A Product Chat with Telus Digital’s Christie Robertson

Key takeaway: Keep stumbling and trying new things to discover a set of first principles to build your career on

Welcome to PM Nation (PMNation.co), an interview series where we shine a spotlight on personalities behind great products, learn more about how they got into product management, and provide insider perspectives into how the craft of Product is evolving. To learn more about why this got started, click here.

For the benefit of our readers, could you tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do as a Product Manager (PM)?

Hi friends ❤ My name is Christie Robertson! I am an ideation FANATIC passionate about the intersection of design and technology. Seriously — put me in a brainstorming session and watch my brain go wild!

I currently work as a Product Manager at TELUS Digital, where I manage two portfolios: Offers & Adoption, and Personalization & Targeting. I wear a lot of hats within these portfolios, but at the end of the day my job is to help build products (with a focus on websites and apps) that solve problems for our customers and deliver content to them in a way that is both relevant and engaging… exciting right?!?!

So how did you land up in product management?

The story begins on the day I landed my first full-time role as a business systems analyst after graduating from Ryerson University. I was in the role for about 8 months when the company said they saw potential in me, and said they were going to move me to an internal product team that had recently been created. This is where my love for product management started. That being said, this is not a “classic love story.” When I made the move to the product team, I had NO idea what Product was, and to make matters worse, I thought I was moving to the team as a business analyst. I was so wrong, but quickly became excited (and panicked!) when tasked with launching an app within the first two months of joining the team.

Luckily, I am a positive and outgoing gal who rolls with the punches, and who always wants to learn more. So I decided to teach myself about the world of Product by reading articles, joining local training programs (shout out to APM Toronto!) and going for coffee chats with product managers, designers and developers. However, I learned the most by launching projects and failing…and failing… over and over and over again. I learned to set aside my ego and embrace the “fail fast, learn faster” motto, and through these “failearns” (failure + learning) I discovered my love for product management.

Why is it so hard to get into product management these days?

That is a great question and before I get into some of the reasons that other product managers and I have discussed on this topic in the past, I want to make it clear that yes, it is hard to get into product management, but it is not impossible. It’s all about your mindset. The best piece of advice I ever received in university was to embrace any role you find yourself in and strive to be the best you can possibly be. By giving it your all, you’ll figure out what you like and don’t like in a career, you’ll have no regrets should the company make a change in direction (i.e. could I have done better/more?) and you’ll get noticed by the right people who can help you unlock valuable career paths, like product management.

Now to answer your question:

There isn’t a direct path into product management. I actually love asking other PM’s how they got into the field — I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories. This is partially due to the fact that product management isn’t really taught in colleges and universities. What I mean is while I went to school for Business Technology Management and learned all the buzzwords (e.g. agile, backlog, etc), I was never really taught these things in the context of product management, only in the context of being a project manager or a business analyst.

Since graduating, I’ve learned that product management has actually been around for a while now, but only recently (in last decade or so) has it really become a sought after career path. We are seeing this with more and more bootcamps and certificate programs popping up in the US and Canada. This is great for people who want to learn more about Product, but it also adds to the struggle of breaking into a space with increased competition.

In addition, we see a lot of companies only investing in senior product managers because of the demanding nature of the PM role, and the strong set of skills and experiences it requires. I don’t necessarily agree with this bias for Senior PMs — companies should find the right balance of Product experience on their team. Junior product managers will one day be senior product managers, and are worth the upfront investment. The good news is we’re starting to see some companies begin to realize this with more and more Associate Product Manager roles appearing on the market.

“ With so many moving pieces, it can be very overwhelming at times, but to me it is a beautiful chaos.”

For those interested in a career in PM — what kinds of experiences should they seek out?

Any and all — especially those experiences that push you out of your comfort zone!

