Comments on: Product Management in NYC http://www.kungpowthinking.com/2010/04/18/product-management-in-nyc/ Your face! Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:10:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: joshviney http://www.kungpowthinking.com/2010/04/18/product-management-in-nyc/comment-page-1/#comment-533 joshviney Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:32:00 +0000 http://www.kungpowthinking.com/?p=179#comment-533 Testing comment push. Testing comment push.

]]> By: elidanziger http://www.kungpowthinking.com/2010/04/18/product-management-in-nyc/comment-page-1/#comment-379 elidanziger Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:58:58 +0000 http://www.kungpowthinking.com/?p=179#comment-379 Awesome post Josh. I tend to think of PMs as mini-CEOs, because essentially you're building a company within a company. The difference is that your mini-company has to successfully exist in the context of the major-company ecosystem, rather than the ecosystem of other corporate solutions available to your target users. <br><br>Love #6. Just as a company constantly evolves its products and services to find the right market fit, a good PM is constantly gathering user feedback and looking for ways to improve the feature… it’s really just a microcosm of the parent company’s actions. Which feeds nicely into #7: as long as you’re going to be gathering user feedback and evolving the product based on reaction from the market, it’s illogical to over-develop in search of the perfect feature. Get to market as quickly as possible (and make your investors happy in the process). Awesome post Josh. I tend to think of PMs as mini-CEOs, because essentially you're building a company within a company. The difference is that your mini-company has to successfully exist in the context of the major-company ecosystem, rather than the ecosystem of other corporate solutions available to your target users.

Love #6. Just as a company constantly evolves its products and services to find the right market fit, a good PM is constantly gathering user feedback and looking for ways to improve the feature… it’s really just a microcosm of the parent company’s actions. Which feeds nicely into #7: as long as you’re going to be gathering user feedback and evolving the product based on reaction from the market, it’s illogical to over-develop in search of the perfect feature. Get to market as quickly as possible (and make your investors happy in the process).

]]> By: ceonyc http://www.kungpowthinking.com/2010/04/18/product-management-in-nyc/comment-page-1/#comment-374 ceonyc Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:13:53 +0000 http://www.kungpowthinking.com/?p=179#comment-374 Ye of little faith. I remember. Ye of little faith. I remember.

]]> By: joshviney http://www.kungpowthinking.com/2010/04/18/product-management-in-nyc/comment-page-1/#comment-371 joshviney Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:48:04 +0000 http://www.kungpowthinking.com/?p=179#comment-371 I've always loved construction analogies, probably because my entire family is in the industry and they're how I've tried to explain what I do to them.<br><br>Few things:<br>1. You're absolutely right about founders not knowing how to give up their vision to a Product Manager. I guess maybe it might work to think of the Product Manager role as "founder in training".<br>2. If you know qualified Product Managers who can't find good work, I know of at least a few startups who are desperate to hire. We just need to make sure they can provide "good work".<br>3. I tend to shy away from "on time and on budget" when it comes to Product Management and try to think more in terms of meeting business goals. Of course the separation is only possible when there are Project Managers backing you up. I've always loved construction analogies, probably because my entire family is in the industry and they're how I've tried to explain what I do to them.

Few things:
1. You're absolutely right about founders not knowing how to give up their vision to a Product Manager. I guess maybe it might work to think of the Product Manager role as “founder in training”.
2. If you know qualified Product Managers who can't find good work, I know of at least a few startups who are desperate to hire. We just need to make sure they can provide “good work”.
3. I tend to shy away from “on time and on budget” when it comes to Product Management and try to think more in terms of meeting business goals. Of course the separation is only possible when there are Project Managers backing you up.

]]> By: hallson http://www.kungpowthinking.com/2010/04/18/product-management-in-nyc/comment-page-1/#comment-370 hallson Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:24:41 +0000 http://www.kungpowthinking.com/?p=179#comment-370 Good and accurate post, but in my experience there are a lot more product managers than there are product managerial positions, in NY. In fact, I know a lot who are looking and just can't find decent positions. To that point, most people hiring for product managers do not really know what they are looking for. Product managers live in a hybrid role between development, marketing, and design/UI and don't fit in a simple box.<br><br>As one myself, I often had trouble explaining what I do to people outside the biz. My wife, though, came up with the right analogy. A product manager is the architect (we need to take this name back from our engineering friends). Continuing with the 'physical development' analogy, the CEO is the developer, the programers and the engineers/construction workers, UI/Design are the interior decorators and so on. But it is the architect that controls the master plan and vision for the project, working with all parties to make sure it gets done on time and budget. In many startups founders are often hesitant to give up such control. Good and accurate post, but in my experience there are a lot more product managers than there are product managerial positions, in NY. In fact, I know a lot who are looking and just can't find decent positions. To that point, most people hiring for product managers do not really know what they are looking for. Product managers live in a hybrid role between development, marketing, and design/UI and don't fit in a simple box.

As one myself, I often had trouble explaining what I do to people outside the biz. My wife, though, came up with the right analogy. A product manager is the architect (we need to take this name back from our engineering friends). Continuing with the 'physical development' analogy, the CEO is the developer, the programers and the engineers/construction workers, UI/Design are the interior decorators and so on. But it is the architect that controls the master plan and vision for the project, working with all parties to make sure it gets done on time and budget. In many startups founders are often hesitant to give up such control.

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