5 ms·

How to hire a product manager

96 points by bmj1 14y ago

michaelw 14y ago
Ken nails it. The only thing I would add is that I've seen more software failures because of insufficient product management than anything else. Product management is particularly important in non-software companies where the obvious product isn't software. Your e-commerce website is just as much a product as your hipster glasses. Failure to manage it results in the classic IT dept. dysfunctional relationship where everyone hates IT and IT develops a thick skin and says no a lot.
arocks 14y ago
An excellent essay loaded with very useful advice. Personally, I find Steve Jobs to be a great role model for Product Managers. The "manager" part is often misleading, it is usually a Product Visionary what the role demands.
hammerzeit 14y ago
A solid essay and a great set of criteria. When I was a PM at Google, there were a couple other critical traits I liked to look for, though they were not simple yes-no criteria. * How does this person deal with vast uncertainty? Are they excited? Scared? Is their first reaction to impose structure or are they comfortable with lack of structure? If it's the latter, can they meaningful convey confidence with the lack of structure? * Can this person teach? Can they figure out how to take an abstract idea and articulate it cleanly? When someone doesn't get it, at what point do they fall back to utilizing authority? Are they good at listening closely to what someone is saying to them and framing an argument in their terms?
- freework 14y ago
  * How does this person deal with vast uncertainty? Are they excited? Scared? Is their first reaction to impose structure or are they comfortable with lack of structure? If it's the latter, can they meaningful convey confidence with the lack of structure? The only people who are afraid to jump off into the deep end are those who can't swim.
- kennethn 14y ago
  (Essay author here...) Excellent additions, "ability to deal with ambiguity" is a critical skill for PMs.
  - wasd 14y ago
    Hey Ken, I was sort of curious about this line: >Generally I'll ask questions until I'm sure the candidate is smarter than me. Are these the sort of brain teasers we see in engineering interviews or something else?
    - kennethn 14y ago
      No brain teasers. Good analytical questions are open-ended, fuzzy, and don't have "right" or "trick" answers. I want to test problem-solving abilities, not interview research and memorization skills :-)
      - geoffschmidt 14y ago
        Sounds super-useful! Could you share an example or two?
jbl 14y ago
This is an excellent essay. This was one of the pieces I read when I was looking into making the jump from engineering to product management. I wanted to get a better feel for what would be expected (at a software driven company). There's a lot in Ken Norton's post, but it's all worth taking to heart. Now, if someone could point me to a good article on interviewing PMs...
joonix 14y ago
Serious question - what is a product manager? Is there a generally accepted job description for this title?
- pageld 14y ago
  Like anything, it's just a title. However, how I view it is as someone that is responsible for a "product." A product can be a module, function or full fledged widget, but the product manager is responsible for the item itself. They don't necessarily worry about sales and exactly 'how' things get done. But they have a responsibility for it so they better have an idea of what's going on. I consider myself a PM and this is what I do: Srum Lead Sprint Planning / Release Management "Tier 3" Support Documentation Editor Question Answerer Guy (Why does this piece of software do this and why is this link not blue?) I'm also the liaison between management and the engineering staff. There is some more official type stuff on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_manager http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_manager
- nicw 14y ago
  As pageld said, it's just a title. At an established startup, the product manager is generally the one translating the founders vision into a product. The founder might have an idea or see a need, but the product manager is the one who researches the market, does the competitive analysis and determines the feature set. Then they get it built and launched. They may not do all the work, but they're the ones covering all the little details: making sure an email goes out when a new user signs up, reviewing that copy, watching retention, etc. You'll see a lot of job descriptions for product managers reference 'Mini-CEO', which is pretty apt.
- josephlord 14y ago
  I haven't done that particular job title but I have been a Product Planning Manager (at Sony for TVs). My impression is that it is a very hard role to describe because it includes "whatever needs doing" and will vary by product and the team around you. It will include making sure everything gets done and tied together including not just the product itself but the documentation and any licensing agreements and ensuring correct marketing information is prepared for the product at the right time (and the marketing team understand the product). It may include what is normally considered business development and associated liason with legal. It may include booking and preparing for a trade show. In a big company playing a linking role and getting the right people talking can be important even if you then step back. Very importantly it should be someone able and prepared to take decisions that might not be big and require senior management but that need making and aren't really either engineering decisions or design decisions.
sardonicbryan 14y ago
I've hired a number of PMs for my startup over the last 12months,and by far the most important thing that is overlooked (imo) is the ability to write good specs that are helpful for engineering. You can think of that as a sign that a PM can think like an engineer and communicate with engineers. For people with PM experience, I'll ask them about the things they considered and documented in their last spec. If they think a spec is a list of bullet points, that's instant fail. If they considered all user flows in and out of the features, edge cases, user education, analytics/success metrics, release plan and time vs cost tradeoffs that's a win.
- anotherhacker 14y ago
  On writing specs: I disagree with this. I believe the author left that out because writing 'good' specs is inconsequential. I used to think I had to write good specs, but then I realized that I was better off spending time with the team to make sure they understood the motivation behind making a change. If an organization told me that I was gonna be writing specs - I wouldn't want to work there. It's a waste of time. In brief: it's a waste of time because it assumes that one knows all the variables when creating something. If you are truly creating something, then by definition it's not be done before; thus, no one can know all the consequences of implementation. You're better off having an open mind and be quick to experiment and learn.
- nicw 14y ago
  Along with good specs, I would add having an open line of communication with your engineers about what to do when the specs aren't clear. I've worked with some engineers that their personality caused them to think it was their fault they didn't understand the spec - and they spent unnecessary time and frustration trying to puzzle something out. Raising your hand and asking, "Is this what you meant?" can save a lot of hassles, especially with remote teams.