Product management really develops entrepreneurial skillsets. You have to be good at communicating, analyzing data, taking risks, and have an eagerness to learn more about all areas of the business (sales, legal, marketing, finance, customer service… you name it!). This isn’t to say you have to be a subject matter expert in all these areas, but you have to understand how these other teams operate (as well as their limitations), and the role(s) they play within your product development life cycle. So having diverse background experiences can help you on your journey to becoming a product manager.

As a PM, what do you do exactly on a day-to-day basis?

Every day is its own adventure. In Product, your backlog can grow in the blink of an eye. My days are mostly consumed by rituals, meetings, prioritizing work, strategizing, collating research, and analyzing data. Additionally, I find a large chunk of my time is spent determining what gets built next by prioritizing our customer problems, identifying opportunities from customer data, and aligning problems and opportunities with our business goals and objectives.

Each week I try to answer: “What can I do this week that will add the most amount of value to our customers and business?” It’s not always easy, and I don’t always have an answer, but asking the question does help me stay close to our product backlog and aligned to our north star (i.e. where the product should be heading).

What do you love about being a PM? What do you wish you could change?

I love all the opportunities that come with being a product manager. You continuously learn, meet new people, gain exposure to different areas of the business and contribute to building products that people in the city, province, country and even in the world use! I always feel like a kid in preschool at show-and-tell, with my friends and family, saying “Look what we launched today!!”

With so many moving pieces, it can be very overwhelming at times, but to me it is a beautiful chaos.

“As product managers, we put the customers at the center of our universe, but we don’t just ask users what features they want and then go and build them. Rather, we spend time understanding their behaviour, lifestyle, problems and challenges to identify their underlying needs.”

So what’s one common myth about being a PM?

There are a lot of myths about being a product manager that some great PMs in this channel have already covered: Product managers are mini CEOs (FALSE), product managers need to be technical (FALSE), product management is the new modern term for a business analysis or project management (FALSE).

Here’s another one: “Product managers build features their customers ask for.”

Yes — as product managers, we put the customers at the center of our universe, but we don’t just ask users what features they want and then go and build them. Rather, we spend time understanding their behaviour, lifestyle, problems and challenges to identify their underlying needs.

The key is to ask the right questions that get you to the root cause of why these customers are asking for certain features. Remember — there is always more than one solution to every problem.

What is the difference between product management and project management?

Project Management and Product Management vary from company to company.

Project management is about delivering an already-approved plan through the application of processes, to ensure the team delivers the product or project by a given deadline, under a given budget and within a given scope.

Product management is inspiring and driving the strategy of a product. We do this by continuously uncovering what the problems/opportunities are at hand, and why they are important for us to work on. This information then helps us identify how we are going to build a solution.

How do you develop a vision for a product?

Think big, get feedback, and ensure you keep the product vision and the product strategy separate! I like to use Product Vision Boards to accomplish this. Your product vision is the baseline for your product to be built on — it is your north star. You need a vision that is going to motivate the team to continuously find new ways to enhance user experience and deliver business outcomes.

However, your product vision is not your product strategy: it does not define how your team converts vision into reality. Your product strategy essentially maps out your vision along a roadmap, and can always adapt / change, but the product vision should be the foundation upon which everything else is built.

“The key is to ask the right questions that get you to the root cause of why these customers are asking for certain features. Remember — there is always more than one solution to every problem.”

What skillsets are essential to being a PM? What skills will PMs need in 5 years?

Good communication and problem-solving — for a PM, the two usually go hand in hand. You synthesize a lot of data, collaborate with your squad, attend (too) many meetings, chat with customers, prioritize your backlog and so much MORE — all of which you need to do while with managing a diverse range of stakeholders who are also driving their own priorities, goals and objectives.

Communication doesn’t always mean a polished speech or a shiny presentation. Usually it means a lot of ad hoc calls and meetings. As a visual learner myself, I am constantly drawing in my sketchbook, on sticky notes, on Miro board, or on a whiteboard to further help myself and the team make connections and visualize our ideas — especially when the development gets complex.

What’s the most important quality a PM should have (or develop)?

