Decode and Conquer by Lewis Lin [Free PDF Download]

About Decode and Conquer: the book

Decode and Conquer is a book by Lewis Lin. The book was first published in 2013 and has been a best-seller. Based on 500+ behavioral-based PM interview questions, Lewis Lin thoroughly dissects each question, revealing what you need to do (and not do) to answer these questions perfectly. It provides secret insights on how to amplify your responses so that your true accomplishments shine through – without sounding braggy or arrogant.

The title of the book itself references “Divide and Conquer”. Divide and conquer is a strategy that involves breaking down larger problems into smaller ones, solving them recursively until the small problems are simple enough to be solved easily. For example, take this very article: by breaking down each heading into chunks, you can decode the contents underneath without too much effort!

Lewis Lin’s Decode and Conquer uses divide and conquer as an analogy to product management within an organization. To solve any problem, first, identify its sub-problems; then solve those sub-problems; then combine their solutions into one big solution that solves the original parent problem. The process of break-down via division (decoding) and combination via conquering (conquering the product management interview) is a repeated process.

Decode and Conquer includes:

– Key takeaways after each chapter of a comprehensive analysis of the most common types of PM interview questions including STAR format, Behavioral questions, Case Studies, Brainteasers

– A guide on writing awesome resumes that catch the hiring manager’s attention with less effort

– More than 30 real-life case studies from top-tier companies like Google, eBay, Dropbox, etc.

– A free downloadable resume template in the Appendix

Why Product Managers love the Decode and Conquer Method

Decode and Conquer is specifically designed as a guide for those expecting to interview with, and make it into top technology companies such as Facebook, Google, Uber, etc. The author Lewis Lin was the head of product management at Facebook and YouTube before becoming an independent consultant. Lewis has vast experience working with large companies and was able to apply his own learnings for this book.

Lin’s approach is applicable not just for product management, but any position in the company that deals with customers, including sales, marketing, support, etc. Lewis Lin interviewed more than 500 candidates before deciding on which questions to include in Decode and Conquer. He continues to update the book based on feedback every year or so – most recently updated in late 2018.

Decoding Product Management-specific interview questions using the Decode and Conquer Method

Let’s take a look at some example interview questions (which will be added over time) – how would you answer them?

Communication skills question

1). You are asked by your CEO to run an analysis on Facebook users. Your analysis shows that most people use Facebook only up until they graduate high school or college, then they quit using it after that. How would you explain this to your CEO?

– Before answering the question, think about the sub-questions underneath.

a). What is the main problem being asked of me?

b). Why are you being asked to solve this problem?

c). What are you trying to achieve by solving this problem?

d). How would you go about solving this problem?

e). Make sure your answer has a clear beginning, middle, and end. If not, you’ll lose your interviewer in the middle of talking.

The interviewer is asking how I would explain the drop in user engagement. The sub-questions I would try to answer are: what is the reason for dropping off, why does it matter, how would you analyze this problem, and what actions do you recommend based on your analysis?

First of all, I’d probably ask if they have seen similar trends in their competitors’ platforms. If not, then I’d ask about any new app or product releases that might be influencing users (for example Snapchat -> Instagram Stories). Then I’d pivot to asking about how important Facebook’s user engagement is to the CEO. What percentage of revenue comes from ads? How many employees are there? Is there some other factor unique to their business that helps determine the importance of continued growth in FB user engagement?

– I would let the interviewer guide me through additional questions based on their interests. I’d want to make sure that my response has a clear beginning, middle, and end so that they can follow along easily – but at the same time it’s important not to talk for too long because people often zone out when talking about technical details for too long.

Strategy skills question

2). Product X is crushing Product Y in all metrics. Product Y eventually goes under and you are asked to work on Product Z. You learn that your competitors also include Products A, B, C, D, E, F. What do you do? How do you present this information to your CEO?

– Think about the questions underneath: why product y went out of business, what do I need to do better than my competitors, what should the product roadmap look like?

First of all, I’d probably check if competitor products are similar to mine or completely different. If they’re similar, then I’d make sure that our product is already working on features or improvements that beat out our closest competition. Then I’d work on a strategy for competing with lower-level products in the same field. For example, if we’re going up against products c and e – maybe we could develop a great blogging feature that makes us stand out from both companies. If it’s a completely different type of product (for example an insurance company going up against Google) – then it may not be possible to compete with them.