  - sardonicbryan 14y ago
    Yeah, our teams are pretty small (about 20 between eng, art, product, qa, etc) and sit by each other in open plan floor space, so the lines of communication are definitely open, as long as no one is an asshole. I guess implicit in our interview process is that we're screening for a minimum of communication skills.
nicw 14y ago
One thing I would add to this: Goes out in person(!) and talks to customers. It's very easy to add new features to products, but until you sit down with a customer, listen to them, and watch them use your product you won't have a clear understanding of their needs. Good product managers realize they are very close to a product and need to constantly take a step back. If you're skeptical, sign up for a UserTesting.com account and watch people navigate your site. You'll be surprised.
pinaceae 14y ago
brilliant essay. the spidey sense is something i have referenced recently, it is so hard to explain. a good pm simply looks at a design and knows if it will work or if it somethings wrong and a more thorough drill down is necessary. i do not believe in generic pms. experience in pre-sales, consulting, development, something product related is so important, it builds up that spidey sense.
metalsahu 14y ago
Product Managers play a very important role in the success of a product because they allow the specialists to focus on their role. An designer is good with UX and UI but doesn't necessarily want to create product requirements. An engineer is mostly interested in code but is not really tuned to what the customer needs. Designers, Engineers, Sales perform well when they have deep narrow focus and goals. The Product Managers' job is to allow them to excel in their specialist role much like the conductor of a multi-piece orchestra.
wangg 14y ago
Along these same lines, how does an Engineer transition to a Product Manager? What advice would you give someone looking to make that switch?
- kennethn 14y ago
  (Author here.) I've long wanted to write a follow-up piece addressing exactly these questions, but haven't gotten around to it. First, find a PM to talk to, especially one you admire who's made the switch. Everybody's situation is different, and having someone to mentor you through it is invaluable. Second, make sure you have the right motivations. A friend of mine says "run to product management, not from engineering." If you want to switch because your current manager is a jerk, you hate the project you're working on, or (gasp!) your PM is an idiot, you might be doing it for the wrong reasons. You could test it out with a small project at first. Stepping up and saying "I'd love to take on more of a PM role on this feature/bug/release" will often be positively received by a healthy organization. Startups are ideal places to make the switch (that's where I did it.) Everyone is used to wearing many hats and the "all hands on deck" attitude is much more welcoming of someone raising their hand and volunteering to be a PM. Smart, bigger companies (like Google or Facebook) often have formal programs for moving into PM. At Google, for example, we even have a six-month rotation program that lets you try it on for size. And if you're convinced you want to do it and your current company discourages you, find a new one.
  - amirhhz 14y ago
    I'd love to read such a follow-up post. I'm doing exactly what you describe, and for the right reason, with this essay as something of a guide, so thanks for the help and validation!
  - asafira 14y ago
    Hi Kenneth, I first wanted to say thanks for putting up this essay on product management. I don't think quality pieces on the subject are easy to come by, and I think you give a lot of valuable and tangible insight on it. Second, it looks like you favor past experience as a PM --- but what about college grads? Do you think it's usually a better idea for someone just beginning their career in the "real world" to start out as an engineer first? Maybe this sounds obvious as I've stated it, but I have a few friends that started their careers as PMs and have been successful. Interviewing a college grad might be a little trickier, no? Lastly, I definitely agree that a big part of being a good PM, or maybe a good manager in general, is making good, or even just reasonable, decisions on a regular basis. There are seemingly endless small choices that need to be made that add up to a lot, and many of these choices (I've found) aren't going to be dead obvious. A decision, however, needs to be made and it's important that to make a decent one without dedicating too much time to it based off of your understanding of the goals of the project, your experience, and your gut instinct.
xfax 14y ago
I'm going to be joining a startup upon graduation as their first PM and posts like these are invaluable. There is just so much a PM must do and excel at that I've started a notebook to keep everything structured till it becomes second nature to me. I'd love pointers to other such great resources that shed light on what makes a good, no great, PM.
- mailarchis 14y ago
  You should definitely pick up Marty Cagan's "Inspired - How to create products customers love". That is one of the best books I've read on Product Management
dps 14y ago
Don't miss the other great stuff on Ken's website. I particularly enjoyed: The time I flew on the Enron corporate jet to meet Jeff Skilling https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/enron.html https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/enron.html and I have been referencing this for a couple of years: https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/leading_cross_functional_teams.pdf https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/leading_cross_functiona...
msutherl 14y ago
"Product management is a weird discipline full of oddballs and rejects that never quite fit in anywhere else. For my part, I loved the technical challenges of engineering but despised the coding. I liked solving problems, but I hated having other people tell me what to do. I wanted to be a part of the strategic decisions, I wanted to own the product. Marketing appealed to my creativity, but I knew I'd dislike being too far away from the technology. Engineers respected me, but knew my heart was elsewhere and generally thought I was too "marketing-ish." People like me naturally gravitate to product management." I've been toying with the idea that I'm cut out to be a product manager and this just convinced me. Also this: "In fact, that's the first test - how do they react when I say 'I'd like to pose some theoretical problems, is that okay?' The best of the bunch are usually bouncing out of their chairs with excitement. The super smart sometimes counter with questions of their own." Asking me this alone would make me substantially more interested in the job.
- tumultco 14y ago
  The quoted description sounds much like a horoscope, and I'm sure applies to many people who would not make great product managers. There's few ambitious people who don't want to own the product. However, if you do "naturally gravitate to product management" -- that is you find yourself in those roles or have been assigned to those roles without effort or conscious action -- then it is a good sign of fit.
  - msutherl 14y ago
    > I'm sure applies to many people who would not make great product managers I'm sure it does, but that's beside the point. People who fit this description may not be great product managers, but they will likely be more satisfied in a product management role than in a design or development role.

