Cindy Alvarez
Cindy Alvarez is an author, business executive, and speaker who writes about making better decisions quickly, building software teams and organizations, and customer-driven products. She is a thought leader in decision-making processes, customer-product development, product management, and organizational health.
Alvarez began her career as a software engineer at CP&C, Inc., a consulting firm. She moved to Microsoft in 2001, where she grew to become the Team Lead for Microsoft's Office Business Experience Development. After leaving Microsoft, Alvarez earned her MBA and consulted for a variety of tech companies, including Medtronic and Zulily.
In 2014, Alvarez joined Amazon, where she was one of the first product managers for the company’s Echo product line. During her three years at Amazon, she co-authored the book Design & Deliver, which was published in May 2017.
Design & Deliver is a must-read for any product manager who is looking to understand how to build customer-focused solutions. In it, Alvarez and her colleague Paul Dawson discuss how to craft customer-focused solutions, how to assess customer needs, how customer conversations lead to product-line decisions, and more.
Her second book, Lean Customer Development, was published in June 2018. As the title suggests, the book focuses on how customer research and development can help product managers create positive customer experiences and drive customer loyalty. Alvarez discusses how to build customer feedback loops, customer segmentation, customer interviews, and customer-driven product development.
A few years later, in 2021, Alvarez published xpand, a book dedicated to giving product teams and managers the tools they need to scale their product portfolio. It includes details on customer insights, product market analysis, and customer-driven strategies, as well as guidance on how to stay ahead of the competition.
Outside of her books, Alvarez co-authored the Lean UX book (co-authored with Jeff Gothelf) and contributed to many noteworthy publications such as Harvard Business, CIO Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. She has given numerous presentations at companies and conferences, including SXSW and the Women in Product conference.
Alvarez currently serves as the Executive Director of Product Management at DocuSign and is the proud host of the Making Products People Love podcast (M3P). With her wealth of experience and knowledge, Alvarez is a valuable asset for product teams of all sizes. Whether you’re a fledgling startup or an established business organization, she can help you design and deliver the best customer experience possible.
