I get asked what is it that I do.
A lot.
I’m a Product Manager.
This is typically met with a blank stare, unless the person has directly worked with a PM before. I frequently follow up with further explanation.
What is a Product Manager?
Depending on who has asked this question, I’ll give a slightly different answer. I do this because, context is key. Product Management is a complex role. Someone that isn’t familiar with SAAS or software development might get lost in a lengthy answer. There are countless articles out there that try and explain what Product Managers do. Just type “product management” into a search engine.
My answer is mainly one of the following:
- Product Managers build products.
- Product Managers serve as the bridge between business and technology. They communicate the customer needs and business strategy to the teams that build the products.
- Product Managers drive strategy and decision making. Across the company, they bring people together to build products based on the needs of customers.
All three of the statements are true. All are part of the bigger picture of what it takes to make product successful.
The truth is, it’s hard to explain. And it’s hard to explain because Product Management at it’s core has a lot of variation within the job responsibilities. It all depends on the company and product. If a product is new, a role may skew towards Sales and Marketing, until a product-market fit is found. For more established products with a stable user base, a Product Manager will need to focus on execution and optimization.
The way a company structure’s it’s Product team also has an impact on the responsibilities of each person on the team. In his article “Are Product Managers an expensive luxury now?”, Alex McMurray examines the value Product Managers can provide. Product Managers can serve as gatekeepers. They offer critical analysis between customer needs and technological capabilities. Leaving engineers to do what they do best; coming up with the solution. It’s important to have the right ratio of Product and Engineering. Otherwise, companies run the risk of too much overhead and undermining the value of a Product Manager.
How do you make Product Management a career?
By the nature of Product Management, there is endless career growth. That is quite an exciting concept, isn’t it? The skills of a Product Manager are transferable between industries, markets and the product itself.
The 280 Group touched on this point in their recent “Growing your Product Management Career in an Uncertain Economy” webinar. Companies hiring strategically will focus on attitude, curiosity, and problem solving approach.
Within Product Management, there is also an opportunity to focus on specific aspects. Product Managers can specialize in Product Marketing, Product Development (Product Owner), Product Growth, GTM. Switching to new companies is an excellent way to accrue skills and knowledge.
Now, I’m not suggesting that the only way to grow in Product Management is by changing companies every 2-3 years. In my own experience, I’ve been able to take advantage of career growth as the product matured. My responsibilities shifted as the product grew into a product line. I was able to take on roadmap and strategy responsibilities that were previously held by more senior members of the team.
There is another common type of career growth that I should mention. In most business careers, taking on “people management” responsibilities is the only option. I made the shift myself as a way to gain leadership experience. As the VP, Product at Buyatab, my responsibilities were focused on managing a team of Product Managers rather than Product Management itself.
After a couple years though, I realized I liked managing a product more than managing people. That is the great thing about Product Management. Career growth doesn’t have to be linear.
What’s next for me?
Throughout my latest job search, I’ve answered the standard set of questions. It’s mostly variations of “What are you looking for in your next role?”. I usually answer based on what I’ve seen in the job description.
There was one conversation though that took a different approach. The person I was talking to didn’t have a specific role to fill. I was curious about the team he was building and distinctions within Product Management roles. He asked me to describe my best day.
I took a minute to consider. Truth be told, I’ve had a lot of great days in my career. Most of them were when I was working within a cross-functional team and defining a problem space or strategy. I get excited by learning something new. I smile when a plan is made or decision is agreed upon. I realized I love the constant change. I want to jump between talking to customers and planning an initiative or writing out the product requirements document.
What’s your takeaway?
I hope that after reading this you have a better understanding of Product Management. If you managed to read this whole article, there are plenty more out there. Checkout ProductPlan’s Ultimate Guide to Product Management for a more detailed explanation.
If you love change and variety as much as I do, maybe Product Management is for you. I love connecting with others in the Product community and can go on talking about the nuances for hours.
