Transition

It’s a fascinating process to leave a product management job with one company to take a product management job with another. It’s possible to see the old position from the perspective of an external third party or consultant -- almost. Without the day-to-day operational fog that normally enshrouds you, you can enjoy a simplified picture of the product and the business. Things become clear, uncomplicated, and straight forward. It’s unfortunate that perspective is the exception rather than the rule in product management land. Product managers and their businesses would be much better if it were the norm.

This clarified perspective may be what the folks at Pragmatic Marketing are angling for within the framework of their product management training seminars. Keep things simple, clean, and to the point. It’s far too easy as a PM to become embroiled in politics, turf battles, and the flotsam and jetsam of corporate process -- all to the complete detriment of your business. Finding a means of escaping it to focus in an unabridged manner on the fundamental business appears to be the holy grail of product managers everywhere.

What’s the solution? Pragmatic Marketing’s seminars help by delivering product management tools which are not complex or elegant, but appear to be effective. This is a start. Aside from that, I’m afraid the only other option is to bear down. Be proactive and persistent in your efforts to simplify, simplify, simplify. Become educated about your market, your business, your product, and your processes. Read! The more you understand about each, the easier it will be to cut to the chase, fashioning a more focused environment.

Of course, one could also spend time moving from one product management role to another to benefit from the aforementioned consultant style perspective. However, you need only do so a handful of times before witnessing a majority of the transition perspectives which are of value. From there it’s time to apply them. Thus begins the second half of the transition; the arrival at the new firm. It’s going to be fun!