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Hi, my name is

Billy Gast

I am a Remote based
Director of Product

ABOUT ME

You should meet me first

I love unraveling customer problems, digging into the job they are trying to accomplish, and delighting them with innovative solutions that they love to use. To accomplish this I focus on outcomes, both the outcomes a customer wants to achieve as well as what works best for the business.

I have brought many products to market in a wide variety of industries by:

  •  Being the voice of the Customer putting them at the center of what we do
  • Gaining a deep understanding of all aspects of the problem space
  • Developing a strong product vision
  • Fostering relationships with key stakeholders
  • Working with teams to make sure they focus on the vision and the outcomes
  • Bring about a collaborative environment where all opinions are respected and valued.
  • Always learning

Through product discovery, I work with UX and Engineering experts to reduce upfront risk and ensure Value, Viability, Usability, and Feasibility in all the initiatives we pursue. Making sure we are doing the right things at the right time, through product prioritization.

I believe in fostering a culture of experimentation by applying the scientific method to product discovery. Using both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate results and continually innovate.

 

I enjoy meeting and learning from new people, reach out to me if you want to talk about trends in Product Management, Developing Software Products, or Football.

MY SKILLS

What I do the best

Product Discovery Process

Working to ensure Viability, Value, Usability, and Feasibility

customer research

Understanding the customer needs, and becoming their voice

roadmap prioritization

Understanding the value of outcomes for the business and customers

Product Analytics

Usage of data to help make decisions and uncover customer behaviors

Product strategy

Developing a vision and a plan to get there

Communication

Keeping all stakeholders and team members informed and aligned at all times

EDUCATION

Where did I get my skills

Brigham Young University

Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science

Performed analysis, specification, design, implementation, and testing resulting in quality computer software solutions. I used data structures, algorithms, programming languages, and software engineering techniques in my programming. 

 

I also used theoretical concepts in my programming. Gaining a theoretical computer science background and the mathematical and analytical maturity necessary to allow me to follow and adapt to technological changes.

 

Where did I get experience

WORK

Feb 2022 —Current

MX

Lehi, UT

Director of Product Management

Key Achievements

May 2021 —Feb 2022

Homie

Draper, UT

Group Product Manager

Key Achievements

Dec 2020 —May 2021

MX

Lehi, UT

Senior Product Manager

Key Achievements

MAR 2019 — Dec 2020

Progressive Leasing

Draper, UT

Senior Product Manager

Key Achievements

MAR 2007 — MAR 2019

Navigator Business Solutions

Pleasant Grove, UT

Technical Product Manager
Product Consultant

Key Achievements

NOV 2005 — MAR 2007

Unison Inc.

Provo, UT

Development Manager

Led the development and architecture of tailored customer solutions designed to assist customers to enhance workflow and increase productivity.

Key Achievements

AUG 2004 — NOV 2005

Dialogue Marketing

Orem, UT

SQL Database Administrator

Developed and managed applications used by Customer Service Representatives to store, track and manage lead data.  General SQL database administration responsibilities, which included the management and reporting on lead data.

AUG 2004 — NOV 2005

FPS Gold

Web Developer (On-Line Banking)

SEP 2001 — AUG 2004

Brigham Young University

Instructional Design  / Software Engineer

MAY 2001 — SEP 2001

Microsoft

Redmond, WA

Software Test Engineer Intern

CLIENTS

Some of Brands I HAVE worked with

POTFOLIO

Highlited projects I worked on

Seed to Sale
Retail POS

Plug and Play ERP integration Platform

Warehouse Management Solution

Digital Consumer Leasing

Years in Product
>
Products to Market
> 1 M+
Users

Learn about my Discovery Process

Read about how I work with my teams to ensure Value, Viability, Usability, and Feasibility of the products I work on.

My Latest Thoughts

Every Product Manager should have a 6 pack

For Product Managers, it is easy to be consumed by the amount of available data. Product Managers can easily spend hours checking various indicators at a fine-grained level. Or, the same PM can look at some core indicators and if they are good, move on to another opportunity. If the indicators are not good, it is worth the time to find the root cause and investigate further metrics.

Empowering Engineering with the 'WHY'

Strong Product Teams have Strong Empowered Engineering Partners

Product Discovery Failure to Launch

Product discovery is key to developing products that customers love, and done correctly can help a team achieve desired outcomes faster. Product discovery is all about reducing risk before releasing a solution.

Focus on OUTCOMES not Features

For anyone in a product role, I am sure you can relate to the scenario where a stakeholder comes to you and says "We really need this 'feature' implemented". As a group, people tend to focus on building things and don't take the time to know if it is the right thing. The gratification of doing something now overshadows the value of that thing.

Why the wheels are falling off your Product

So there I was running down the highway chasing a wheel that had no intention of stopping. How did I get here, what led up to this, and how does this relate to product management?

CONTACT

Let's get in touch

Contact me

Send me your contact info below and I'll get back to you right away