What kind of Product Manager are you?
I play EA FIFA quite a lot and while my motivation is always the fun I derive out of it, it also helps me understand the nuances of non-traditional interfaces like a console and controller. There are different ways of visualising information, more physical interactions and a different interface than what we use everyday. An example of different way of visualisation is the player attributes.
A player within the game has multiple attributes and the user is expected to make substitutions in the team based on them. Though it sounds easy, processing x number of attributes for y players at the time of substitution can be a daunting task for a first time user. The user has to consume a lot of information and then base their decisions on what they understand. It doesn’t help that you only get 30 seconds to do substitutions in online play. EA has an intuitive way to solve this problem and I genuinely enjoy this interface every time I play. They display the attributes in a hexagon, which has better references and it becomes much easier to compare players to make an informed decision.
Product Management Skill Map
I’ve seen this screen hundreds of times and it made me think how useful it can be to make profiles for Product Managers. PMs have to juggle between many skills at all times, and it leaves them wondering which one is more or less important everyday. It is thus critical for a PM to be self aware of her skill levels and areas of development.
If we create a skill map for a product manager, it would have the following 6 broad attributes —
Technology know how
How much technology does the PM know. This is critical as it helps her identify both the possibilities and the limitations. Also, it assists in prioritisation and better estimations.
Problem Solving
Raw IQ and the ability to detail out nooks and crannies of each problem. High problem solving ability helps in exploring multiple solutions from obvious to complicated.
Design Sense and UX know how
Ability to connect strongly with large user groups and different audience. Ability to A/B test, to work with designers and to decide when to stop over-designing are also critical in making sure that the right product reaches the right audience.
Business Context
How will the product monetise and be profitable in reality? How will the product respond to markets and competition? An overall sense of business helps in prioritization and assessment of the right product to build.
Growth / Marketing Skills
How to scale up? How to manage both acquisition and retention through multiple channels. How to hack growth?
Vision / Prioritisation
Ability to measure and manage velocity of products. Ability to see changing trends in industry and users, making inroads and changing direction accordingly.
If you’re a Product Manager, you can evaluate yourself based on these skills and map yourself. Lets take the four examples on Product Managers in different stages of their careers and working on different types of products.
- Young PM, Customer Facing product
- Experienced PM, Customer Facing product
- Young PM, Backend product
- Experienced PM, Backend product
The best part of this framework is the simplicity in which it encompasses the complete picture of an otherwise complex function.
If you’re leading a team, you can do this exercise with your product team. This will help everyone understand where they stand currently and where they want to move in 6,12,18,24 months. You can also use this framework for team appraisals and learning needs, defining team structure, hiring product managers and self improvement.
