I’ve seen the term ‘product manager’ thrown around in lots of different contexts. The only unifying thing about each term definition is that they are rarely the same. It turns out that being a PM is very dependent on the company and even more the team the PM is working for. Instead of answering what a PM job should be, I will point out a few things that I think make for a good PM in their role:
- They need to be technically savvy. I am biased since my background is in software and that is where I will likely apply myself in the future. The best PMs I have worked with in the past are the ones who might not have a scientific background but are able to understand what engineers are talking about. That is instrumental to making product decisions and prioritizing which features should be built.
- They need to be proactive. Many of the roles on a team have carefully defined responsibilities. They know what is expected of them, are able to fulfill those duties, and can shield themselves from other tasks. A PM does not have that luxury. In a sense, it is expected that they will step up to fill the void and keep the team running smoothly. It might not be fair but that is the reality of the situation.
- They need to be ruthless with their time management and that of others. At the end of the day, lots of work items start and end with the PM. They need to make sure that the work is as productive and helpful to achieve the team’s mission as possible. This is very tough to be good at but a good PM will have lots of experience doing this well. It is hard to see the value of a great PM but a great PM can make or break a product.
My question for the author: How do you hire an amazing PM? Since it is so hard to judge the quality of a PM even when working with them closely, how can you get an idea of whether they would be a good hire by interviewing them for a few hours?
