Breaking Down The Product Management Role By Verbs, Nouns and Adjectives
This is a post from 2015, when I first started product management. I found this framework to be helpful in getting my head around what a PM should be focused on. This was especially important in a small startup where ambiguity was the norm.
Inspiration for this post comes from the job-hunting book, “What Color Is Your Parachute?” by Dick Bolles. In the book, one exercise is to think about the words that describe your skills and categorize them as verbs, nouns and adjectives.
Let’s take this exercise and apply it to the product management role. I’m limiting mine to five words in each category, but there are many others that can apply just as well.
Verbs, your transferable skills
Verbs are often the natural talents you have. Sometimes they can be acquired, but all of them are rarely forgotten and transfer to any job or project you’re working on. Here are the ones that best describe my day-to-day.
1. Research
Research is number one on my list because it applies to all facets of product management. From the fruition of an idea, to finding new solutions, to setting the correct price, and iterating the next lifecycle, researching well will take you a long ways.
2. Plan
Planning is putting thorough research into action. You’ve identified a problem, discovered possible solutions, now it’s time to create a roadmap to take napkin ideas to real-world results.
3. Experiment
A product, especially technology, is a living, breathing thing that will need continued pruning for growth. The scientific method is one of the greatest inventions—use it.
4. Communicate
Product managers are the connective tissue between business, development, marketing, sales and customer service. Efficient and effective communication brings all departments together to achieve laser-focused goals.
5. Collaborate
Collaboration is the by-product of clear communication. If everyone’s on the same page, you’ll witness pistons firing on all cylinders. Life is good.
Nouns, your subject skills
Just like in sentences, nouns are critical for understanding what’s actually going on in product management. Here’s what I’ve found to be crucial for decision-making.
1. Customers
Organizations can easily fall into prioritizing features based on internal wants and needs. Putting customers first and foremost will ensure you’re solving real-world problems.
2. Framework
Having a productive framework gives your team a set of guidelines and principles for every task. A customer-focused framework (we use Scrum) is ideal.
3. Critical-Thinking
Critical thought will take your strong foundations to new heights. I’ve found any time spent on critical thought is time well spent, saving you from headaches down the road.
4. Trends
Today’s user trends are incredibly different from five years ago. If you aren’t riding the tides of rising and passing trends, your product won’t stay afloat.
5. Culture
That said, following trends for the sake of being trendy can lead you to more harm than good. Understanding the broader culture of your users will ensure a steadier course.
Adjectives, your personal traits
Adjectives are essential to the process because it’s how you go about actually fulfilling your transferable skills. Let’s take a look at mine.
1. Empathy
Empathy is one of my strongest qualities and my work sees many benefits from it. Product managers need to understand everyone’s point of view to make the internal team effective as well as being able to translate customer needs into product features.
2. Holistic
If you aren’t seeing the big picture, it’s tough to make even the smallest decisions. This strong personal trait even applies outside my work life. If something doesn’t fit just perfectly, it’s often not worth doing.
3. Strategic
Holistic thinking can be overwhelming without strategy. Strategic thinking is extremely important with all of my identified verbs. It gives me direction in my research, planning, experimentation, communication and collaboration.
4. Adaptable
It would be a miracle if everything went according to plan. Alas, Murphy’s Law applies to product management as well. Being adaptable is a must.
5. Creative
Creative doesn’t just apply to initial ideas and superficial aesthetics. In a product management role, I need to creatively find ways to stretch resources, or quickly think of alternative ways to achieve a certain outcome if bumps in the process occur.
Phew! The role of product management is often referred to as a mini-CEO and I think the above list reflects the large responsibility.
It’s also important to note that none of the above are permanently static. Each one has it’s own practice and upkeep, just like the life of a product.
That ongoing process is also why I chose this exercise as my first post. I’ll be touching on these themes throughout my future posts.