Re:Product manager responsibilities
by Brajeshwar on Sunday March 24, 2019 @12:39AM
(#19474354)
I’ve commented few times in similar situations, I hope I can be of more use today too. I hope you will think this over and/or connect the dots backward when you realized this in the future.
How do I know? Because I went through them — started as a developer, turned to design, involved in business, started/exited few Startups, and continued to help Startups.
When I was in the engineering role, I thought everyone else was an idiot and “they don’t get it.” I thought that all the talks are useless when I can just go, write codes and get the “actual final thing done.” In my defense, I heard last time, some of my codes are still working on AT&T, Walt Disney to name a few.
When I realized that there are lots of engineers, who are much better than me, I jumped to designing and did a whole lot of designs too for many known brands, some unknown and many Startups during their early days, including few of our own. I sometimes see the logo of an established on billboards and I proudly claim, that was one of my early works and I designed that logo. I dabbled in designs before the development/engineering phase of my life. Because I can empathize with engineering, I became more lenient with my thought but I sometimes wondered, “let them program it but I’ll add the final beauty and that is what it sells.”
Then I got in love with business and once upon a time even closed deals worth multiple thousand dollars. By that time I began to realize the importance of every role
* the irritating salesperson is no longer irritating but began to fascinate me.
* loved working with a bunch of project manager that shield the team from the clients and cushion everything that came in hard.
* brilliant work by the business development team that makes life clearer for everyone to work on.
* and the product managers that lingers on to all the silly, nitty-gritty, boring work long after the engineers and the designers moved on “interesting challenges”.
Yes, everyone has a role and they play their part. If you play a role in the whole cycle, play your part and do it well. If you’re that good an engineer who can start from A and finish till the Z, then you’re already a good person and won’t say such thing as “xyz is useless because I’m abc.”
How do I know? Because I went through them — started as a developer, turned to design, involved in business, started/exited few Startups, and continued to help Startups.
When I was in the engineering role, I thought everyone else was an idiot and “they don’t get it.” I thought that all the talks are useless when I can just go, write codes and get the “actual final thing done.” In my defense, I heard last time, some of my codes are still working on AT&T, Walt Disney to name a few.
When I realized that there are lots of engineers, who are much better than me, I jumped to designing and did a whole lot of designs too for many known brands, some unknown and many Startups during their early days, including few of our own. I sometimes see the logo of an established on billboards and I proudly claim, that was one of my early works and I designed that logo. I dabbled in designs before the development/engineering phase of my life. Because I can empathize with engineering, I became more lenient with my thought but I sometimes wondered, “let them program it but I’ll add the final beauty and that is what it sells.”
Then I got in love with business and once upon a time even closed deals worth multiple thousand dollars. By that time I began to realize the importance of every role
* the irritating salesperson is no longer irritating but began to fascinate me.
* loved working with a bunch of project manager that shield the team from the clients and cushion everything that came in hard.
* brilliant work by the business development team that makes life clearer for everyone to work on.
* and the product managers that lingers on to all the silly, nitty-gritty, boring work long after the engineers and the designers moved on “interesting challenges”.
Yes, everyone has a role and they play their part. If you play a role in the whole cycle, play your part and do it well. If you’re that good an engineer who can start from A and finish till the Z, then you’re already a good person and won’t say such thing as “xyz is useless because I’m abc.”