Why Product Managers Enjoy Doing What They Do
Product managers are often referred to as the “janitors” of the software development team. From the outside, this doesn’t sound very glamorous. It fact, it sounds like the kind of role no one would actively pursue. And yet, the reality is that people are choosing to start careers in product management every day.
So, what’s the attraction? Here’s my take:
1. Product managers enjoy being janitors
The funny thing about the janitor analogy is that it’s product managers who use it the most. This might lead you to assume they’re complaining. However, it’s actually quite the opposite.
I’m confident that if you spoke to almost any product manager, they’d openly tell you they love obsessing over the small stuff no one else really cares about. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be in their role.
The types of people who are attracted to the product manager role are detail-orientated by nature; they enjoy being involved in the hundreds of small decisions that are necessary in order to make a product customers love. While others cringe at the thought of doing things such as prioritizing bugs, they see them as opportunities to make incremental improvements to the product — the hubcaps on the Porsche.
2. Product managers enjoy questioning the status quo
Making lots of decisions means making lots of assumptions. It’s an unavoidable part of being a product manager. For many, this proposition is a scary one; it just increases their chance of being wrong.
But product managers’ brains aren’t wired this way. They see this as an exciting opportunity, particularly those on agile teams. Rather than think in terms of “right” and “wrong,” they focus their energy on delivering to users in shorter intervals, so they can obtain the data necessary to test their assumptions faster.
“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” — George S. Patton
Take, for example, the scenario where the development team, during implementation of a new feature, finds a use case that wasn’t completely thought through and prototyped. Naturally, they come to the product manager with questions. The product manager’s role is to remove these obstacles and answer the development team’s questions as quickly as possible.
Once the functionality ships, the development team generally moves onto something else. But that’s not where things end for the product manager. While they have a deep understanding of the user’s needs, they will openly acknowledge their decisions weren’t necessarily the right ones.
Product managers are also aware that the longer something stays the way it is, the harder it will be to justify why it should be changed. Unfortunately, existing behaviors often become accepted internally as the best way to do something, simply because “they’ve always been that way.”
“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.” — Bertrand Russell
But product managers don’t think like this. They are motivated by the fact that they are one of the few (if only) people in a company with the privilege of ensuring users can achieve their goals in the most efficient manner possible. They enjoy testing their assumptions, asking questions and challenging the status quo.
3. Product managers enjoy telling the user’s story
Product managers love spending time with users. They’re driven by a desire to gain a deep understanding of the problems and frustrations they face. They enjoy taking this information and condensing it into compelling stories, which they can use to foster empathy for the user within the company.
This empathy is particularly important when it comes to inspiring the development team. A team that knows what they’re working on matters to users will care more about their problems, increasing the likelihood they will build the best possible solution.
“One of my rules in consulting is simple: never solve the problem I am asked to solve. Why such a counter-intuitive rule? Because, invariably, the problem I am asked to solve is not the real, fundamental, root problem. It is usually just a symptom.” — Don Norman
Finally, product managers love nothing more than seeing the story end with a user who can not only solve their problem, but do so in a more elegant, direct way than they could have ever imagined.
A word of caution
If you’re a product manager or aspiring product manager, and this sounds like you, here’s a quick word of caution. While these traits will help you to enjoy and excel at your role, you need to ensure you make time for the big picture.
By all means keep obsessing over the small stuff and working closely with your development team. But remember that questioning every little thing will slow you down. Rather than focusing on opinions, instead focus on shipping faster, so you can validate your assumptions faster using data.
Finally, remember, above all else, to put aside ample time to think outside of your day-to-day “janitor” role to ensure you’re thinking strategically and building something worthwhile. Your deepest obsession should always be building the right product, and ensuring you are pursuing the opportunities that will deliver the most value to your users.
Good luck!
