Embarking on the Product Management Journey

Reflections on My Early Days as a PM at Mercadona Tech

Hello, everyone! 👋🏼

I’m Pablo, and it’s been five months since I embarked on my journey with Mercadona Tech as a Product Manager in the Organization vertical. Join me in this article as I delve into my experiences, insights, and challenges so far. But before we dive in, let me introduce myself.

A bit about myself

While wrapping up my International Business studies in Barcelona, I co-founded a startup with a mission to demystify black-box AI models and make them more transparent. During this venture, I got a taste of the tech startup scene, which ignited my passion. However, my curiosity led me to explore strategy consulting, which, after some time, I realized didn’t quite align with me at that point.

From there, I found myself working with an insurtech startup in a product-focused role in Dublin. This experience solidified my passion for a tech career, particularly in product management. So, when the opportunity to join the Mercadona Tech team arose, I couldn’t resist. It was a chance to deepen my knowledge in product management with the best in the business in Spain.

I am from Logroño, a city in the North of Spain. Before moving to Valencia, I had lived in California, Barcelona, Madrid, and Dublin, but my first time in Valencia was when I interviewed! Now, it’s been five months in this beautiful city of Valencia. What do I love the most? The delicious “esmorçarets,” the stunning beaches, and the vibrant international communities here. What do I like the least? The humidity, but hey, it’s a small price to pay for everything this city has to offer.

The product set-up and my first steps

Mercadona Tech strongly emphasizes product development, fostering collaboration within cross-functional teams called “verticals.” Each vertical takes ownership of a specific challenge, with mine being focused on Organization. Within each vertical, there exists a distinctive team structure. This includes the engineering team, the traditional product trio comprising a Product Manager, a Product Designer, a Tech Lead, and an essential addition — the Process Owner. This multifaceted team setup adds a layer of valuable insight that plays a pivotal role in the success of our products. The involvement of the Process Owner effectively bridges the gap between digital solutions and physical operations. This harmonious collaboration among these four components has proven to be a driving force behind Mercadona Tech’s achievements and goals.

My experience within my vertical could not have been better. When I joined, I had a thorough onboarding led by my mentor Juan, an experienced PM from the Organization vertical. I had the opportunity to shadow him during my initial weeks, learning the specifics of the role, understanding team dynamics, and gaining insight into our processes.

In the spirit of continuous learning, my journey has been marked by challenges that have ultimately contributed to my growth. One significant lesson was the importance of building solid relationships within our team. Collaboration with team members is crucial, and early on, I realized that nurturing connections with our Process Owner, Tech Lead, and Product Designer was essential for long-term effectiveness, alignment, conflict resolution, and maintaining team morale.

An Insight into Team Organization

Our team, aptly named Organization, has a critical mission: to dimension and organize the resources of our Colmenas — our logistics centers, efficiently and in line with business goals while respecting our workers. Our primary focus is optimizing resources for our Colmenas. This challenge that extends beyond technical expertise and requires a deep understanding of the subtle balance between business objectives and employee well-being.

Working on a product team dedicated to internal products is very unique. Unlike consumer-facing products, internal products are tailored to enhance the efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness of the company’s operations. In my role, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating closely with diverse departments and stakeholders within the company, which has accelerated my growth through exposure to varied perspectives.

Embracing a User-Centric Approach

A defining feature of my journey at Mercadona Tech has been our unyielding commitment to a user-centric approach. In our case, our users are the coordinators, responsible for managing each Colmena. Embracing a user-centric approach is not just a buzzword; it’s a fundamental philosophy that can make or break a product’s success.

At its core, a user-centric approach means placing the end-users at the forefront of every decision-making process. It starts with gaining an in-depth understanding of the users — their needs, pain points, preferences, and behaviors. This involves conducting user research, gathering feedback, and empathizing with their experiences.

This approach extends throughout the product’s lifecycle, from initial ideation to ongoing iterations. By continually prioritizing the user’s perspective, we aim to create the products that our users need, fostering their satisfaction and loyalty.

We also listen to our users by metrics and analytics, assessing the product’s performance against key performance indicators. This data-driven approach allows us to make informed decisions, iterate quickly, and fine-tune the product to keep it aligned with evolving user needs.

So far, so good

Navigating this path, I’ve realized that this role comes with a steep learning curve, demanding an agile mindset and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. However, it’s precisely this challenge that fuels my enthusiasm, propelling us to new heights.

Thank you for joining me on this voyage through my initial five months as a Product Manager at Mercadona Tech. Stay tuned for more insights and revelations as we continue striding forward, crafting impactful products that resonate with both our users and the business.

Cheers,

Pablo