Which managerial role suits you? Product company or software services?

In this blog, I will compare working in a product and software services company, which can help determine the best fit for your career ambition.

Srihari Udugani
The New Manager
3 min readSep 18, 2024

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Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

Product vs Software Services Company

The table below outlines a few key differences between a software product company and a software services company.

Differences between Software Product Company and Software Services Company

Differences in perks

The table below outlines key differences between the perks offered in a software product company and a software services company.

Differences between the perks offered by Software Products and Software Services Companies

Differences in roles

The table below provides the key differentiating factors of a manager’s role in a software product development company and software services company.

Differences between roles played in Software Product and Software Services Companies

Keep in mind

When searching for a job, keep the following points in mind.

  1. Tailor your experiences
    For product companies, highlight your experience in product management, innovation and ownership.
    For service companies, highlight your experience in client management, adaptability and project delivery.
  2. Product vs Project Orientation
    In product companies deep involvement with a product life cycle will be needed.
    In a service company handling multiple projects will be the most expected ability.
  3. Consider travel requirements
    In product companies, travel will be limited to conferences or other offsite engagements.
    In a service company, there would be frequent travel depending on client needs.
  4. Financial Health of the company
    In a product company understand the budget availability and investments allocated for R&D.
    In a service company, budgets will be stricter depending on client engagement.
  5. Upskilling
    In both companies you need to adapt to changes and continuous improvement will aid in career growth.

Final thoughts

While both types of companies have their merits and demerits, it is important to choose the categories or metrics, that are important for deciding on what kind of company you want to work as a Manager.

A Manager role, irrespective of the company, is highly accountable and comes with unique challenges and perks.

It is important to choose the eco-system in which you want to work as a Manager and what preparations you can make to become successful in the role.

The differences outlined in this blog will help you to choose between the companies.

Happy management!

Further reading

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The New Manager
The New Manager

Published in The New Manager

Guides and frameworks to new managers for effective team management by delegating, taking proactive decisions, and continuous improvement.

Srihari Udugani
Srihari Udugani

Written by Srihari Udugani

Writes about management techniques and frameworks that can be implemented immediately.