Beginners Intro, Part 2: My Top 10 Common Misconceptions about Product Management
The PM role is one that is highly misunderstood and what better way to understand it by knowing what the role is NOT. If you missed my last blog post, find it here.
This week I was thinking on how there are so many people looking to break into new industries and its an amazing thought. However, they may be struggling to get their footing right. Maybe, just maybe the PM role is for you.
Below are my top 10 misconceptions about the product management role.
P.S. There could be more!
1. Product Management is the same as Project Management
This is definitely the biggest misconception out there and it is only right to tackle it first. As someone who has been personally involved in both they are largely different. Product management sees with the bigger picture of developing a product. Here, you make key decisions on what gets built based on business goals and your customers needs. A project manager on the other side of the coin, deals with overseeing the execution of a developed and approved plan. As a project manager your focus is scope, time and budget. This is not the case of a Product Manager who has a wider strategic role which involves some project management skills. While they are used interchangeably, they require different skill sets.
2. Product Managers are the ‘Tony Stark’ of the product
The boss, the authority, the indab- oh sorry 😶. It is very common to hear that the Product Manager is the CEO of the product. Only the CEO is the CEO. As a Product Manager you have NO direct authority over the development, design or marketing team. No one is obligated to do what you say. Yes, you are an advocate for the customer and hence you need convince the teams you work with that they are building the right thing. This involves making use of soft skills such as empathy, persuasion, communication, and negotiation skills. Always remember you are working with people and not robots.
3. Product Management is a technical role
It is so easy to assume the PM role is only for technical people. This is largely attributed to it being largely acknowledged by the tech industry. However, the PM role is not a technical role, there are Product Managers in varying industries playing the role without knowing. Product Management is filled with people who come from different backgrounds (business, marketing, art, teaching, health). There is really no restriction to becoming a PM and this makes me feel excited at the different mindsets in the industry. To succeed as a non-tehnical background, you need to focus on understanding your chosen industry, knowing your business or organization and importantly your customers. Have a heart that wants to learn and this role is yours to excel in. So, yes! You do not need a technical background to become a Product Manager.
4. You cannot be a PM straight out of college
Phew 😅. This one hits close to home because I am at this stage. But thanks to companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, LinkedIn and a lot more who offer Associate Product Management (APM) programs , early graduates have the opportunity to apply for roles with little to no experience in Product Management. You can find out more here . Asides from APM programmes, it is also possible to tailor your experiences to a Product Manager’s role. This can be done through highlighting the core skills you have gained that relate to the PM role. You can get a PM role right out of college, it is all about preparation, practice, understanding the company you are applying to and being INTENTIONAL about all you do while you are still in school. Going to do another blog post on this for early grads (perharps when I graduate and get my first role as a grad y’know 😉 or before then. Watch out!)
5. Product Management is more about coming up with ideas than executing them
Firstly, no company would hire you to just come up with ideas and not execute. Your role as a PM is to advocate for the customer, draw up requirements and perform a supervisory role across multiple teams to ensure the right product is built. You are very much focused on the execution of an idea as much as the strategy coming in. While having a creative mindset to come up with ideas, the execution and successful launch of those ideas validates your work as a Product Manager.
6. Product Managers do the same thing as UX designers
😩 Who would pay a UX designer and a Product Manager if they are doing the same thing? There is no denying the fact that both UX designers and Product Managers need to have a strong sense of design but they largely perform different functions. The User Experience Designer is concerned with the overall user satisfaction and continually improving the interaction experience of the product. For a software product, the UX designer would focus on the interface and experience and for a physical product, the focus is on the packaging. However, the PM is more focused on the overall success of the product from the functionality, design and even the mode of marketing
7. Product Management is only about writing requirements
There is more to writing requirements, it is about seeing that those requirements are actually needed and contribute to the overall goal of the company and needs of the customer.
8. Product Manager is responsible for the failure or success of a product
It took a while to decide if I wanted this on the list, but here it is. The success or failure of a product is dependent on a lot of factors. Putting it all on the PM is wrong as failure could stem from different factors. As a good PM, while you may get the credit for a successful product, that success should always be transferred to the development team. This is very important and serves as motivation for the team. People need to feel they are part of something and that their contributions are not in vain. Remember that. The same however does not apply to the failure of the product, your role as a PM is not to dwell on that failure but look for the challenging and failure causing areas and begin building solutions. There is no such thing as failure for a Product Manager, you only ever learn lessons and get back up. Put the lessons to good use.
9. Product management believes the customer is ALWAYS right (customer service vs. customer success)
Imagine if Twitter implemented every feature its users asked for. We would probably have voice notes now (which I think is irrelevant by the way 💁). The app would be over-featured. As much as the customers needs always comes first, analyze data properly and understand which pain points are really needed. As a product Manager your job is to ensure customer success and not just customer service, which deals in solely solving the users challenges and not their needs. I have never heard anyone say that but read it again. Your priority is to make your user successful using the product and not just receiving a service by the product. That is how you ensure loyalty. Customer success vs Customer service is a whole post on its own, but it is so important to note. You do not need to build for all. Build what is important, build what is needed.
10. Product Management is solely responsible for Marketing the product
Just like the designers, there is a whole team dedicated to coming up with proper marketing strategies for the product. You are a part of the team but it is not the role of a PM to solely market a product. Yes, its important to know how to sell your product to anyone you feel needs it and, who better than you, who knows the product in and out. Be an evangelist for your product, know its unique value, understand your customer, know the product pain points, and validate the needs to sell the product. However, to bring it into the market on a larger scale is not typically your role. There is a Product Marketing Manager role that communicates the value of the product to the market. This is different from the PM role.
With these points of mine, I have been able to convince and not confuse you on the Product Management role. In this light, I hope you work better as a PM, aspiring PM, product Founder or enthusiast and enjoy this role. I also hope it helps development teams understand the role of the Product Manager and work better.
Gained interest in the Product Management role and don’t know where to start? Reach out to me on here.
Keep Being the Product!
Ajoke.
