You walk in to your office and find that Google cloud subscription has gone down by 20%. What do you do as a product manager?

Introduction

A 20% drop in Google Cloud subscription is a significant issue that demands immediate attention and a structured approach to identify and address the root cause. As a product manager, my primary focus will be on understanding the factors contributing to this decline and developing a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the issue.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• What's the typical fluctuation range for our Google Cloud subscription numbers?

• Has there been any recent change in pricing or features of our Google Cloud offerings?

• Are we seeing similar trends across all customer segments or is this isolated to specific groups?

• When did we first notice this 20% drop, and how does it compare to historical data?

• Have there been any recent major outages or service disruptions?

• Are there any seasonal factors that might be influencing this metric?

Why these questions matter: Understanding the context and specifics of the subscription drop is crucial for accurate analysis. Hypothetical answers could reveal whether this is an anomaly or part of a larger trend, guiding our approach to solution development.