Defining what a Product Manager does has always been a difficult task for me because every Product Manager I have seen in practice seems to do something different depending on the structure of the company, the org the Product Manager is operating in, and product being developed. The first chapter of this book does a great job of breaking down the job description of a Product Manager in a way that was striking to me and explained the discrepancies in the role descriptions I have witnessed in real companies. The main takeaways that informed my personal definition of what a Product Manager is were the following:
- “If it needs to get done, it’s part of your job!”
- Product managers succeed when they fill in the gaps within their team to ensure the overall success of the team.
- “Everything is your responsibility”: You are responsible for everything that must be done, even if you’re not the one doing it.
- Product managers are translators between people/teams.
- Product managers are “not the boss”.
- “Trust, collaboration, delegation” with others that actually design/build the product is an important part of the role.
Through this lens, I see the product manager’s job as the “glue” that holds the product teams together and fills in the gaps as necessary. A product manager is responsible for the end result as much as ensuring that everyone is on the right track to get there.
After reading this, I am left with a few questions for the author:
- How much influence does a Product Manager have with the overall goals and direction of the company they work for? If part of the job is to advocate for the team, users, and product, how can the product manager ensure they successfully do that without having influence in the higher decision making.
- How do you suggest a Product Manager handle the delegation of tasks to others without veering into “that’s not my job” territory?
