Coming into this class, I had limited knowledge regarding what Product Managers do or what the job entailed. I also came with the expectation that the job of Product Management, like most other professions, had a well-defined scope. However, after reading the first chapter of “Product Management in Practice,” I now have a clearer picture on what PM is about, and I finally see why PM is often considered “undefinable”.
I highly resonated when the author asserted that one of the greatest challenges PM face is dealing with ambiguity. While I have never been a PM, during my consulting internship, I have noticed that tackling ambiguity is a common struggle for many junior consultants. It was intriguing to observe that the skills to identify a problem and devise the right course of action are often more valuable than being able to excel at problem-solving and task completion. Therefore, obtaining the skill to navigate through ambiguity is an ability I hope to acquire as I begin working, and I am glad to hear that this is a central skill for Product Managers and is something PMs will continue to learn.
While I am interested in a career in Product Management, there are certain aspects that concern me regarding the job. My first concern is regarding the replaceability of PMs. I often hear from my friends (who have experienced PM or SWE) that PMs are “not as useful/productive”, and some even question the necessity of the PM role. My hypothesis is that because PMs do not have any specializations (more of a “generalist”), a “bad PM” will not gain enough trust from the team and therefore would not have a strong contribution to the team. Moreover, it could also be possible that the contribution of PMs is hard to visualize and therefore would often go unrecognized. Is this true? With the rise of AI and each employee becoming more productive (and therefore having more time), will PM as a job survive in the future?
