Three in one

So we are product managers. And what makes us different from rest of the people at work :|
Just that we cannot live life of a single person.

To be a product manager, we must know three people too well and be each one of them almost all the times.

Person 1 - The customer.
No matter what, it's the customer that drives all the features. And must. The mere thought of whether a feature is required, how it should look, what should it do... all these answers are only with the customer. So keep close to your customer; stalk him through analytics, get in person through customer care, read forums, blogs, surveys etc etc. Also, once I heard in one of those fancy conferences - do follow your competition's customers along with yours. Their rants can tell you what the others are missing on, and what you can build as the differentiating/ appeasing product.

Person 2 - The businessman.
Yes the customer is always right. and yes the customer is the god. But the truth is that business goals are also to be considered and almost equally. This is the most difficult role, especially if you love product management, are too passionate towards your work and making money does not top your priority list. Because business goals might ask you to compromise a bit on the shape and size of the product. Striking a right balance between "men in the cabin" and "men on the keyboards" is a skillful art.
I have experienced a lot of confusion in this role in the last 5 years. But I will have to agree that mastering this will make me a better PM.

Person 3 - The You.
So you think of a feature being the customer and then conceptualize it considering the technological logic and feasibility and then get it developed/market/sell it being the businessman. In all of this, what about you? Never think, you are a mere executioner, or just a communicator/ translator or a document writer. If you constrict yourself to this, you are no better than an errand runner. Be the end user and also think of earning money and keep the engineering aspects in mind too. But always put the salt as per your taste.Argue, question, reason and make sure you are convinced when you compile the final product design.
And in some cases, where it isn't what you exactly want, yet you still have to do it; make sure you know it clearly what would you have done differently given a free hand. And believe in it. Trust me, you will get a chance to do it one day.

Happy living the life of (x)(cube)

-image courtesy : illusionspoint.com-

If you aint a mark, can you make a mark?

Its not only a physician's job to ask questions.
In fact, a physician might believe in a lot of illusions and work his way through finding the truths in the myths.

But if you are a product manager, the only way you can justify your pay is by asking questions and as much. What I mean to say is, never just say "Yes" to everything you are told. Ask a lot of why(s) and what(s). Reason, if you do not agree and something feels wrong. Reason, even if everything seems totally right to make sure it actually is. Think of something and then put it in on the thrashing bench. Keep asking what if(s) for every thought that comes in your head before you put it on paper.

As someone has beautifully put it:

The #1 trait I look for in people who would make good Product Managers is an extreme sense of curiosity. Curious people are wonderful – they ask the most powerful question in the World: “why?” Curious people read a lot and tend to self-teach valuable skills. Most importantly, curious people aren’t satisfied with what people tell them, they stay awake at night wondering what they’re missing and love the process of discovery. Some skills can be taught; curiosity is a character trait.

So be a question mark and always be ready with many but one, next time you are asked to build a new feature.

The one you must never ask is, a "how". Because answering that, is your Job!

-image courtesy : investorsareidiots.com-