Product Management in Practice

I see a product manager’s job as being the superglue that holds together a broken vase. Like the scattered pieces of the vase, the team members have significant functions that are essential for the structure (the product) to stand strong. When these pieces, each member and each sub-team, comes together, they result in a beautiful outcome, which is the product. Yet, there is one thing that is essential to hold all these pieces in place, and ensure that they are doing their part in keeping the structure strong- the glue. The product manager, as the superglue of the team, holds all accountable, motivated, and on schedule. They have the vision of the vase, of what the product needs to be, and a deep understanding of each piece (member/sub-team) and their full potential, function and constraints. Without spreading themselves too thin, the product managers need to figure out how to fit the pieces best and hold them together.

However, this leads to a lot of strain on the glue, pulling in all different directions. One of the topics this reading discusses is the physical and psychological toll the job can take on product managers, from working 60 hours per week to having to face insecurities. The article emphasizes that like glue, a product manager’s job is not always tangibly and obviously defined. The glue is not as visible as the pieces of the vase, and has an intermediary function that is essential, yet rarely as easy to see. I like that this article hopes to ease some of the self-inflicted pressure off of the product manager’s shoulder, highlighting that one doesn’t need to work 60 hour weeks or diminish their mental health.

A question I would like to ask the author, using this analogy, is how they acquire the vision for the vase, and how they manage it if expectation on  what the vase should look like/do differs between different stakeholders. How do they manage the expectations and create a result that satisfies all involved?

If there is no potential of satisfying all stakeholders, then how do they prioritize? What if the higher ups’ expectations differ than what they believe the user needs most- can they take agency to make decisions that defy the higher ups? If a higher up, who doesn’t have a deep understanding of the technical process has fault impressions, how do they explain the process in terms where the higher ups can understand, without being patronizing? What other practices do they do in their lives to keep themselves healthy and organized?