Why do I need a Product Manager and a Project Manager?

Working in digital delivery, I’ve heard that question time and time again but it’s a valid thing to ask. With a shift of focus to “products”, brings a new mental approach to work. That, and an unforgiving similarity in acronym, has led to some confusion over the PM vs PM roles. Here’s where the confusion has come from, how you can differentiate between the roles and why you need both.

The Product mindset

Firstly, the issue comes from a mindset shift of how we approach digital development. A product, in this sense, is a digital service be it a new platform or a new app, that enables a user to complete some sort of activity. A project is a set of steps necessary to bring the product to a specific outcome.

Traditionally, we have been project-focused, defining an end deliverable and set scope at the start of a project then mapping out how to get there. Being more product-focused, means looking longer term at the product and it’s intended outcomes. It allows the product strategy to flex over time and respond to the ever-changing environment. (For more on product vs project have a read of this great article). This has seen the emersion of the Product Manager role, in addition to, not in replacement of, the Project Manager role.

The midwife and the parent analogy

One way you can think about the difference in roles is with having a baby:

Project Manager: The midwife is trusted to plan the suitable birth, overcome any obstacles and deliver the baby.

Product Manager: The parents take care of what the baby goes on to become and are responsible for that child then going to realise their potential.

Source

In essence, your Project Manager focuses on everything they need to do to deliver an output and your Product Manager focuses on the output as it’s own entity and how that output will achieve it’s outcomes.

Your Product Manager will…

• Answer why we’re developing this solution and exactly what feature we will develop
• Define the overarching product strategy, the mission statement and purpose
• Apply a value lens, identify both user and business needs to pinpoint key value drivers
• Own and communicate the strategic direction, documenting through a product roadmap
• Engage stakeholders for buy-in
• Focus on customer insights and adapts work as necessary
• Prioritise features and new ideas based off of a measurement framework

Your Project Manager will…

• Answer how we’re going to get there, by when and with who
• Own the end-to-end delivery, coordinating stakeholders to ensure due dates are met
• Identify and manage risks, issues and dependencies
• Create and manage the project plan
• Define and implement the processes to complete activities
• Communicate the status and progress
• Focus on the productivity of the team

But together they will…

• Lead the team to overcome obstacles
• Input to the products’ business case for expected costs and benefits
• Use analytical and creative problem-solving skills to deliver valuable outputs
• Approve new development. Project Manager from a feasibility perspective and Product from a value perspective.
• Communicate the work to stakeholders
• Connect the dots between business, design and development

Overall it’s not a question of who’s more important or which one to have over the other. It’s about the collaboration of both your midwife and parents that realise desired outcomes. In some small-scale cases, the roles can be merged into one person, but it requires that person to switch between the two very distinctive hats with ease and without bias towards one. Each role applies a different lens to the work with different measures of success. It also doesn’t mean that they don’t overlap. Strategists should inform on the delivery and deliverers should inform on the strategy, as working in silo will lead to failure. Overall the delineation between the two roles allows for experts in either field to bring their specific skills to the work. But it’s the collaboration of these skills that truly enables a successful, impactful product.

What do you think? Have you found any other similarities or distinctions between the two roles? And how have you communicated these so people understand? Let me know in the comments below.