Plight of the PM

A product manager is the center of everything, yet directly controls nothing. People look to the PM for information and direction yet generally, no-one reports to her. When folks need something, the PM represents the “business unit” or BU. The PM is the bulwark against market uncertainty and the filter through which pertinent information flows. She is the wise decision maker who guides the product to fruitfulness and corporate praise. Right.

When peeps, frequently a cast of thousands, take issue with a PM, then she’s “marketing”… derogatorily speaking, of course. An airline pilot friend of mine said that “marketing comprised the five dumbest people in the company.” I thought this was pretty funny. Then I got into product management or marketing when things don’t go according to someone’s plan. Not so funny, now. Although I will admit, some days it feels like I’m one of the five dumbest people in the company. Don’t tell engineering I said that, though!

Because of this beautiful dynamic, I’m been asked by new PM’s how to proceed. With lots of adult beverages is my sage advice! Actually, I just had this conversation with a new PM (in position less than 1 year) who had been sucked into the marketing vs BU abyss by a technical colleague. Truthfully, I had to ponder the question before answering. What have I done when faced with an abrasive engineer who didn’t take guidance from “marketing”?

The best advice I could provide was to ensure the conversation revolved around the business. Building groovy technology, then figuring out how to sell it doesn’t work out well. It’s more productive to learn what groovy product you can sell, then figure how to build it. With this in mind, my response to said young PM was, “Focus on the customer.” Her needs drive the business which in turn dictates what is built.

As long as the PM has strong command of market information, customer needs, and the associated dollars, the decision making will hinge on data-driven information. Facts are harder to dispute than opinion and readily defended if something goes amiss. Furthermore, when things go swimmingly for the business, data-driven decision practices can be duplicated for future success. As a bonus, the PM retains title of “BU” where engineering is concerned.

Conversely, if the PM allows the conversation to dive into the technical weeds, devolving into engineering vs marketing opinion rather than facts related to revenue, she risks becoming irrelevant. This is bad.

What’s worse is the business drifts into feel good development and technology garage activity. Development considers this more interesting. Unfortunately, doing so departs from disciplined decision making that improves the odds of long-run success.

As a former flight instructor, the training mantra was, “Good information leads to good decisions.” For new PM’s, and those of us who aren’t so shiny, this rule is important. If the new PM becomes marketing, business, and customer savvy about her product and directs that knowledge with commanding presence, she trades the moniker of “marketing” for the more valuable title of "Business Unit". More importantly, she’ll build a better business.