Why Product Management Roles Differ Across Companies

People trying to enter product management often ask the question (unfortunately while pulling out their hair), “why do product roles look so different at each company?” The role can be totally different depending on the industry you’re looking at, the size of the company, the number of products, and more.

The framework I focus on in this post is both an answer and a help guide. It explains why PM roles can be so different, and gives you a core set of accountabilities you can work towards mastering.

Product management has become defined as a role that will inherently change depending on the things your company needs to do to get a product into the market. It’s partially our industry’s own doing by claiming product managers should “do whatever it takes to ship the product.”

Product Management Skill Areas

We fill in the gaps — depending on the skills the organization needs and the skills you have, you could be a more design, business, or technically oriented Product Manager. It is a role that is defined by the lack of skills within an organization.

When we break down the responsibilities of Product Managers and its adjacent roles (Product Marketers, Program Managers and UX Designers), you’ll understand why a PM’s role can encompass so many different activities. The venn diagram covering Tech, UX and Business that describes product management actually translates to a responsibilities breakdown fairly…