96 points by bmj1 14y ago

Ken nails it. The only thing I would add is that I've seen more software failures because of insufficient product management than anything else. Product management is particularly important in non-software companies where the obvious product isn't software. Your e-commerce website is just as much a product as your hipster glasses. Failure to manage it results in the classic IT dept. dysfunctional relationship where everyone hates IT and IT develops a thick skin and says no a lot.

arocks 14y ago

An excellent essay loaded with very useful advice. Personally, I find Steve Jobs to be a great role model for Product Managers. The "manager" part is often misleading, it is usually a Product Visionary what the role demands.

hammerzeit 14y ago

A solid essay and a great set of criteria. When I was a PM at Google, there were a couple other critical traits I liked to look for, though they were not simple yes-no criteria. * How does this person deal with vast uncertainty? Are they excited? Scared? Is their first reaction to impose structure or are they comfortable with lack of structure? If it's the latter, can they meaningful convey confidence with the lack of structure? * Can this person teach? Can they figure out how to take an abstract idea and articulate it cleanly? When someone doesn't get it, at what point do they fall back to utilizing authority? Are they good at listening closely to what someone is saying to them and framing an argument in their terms?

freework 14y ago
* How does this person deal with vast uncertainty? Are they excited? Scared? Is their first reaction to impose structure or are they comfortable with lack of structure? If it's the latter, can they meaningful convey confidence with the lack of structure? The only people who are afraid to jump off into the deep end are those who can't swim.
kennethn 14y ago
(Essay author here...) Excellent additions, "ability to deal with ambiguity" is a critical skill for PMs.
- wasd 14y ago
  Hey Ken, I was sort of curious about this line: >Generally I'll ask questions until I'm sure the candidate is smarter than me. Are these the sort of brain teasers we see in engineering interviews or something else?
  - kennethn 14y ago
    No brain teasers. Good analytical questions are open-ended, fuzzy, and don't have "right" or "trick" answers. I want to test problem-solving abilities, not interview research and memorization skills :-)
    - geoffschmidt 14y ago
      Sounds super-useful! Could you share an example or two?

jbl 14y ago

This is an excellent essay. This was one of the pieces I read when I was looking into making the jump from engineering to product management. I wanted to get a better feel for what would be expected (at a software driven company). There's a lot in Ken Norton's post, but it's all worth taking to heart. Now, if someone could point me to a good article on interviewing PMs...

