METRICS TO MEANING:
Data-Driven Product Decisions

14.15
Second Stage K2

Marc Roulet: Why Metrics Matter – Making Smarter Product Decisions Through Better KPIs
Julia Bastian: From Lagging Metrics to Leading Decisions: How B2B Product Teams Can Lead with Qualitative Data
Andrey Vinitsky: TBA

Why Metrics Matter – Making Smarter Product Decisions Through Better KPIs

In product management, the road to failure is often paved with the wrong metrics. From Wells Fargo’s sales debacle to Snapchat’s redesign fallout, history shows us that even high-performing teams can be derailed by KPIs that misrepresent reality. This talk explores why metrics matter, and more critically, how they can mislead.

We’ll deconstruct real-world examples where poorly defined or misaligned KPIs led to massive reputational and financial losses. Then, we’ll dive into the structural weaknesses many product organizations share: lack of standardization, unclear definitions, dashboard sprawl, and KPI overload. You’ll leave with a practical framework to fortify your own metric foundations.

Finally, we'll climb the “KPI Ladder” from A/B tests to departmental and company-wide metrics, showing how alignment at all levels can empower product teams to move faster, smarter, and with more confidence. Whether you’re scaling a product team or leading roadmap prioritization, this session will equip you with actionable insights to become the compass your organization needs.

If that's too long, this would be a crisper alternative Abstract:

KPIs are more than just numbers — they shape behavior, drive decisions, and define success. Drawing from real-world product disasters, this talk reveals how misaligned metrics can lead even the best teams astray. You'll learn a practical framework for defining, aligning, and scaling KPIs, from A/B tests to executive dashboards, so your product organization can execute with focus and clarity.

Marc Roulet
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-roulet-4840188a/

From Lagging Metrics to Leading Decisions: How B2B Product Teams Can Lead with Qualitative Data

In B2B companies, sales often drives product decisions—not because it’s the best path, but because product teams lack the data to challenge it and steer confidently themselves. Unlike B2C, B2B data is often slow, sparse, and arrives too late to drive real-time learning. The result? Product managers feel stuck— aware that the current approach isn’t delivering impact, but unsure how to change a system that keeps them reactive.

This talk is a call to action for B2B product teams ready to lead again. You’ll leave with four practical actions to shift the dynamics in you organization tomorrow! At the heart of this shift is qualitative data—not just as a source of deep insight, but as a foundation for building up organizational gut feeling. We’ll dive into practical techniques for gathering, sharing, and acting on qualitative data—and why organizational learning is the true unlock for product-led growth in complex B2B environments.

Julia Bastian
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-bastian/

TBA

TBA

Andrey Vinitsky
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreyvinitsky/