In a previous post, I had written about what product managers really do. It was not meant to create a job description, rather what product managers do outside of the job description.
When you want to hire a product manager or if you are a product manager seeking opportunities, it is helpful to have a framework because not all product management is the same.
A product manager is a very unique role in the organization. Metaphors have been used to describe them. They are the “CEO” of their product. They are the “connective tissue”. They are the epicenter of Business, technology and UX
None of them help to define what the job really entails. It makes it difficult to hire the right person or assign someone in an existing product organization.
To make matters worse, product manager titles are all over the place – Product manager, product owner, technical product manager, principal product manager, program manager etc.
The reality is that product managers come in multiple flavors, and that’s by design. The key roles a product manager plays varies by situation. A startup with an unknown sales model will need a different set of skills than if the sales model is known and the team is executing. A new product line will need a specific set of skills than a steady state product.
When I started in my previous startup as employee #2, we had no idea who are customers would be. Who do we design the product for? So I had to first explore and find the right customer segment. Later we found product market fit and were relentlessly executing. So less exploring but more organizing the needs of customers that were flowing in.
In my current company, I launched a brand new product. That required a lot of collaboration across the company to get the product out in the market as this was a first new product in the company outside of the core. A slightly different skill set.
In large organizations with new and legacy product lines, a mix of skills is needed. You need someone to be tactical and make sure incomings requests are triaged properly, bugs getting resolved and so on. Another set of skills.
When we hire product managers or if we have to re-organize our teams to product areas, it is helpful to have a framework for defining the archetypes of the role.
At our recent offsite, our products team was discussing roles and responsibilities especially in the product manager vs product owner area. In order to better understand the scope of responsibilities, one of my colleagues introduced this framework by Jason Chen.
The below diagram is copied from the above link.
Vertical Axes – Head and Heart (i.e. analyzing vs collaborating)
Horizontal Axes – Forest and Tree (i.e. big picture vs tactical)
You can read more about the 4 types in the link above.
I found this to be a helpful guide in understanding the PM archetypes. If you are hiring for a product manager, ask yourself what stage your company or product is in and what the needs of the roles are. Then determine what type of product manager you should hire. Same applies if you are trying to assign a PM to a new product area or to an existing product in your company.
For example, if your company is working on software for self driving transportation, then you are probably looking for an explorer because the technology is nascent and a lot of issues are still to be resolved. (This is in 2018).
If your product is 20 years old and over 10,000 customers use your product, then you are probably looking for someone who can organize and prioritize incoming requests.
Similarly, if you are product manager, then assess where you fit in these archetypes. Then compare the situation of the product you are managing. Is there a match? If you are a frustrated product manager, chances are that the reasons lie within this mismatch.
You don’t have to fit into one of the archetypes. You can be strong in one area or in multiple areas. It just helps to understand where you fit and where you want to be. Be self critical and truly understand where your strengths and experiences are. You will have better chances of success in your current or new roles.