joonix 14y ago

Serious question - what is a product manager? Is there a generally accepted job description for this title?

pageld 14y ago
Like anything, it's just a title. However, how I view it is as someone that is responsible for a "product." A product can be a module, function or full fledged widget, but the product manager is responsible for the item itself. They don't necessarily worry about sales and exactly 'how' things get done. But they have a responsibility for it so they better have an idea of what's going on. I consider myself a PM and this is what I do: Srum Lead Sprint Planning / Release Management "Tier 3" Support Documentation Editor Question Answerer Guy (Why does this piece of software do this and why is this link not blue?) I'm also the liaison between management and the engineering staff. There is some more official type stuff on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_manager http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_manager
nicw 14y ago
As pageld said, it's just a title. At an established startup, the product manager is generally the one translating the founders vision into a product. The founder might have an idea or see a need, but the product manager is the one who researches the market, does the competitive analysis and determines the feature set. Then they get it built and launched. They may not do all the work, but they're the ones covering all the little details: making sure an email goes out when a new user signs up, reviewing that copy, watching retention, etc. You'll see a lot of job descriptions for product managers reference 'Mini-CEO', which is pretty apt.
josephlord 14y ago
I haven't done that particular job title but I have been a Product Planning Manager (at Sony for TVs). My impression is that it is a very hard role to describe because it includes "whatever needs doing" and will vary by product and the team around you. It will include making sure everything gets done and tied together including not just the product itself but the documentation and any licensing agreements and ensuring correct marketing information is prepared for the product at the right time (and the marketing team understand the product). It may include what is normally considered business development and associated liason with legal. It may include booking and preparing for a trade show. In a big company playing a linking role and getting the right people talking can be important even if you then step back. Very importantly it should be someone able and prepared to take decisions that might not be big and require senior management but that need making and aren't really either engineering decisions or design decisions.

sardonicbryan 14y ago

I've hired a number of PMs for my startup over the last 12months,and by far the most important thing that is overlooked (imo) is the ability to write good specs that are helpful for engineering. You can think of that as a sign that a PM can think like an engineer and communicate with engineers. For people with PM experience, I'll ask them about the things they considered and documented in their last spec. If they think a spec is a list of bullet points, that's instant fail. If they considered all user flows in and out of the features, edge cases, user education, analytics/success metrics, release plan and time vs cost tradeoffs that's a win.

anotherhacker 14y ago
On writing specs: I disagree with this. I believe the author left that out because writing 'good' specs is inconsequential. I used to think I had to write good specs, but then I realized that I was better off spending time with the team to make sure they understood the motivation behind making a change. If an organization told me that I was gonna be writing specs - I wouldn't want to work there. It's a waste of time. In brief: it's a waste of time because it assumes that one knows all the variables when creating something. If you are truly creating something, then by definition it's not be done before; thus, no one can know all the consequences of implementation. You're better off having an open mind and be quick to experiment and learn.
nicw 14y ago
Along with good specs, I would add having an open line of communication with your engineers about what to do when the specs aren't clear. I've worked with some engineers that their personality caused them to think it was their fault they didn't understand the spec - and they spent unnecessary time and frustration trying to puzzle something out. Raising your hand and asking, "Is this what you meant?" can save a lot of hassles, especially with remote teams.
- sardonicbryan 14y ago
  Yeah, our teams are pretty small (about 20 between eng, art, product, qa, etc) and sit by each other in open plan floor space, so the lines of communication are definitely open, as long as no one is an asshole. I guess implicit in our interview process is that we're screening for a minimum of communication skills.

nicw 14y ago

One thing I would add to this: Goes out in person(!) and talks to customers. It's very easy to add new features to products, but until you sit down with a customer, listen to them, and watch them use your product you won't have a clear understanding of their needs. Good product managers realize they are very close to a product and need to constantly take a step back. If you're skeptical, sign up for a UserTesting.com account and watch people navigate your site. You'll be surprised.

pinaceae 14y ago

brilliant essay. the spidey sense is something i have referenced recently, it is so hard to explain. a good pm simply looks at a design and knows if it will work or if it somethings wrong and a more thorough drill down is necessary. i do not believe in generic pms. experience in pre-sales, consulting, development, something product related is so important, it builds up that spidey sense.

metalsahu 14y ago

Product Managers play a very important role in the success of a product because they allow the specialists to focus on their role. An designer is good with UX and UI but doesn't necessarily want to create product requirements. An engineer is mostly interested in code but is not really tuned to what the customer needs. Designers, Engineers, Sales perform well when they have deep narrow focus and goals. The Product Managers' job is to allow them to excel in their specialist role much like the conductor of a multi-piece orchestra.