I’d present this information to my CEO by breaking down each competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, what they are doing well now, and give some ideas on how we could beat them at their game if given the resources.

– If I were asked to go into more detail about a particular competitor, then I would do so based on the interviewer’s interest level. You don’t want to spend too much time talking about one competitor because then you lose focus of what is really important – that your plan is sound and actionable!

Workflow interview question

3). How do you prioritize different work within your team? What are some techniques you use?

– Think about what the sub-questions are underneath: why does prioritization matter, what are the different techniques I use to prioritize, which technique is best for a certain situation?

I think about how much work each team member has on their plate and if there deadlines are too close together. Then I look at what will have the most impact given our resources and timeline. For example, if we’re up against a hard deadline – then it may not be as important to start working on that long-term project that might ultimately pay off more than doing something quick and easy that can be pushed out in time for the next release. If we have unlimited resources and runway – then it’s typically easier to take on long-term projects because we don’t need to worry as much about hitting deadlines or delivering them soon enough.

Most commonly asked Decode and Conquer Product Management Interview Questions

These are some answers to commonly asked questions. I think you get the gist of what constitutes a thoughtful answer and how to make your skills shine. Let’s quickly look at the top 20 most commonly asked questions in relation to product management interviews:

– What is your biggest weakness? What are you doing to improve on that weakness

– How did you hear about this role? Why are you interested in it/how much research have you done about our company?

– Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

– How would your coworkers describe you?

– What percent of your time will be dedicated to this position?

– What do you believe is your biggest accomplishment?

– How would you define product management?

– Who are our competitors? Why should someone choose us over them?

– Walk me through your resume.

– What makes you stand out from other candidates?

– Tell me about a project that wasn’t successful. Why did it fail, what did you learn, and how did you apply that learning to future projects?

– What are the biggest problems that you have faced in your current/previous role?

– How would you measure a product manager’s performance?

– Describe a time when you were in a stressful situation. How did you handle it?

Divide and Conquer Product Management

So, you’ve probably also heard a lot about the Divide and Conquer framework for product management. This is a different way of thinking about solving problems and ultimately makes us more effective as PMs. For example, if you have limited resources – then imagine that each team member has their own sub-task to accomplish for your project/product within their allocated timeframes.

The Divide and Conquer framework is broken down into 3 steps:

1. Find the pieces of the puzzle that are currently unsolved or incomplete & order them by priority based on the impact they have on the product/business model

2. Break all pieces of the puzzle down further to smaller tasks so each person can work independently on separate chunks

3. Assign these individual tasks to your team members so everyone knows exactly what to do without double-checking with other teammates!

AARM method of product management

Then there is the AARM method of product management. It consists of 5 key components that are essential for successfully building new products.

1. Analyze – defines the problem, who has it, how big it is, what’s causing it (need & market analysis)

2. Architect – designs potential solutions to fill the gap (creating a minimum viable product)

3. Review – validating/testing solution with target customers (conducting user research and testing prototypes with users)

4. Modify – make changes to our proposed solution based on results from step 3 (iteration loop).

5. Monitor – keeping track of success metrics over time (tracking progress over each sprint, measuring KPIs like retention rate or conversion rates).

The difference between the AARM and the Decode and Conquer product management method is that in the Decode and Conquer framework, every team member is responsible for each task in each step.

AARM method example

Here you can see an example of how it could work in practice. As a product manager, you would start out by identifying or receiving feedback from your customers about some pain points that they’re currently experiencing – then break the problem down into components and tasks that your development and design teams can take on. You would then monitor their progress over several sprints to ensure that the solution is meeting user needs and seeing positive results (and iterate if necessary). Here is another example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0PahdJjLzQ&t=541s

Final thoughts on Decode and Conquer by Lewis Lin

There is a lot to unpack – from the book and method made popular by Lewis Lin to the similar product management theories and frameworks, such as AARM and Divide and Conquer. I recommend reading Decode and Conquer, as well as watching Lewis’ YouTube video on the book. Then you can apply these principles to breaking down your own product idea into manageable pieces that are assigned to responsible team members (and ultimately achieve success for your business).