?
Leadership: Do they take ownership and help others do their best work?
Business sense: Do they understand how the product makes money and supports the business? Can they connect decisions to impact?
Each of these can be assessed on a 0–4 scale to help you see strengths, gaps, and next steps:
0 = shows potential, but lacks grounding
1 = needs guidance
2 = independent in practice
3 = can coach others
4 = drives maturity across the organisation
📥 Get the full framework
We’ve packaged the complete 7-competency model into a downloadable PDF.
It includes:
- Behavioural signals for each level of maturity (from “needs guidance” to “leads org-wide practices”)
- Positive and negative signals to guide observation
🎓 Our PM training is back!
dualoop’s Product Management Training is back in Brussels on Dec 1–2!
We built it for PMs who want to grow, product leaders who want to build stronger teams, and for anyone who often ends up doing product work even if it’s not in their title.
“It was an absolute game-changer. I walked away with a toolkit of strategies I could apply immediately. Whether you’re new to product or looking to sharpen your skills, this training is a must.” - Product Owner at Engie.
Early bird pricing ends October 31 ⏳
What makes a product truly loved?
.jpg)
We were lucky to have Nesrine Changuel join us at our last Product Apéro. Drawing from 15+ years at Google, Spotify, and Skype, she shared why emotional connection is no longer optional, and how Product Delight helps teams build products people remember.
🎥 Click the preview below to watch a short clip from her talk.
📖 Read the full article to dive into delight grids, motivators, and lessons from teams that got it right.
🚀 Book review - Radical Focus
In Radical Focus, Christina Wodtke tells a story many of us will recognise: a startup struggling to stay on track, overloaded with priorities, and unsure what really matters.
Instead of sharing dry theory, she takes us through a simple, honest approach to OKRs, showing how they can help teams focus.
Our latest article breaks down the key ideas, what makes them work, and how product teams can apply them without turning OKRs into yet another process nobody believes in.
🚨 Host a PM trainee
We currently have a group of motivated Product Management trainees ready for a 6-week internship starting early Nov.
They’ve just completed an intensive dualoop training covering product strategy, discovery, delivery, and data, and they’re eager to put their skills into practice. Their training is fully funded by Bruxelles Formation.
If your team could use an extra pair of hands & brains, this is a low-risk way to make it happen.
⚡️ Don't miss it
Here’s where you can learn, connect & grow with us:
Product apéro - Build, buy, fail, learn
Event | Oct 15th | Brussels
What really drives product success? Jijo Dominic, VP of Product at Esko, will share what 17 years of product leadership have taught him about the real reasons products succeed or fall apart.
Product Day
Conference | Nov 6th & 14h | Ghent & Louvain-la-Neuve
We're co-organising this year's Product Day, the go-to event where product managers, founders, and digital product teams get together. Expect deep dives and talks around transformation by Elia, N-Side, and more!
Product webinar
Webinar | Nov 13th | 5PM | Online
Something big is coming! We’re sitting down with one of Adobe’s top product leaders, behind the $100M 3D business and two industry awards, to talk about how to scale excellence. Tickets coming soon.
Product management training
Training | Dec 1-2nd | Brussels
Level up your PM skills during our renowned 2-day, hands-on session!
More in October…
Product Heroes Conference | Milan, Italy | Oct 9-10
Just Product | Munich & Online | Oct 9-10
App Growth Summit | London | Oct 9
Product-led Summit | Berlin | Oct 16
Productized Conference | Lisbon | Oct 16-17
Product Management Day | Bologna & Online | Oct 23
Prow Conference | Timişoara, Romania | Oct 24
Y Oslo | Norway & Online | Oct 27-28
👀 Answers to last month's poll
.png)
That’s it for this edition, thanks for reading! See you next month, same loop, sharper products. 👋
