What Does a PM Do?
In seeking to find a definition for product management, it becomes clear that there is no single, one-size-fits-all answer. As author Matt LeMay describes in his book Product Management in Practice product management is best understood for its “very impossibility of such a definition.”
While there is no clear definition of product management, we can still attempt to understand the underlying mission. A product manager (PM) is responsible for macro-level progress in their organization, figuring out what needs to get done and who they need to coordinate with to make it happen. They’re also responsible for overcoming day-to-day challenges in the product development and deployment lifecycle, resolving miscommunications between departments and keeping teams on schedule for delivery.
In short, being a PM is about filling the gaps. The best PM allows their technical colleagues to focus on developing, gives the designers the data and space to design, and owns the remaining facilitation, communication, and coordination needed to deliver a product. LeMay’s advice summarizes it best: “If it needs to get done, it’s part of your job.”
Questions That Remain
Though LeMay does a great job encapsulating the responsibilities of product managers, I still have a few questions:
Why do you think the industry is increasing the types and specializations of product roles, knowing that product management has such a broad meaning? LeMay makes clear that there is already variation in what a PM role looks like in an organization; however, he also points out what he calls “Ambiguously Descriptive Product Roles,” which encompass roles like “product owner” and “solution manager” as well as specialized “growth” or “technical” PMs. I’m curious about not just how all these roles work together, but why organizations would want such distinctions in the first place.
What are the pros/cons of pursuing PM from different backgrounds? LeMay knows successful PMs come from a variety of backgrounds, from CS to business to the arts, but they all share a common desire to “solve interesting problems, learn new things, and work with smart people.” Though I agree product management roles shouldn’t be limited to one major, I’d also want to learn the tradeoffs of going into a PM role based on your background – what skills you may possess or need to learn based on your education and how that shapes your PM experience.
To PM or Not to PM?
Product management demands a very specific type of individual: not from a certain educational background or with certain industry experience, but with a passion for the unknown. As a PM, you need to be comfortable living in the uncertainty, to be okay with not having a set direction given to you and still being able to swim in unclear waters. You have to want the responsibility and the ownership, as well as all the challenges that comes with it. As LeMay puts it, you have to be ready to go “sailing the seas of ambiguity” and to love the journey of it.