Being creative! It is not about being the smartest person in the room. You’re going to be faced with problems that require you to bring smart people together and think outside the box (sometimes far away from the box). You’ll have to find ways to get them to think about a common problem from different angles, making product management really both an art and a science.

You also need to be intellectually curious. I don’t work a 9-to-5 job — I’m constantly scanning my surroundings, talking to people, reflecting on my experiences with other companies, reading about new methods and technologies to reach new audiences, and ultimately enhancing our customer experience.

“Product management is inspiring and driving the strategy of a product. We do this by continuously uncovering what the problems/opportunities are at hand and why they are important for us to work on. This information then helps the product team to identify how we are going to build the solution.”

What’s the toughest product problem you’ve ever solved?

Every problem I’ve faced is unique and challenging in its own way. But one thing that helps me get through them is defining them well. I start first by figuring out what I do not know about the issue. From there, I look at where I can learn more about it, or who can provide me with additional info.

It is important to understand the roles and responsibilities of your stakeholders, so you can lean on them when faced with problems. After filling in the gaps, I use customer, data and business knowledge to add some more colour, and try to make a decision on what to do next. This is easier said than done, especially when some decisions need to be made on the fly. So always try to ensure you always have a deep understanding of your customers, the business objectives, supporting data (you can’t argue with data), and the problem you’re trying to solve.

What’s the best way to shine in a PM interview?

For someone looking to start a career in Product — I would say find all the ways to connect your experience and transferable skills to the job posting, and do your research on the product and company. Applying for a job is a full time job in itself. One piece of advice I received as a Junior PM was (1) write out the job posting and (2) Go line-by-line identifying the experiences/skills you have that relate to each line on the application. So come interview time you can connect the dots for the employer!

Most importantly show you are eager to roll up your sleeves up with a team that builds customer-centric products to drive business outcomes. At the end of the day, if a company is looking to hire a junior product manager, you can assume they know that this means you do not have a lot of experience in this field. So show your passion for the company, the product and your desire to learn and change the world through Product!

How do you figure out if you’re the right fit for a prospective PM role?

Everyone is different. Start by figuring out what kind of environment you want to work in! I highly recommend going for coffee chats with product managers in startups, mid-size companies and enterprises to get their take on the opportunities and challenges they face in a day. This will obviously vary by company, but each stage a company is in (startup to enterprise) brings new product-related challenges and ways of working.

For example, in larger organizations, you’ll typically find you have access to a lot more resources and specialists on your team (e.g. user researchers) to leverage throughout the entire product life cycle. However, because you have more stakeholders involved, it can take longer to find alignment and launch products.

In smaller organizations you can launch products quicker, but you don’t have all these resources available, so you have to wear multiple hats and put your creativity to the test.

It’s time for the Lightning Round! What’s a good book, movie, TV series or video game you’d recommend right now?

The Harry Potter series… believe it or not, I’m only now just hopping onto this train. I’ve only seen the movies, and yet I’ve claimed to be a Harry Potter nerd.

Favourite place for a coffee chat?

Anywhere! I love exploring new places, especially if they are local.

Favourite dish to pick up after a long day?

I have been trying really hard to cook my own meals after work, so after a long day I love it if I have leftovers! I also always look forward to pancake Sundays with my roommate.

Where do you dream of traveling to next?

I really want to take a round trip to Ireland, Scotland and England.

What’s your hidden talent?

Volleyball. I joined TELUS Digital during the pandemic, so I feel especially hidden from my new coworkers from working remotely. People only see my face, not my height, so I don’t get as many “do you play basketball?” questions through my computer screen.

If you ever decided to get a tattoo of a brand or a logo, which one would it be, and why?

Probably Heinz Ketchup or the Ryerson University Logo or both…(there’s an idea!). I love ketchup and I was on the Ryerson Women’s Varsity Volleyball team when we won the schools first EVER national championship title, so the team and I should probably get branded with championship logos.

Christie, thanks for your time!

Thanks for having me!

For the rest of our conversations with Product minds from around the world, visit PM Nation.