wangg 14y ago

Along these same lines, how does an Engineer transition to a Product Manager? What advice would you give someone looking to make that switch?

kennethn 14y ago
(Author here.) I've long wanted to write a follow-up piece addressing exactly these questions, but haven't gotten around to it. First, find a PM to talk to, especially one you admire who's made the switch. Everybody's situation is different, and having someone to mentor you through it is invaluable. Second, make sure you have the right motivations. A friend of mine says "run to product management, not from engineering." If you want to switch because your current manager is a jerk, you hate the project you're working on, or (gasp!) your PM is an idiot, you might be doing it for the wrong reasons. You could test it out with a small project at first. Stepping up and saying "I'd love to take on more of a PM role on this feature/bug/release" will often be positively received by a healthy organization. Startups are ideal places to make the switch (that's where I did it.) Everyone is used to wearing many hats and the "all hands on deck" attitude is much more welcoming of someone raising their hand and volunteering to be a PM. Smart, bigger companies (like Google or Facebook) often have formal programs for moving into PM. At Google, for example, we even have a six-month rotation program that lets you try it on for size. And if you're convinced you want to do it and your current company discourages you, find a new one.
- amirhhz 14y ago
  I'd love to read such a follow-up post. I'm doing exactly what you describe, and for the right reason, with this essay as something of a guide, so thanks for the help and validation!
- asafira 14y ago
  Hi Kenneth, I first wanted to say thanks for putting up this essay on product management. I don't think quality pieces on the subject are easy to come by, and I think you give a lot of valuable and tangible insight on it. Second, it looks like you favor past experience as a PM --- but what about college grads? Do you think it's usually a better idea for someone just beginning their career in the "real world" to start out as an engineer first? Maybe this sounds obvious as I've stated it, but I have a few friends that started their careers as PMs and have been successful. Interviewing a college grad might be a little trickier, no? Lastly, I definitely agree that a big part of being a good PM, or maybe a good manager in general, is making good, or even just reasonable, decisions on a regular basis. There are seemingly endless small choices that need to be made that add up to a lot, and many of these choices (I've found) aren't going to be dead obvious. A decision, however, needs to be made and it's important that to make a decent one without dedicating too much time to it based off of your understanding of the goals of the project, your experience, and your gut instinct.

xfax 14y ago

I'm going to be joining a startup upon graduation as their first PM and posts like these are invaluable. There is just so much a PM must do and excel at that I've started a notebook to keep everything structured till it becomes second nature to me. I'd love pointers to other such great resources that shed light on what makes a good, no great, PM.

mailarchis 14y ago
You should definitely pick up Marty Cagan's "Inspired - How to create products customers love". That is one of the best books I've read on Product Management

dps 14y ago

Don't miss the other great stuff on Ken's website. I particularly enjoyed: The time I flew on the Enron corporate jet to meet Jeff Skilling https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/enron.html https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/enron.html and I have been referencing this for a couple of years: https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/leading_cross_functional_teams.pdf https://www.kennethnorton.com/essays/leading_cross_functiona...

msutherl 14y ago

"Product management is a weird discipline full of oddballs and rejects that never quite fit in anywhere else. For my part, I loved the technical challenges of engineering but despised the coding. I liked solving problems, but I hated having other people tell me what to do. I wanted to be a part of the strategic decisions, I wanted to own the product. Marketing appealed to my creativity, but I knew I'd dislike being too far away from the technology. Engineers respected me, but knew my heart was elsewhere and generally thought I was too "marketing-ish." People like me naturally gravitate to product management." I've been toying with the idea that I'm cut out to be a product manager and this just convinced me. Also this: "In fact, that's the first test - how do they react when I say 'I'd like to pose some theoretical problems, is that okay?' The best of the bunch are usually bouncing out of their chairs with excitement. The super smart sometimes counter with questions of their own." Asking me this alone would make me substantially more interested in the job.

tumultco 14y ago
The quoted description sounds much like a horoscope, and I'm sure applies to many people who would not make great product managers. There's few ambitious people who don't want to own the product. However, if you do "naturally gravitate to product management" -- that is you find yourself in those roles or have been assigned to those roles without effort or conscious action -- then it is a good sign of fit.
- msutherl 14y ago
  > I'm sure applies to many people who would not make great product managers I'm sure it does, but that's beside the point. People who fit this description may not be great product managers, but they will likely be more satisfied in a product management role than in a design or development role.