"Everyone is a product manager"?

Product Manager, a controversial role that has not been really defined. He is sometimes vague and sometimes clear. Sometimes he was the creator of the product, but more often than not, he was the enemy of the development and design staff.

I've long wanted to take the time to write an article about my idea of the role of product manager. Later on, because of the time relationship did not pen. And then I was too lazy to write. Then again, as I met more and more product managers, and I personally did a product manager for more than a year, from different angles to recognize the position again. Today, I want to share these experiences and talk about product managers.

Because the scope of their responsibilities is not clearly defined, the "Product manager" I mentioned below will be a very broad concept. I will try to define the scope of the Product manager's responsibilities and discuss it in the current industry's factual standards.

I know the product managers

1. New Egg Product Manager: Divide and conquer

The first contact with this position is when new eggs are doing business with the United States. All requirements documents are sent directly from the United States. Writing requirements documents is called "BSA", meaning "business system analysis". BSA sends detailed requirements documents to the project participants and then communicates the project's background and business objectives by telephone. When you are sure that you have no problems, you will start the project scheduling and enter the development phase.

For slightly larger projects, there will also be a "BSD" (Commercial system development) involvement that is responsible for the mobilization of all technical resources. Some projects BSD will also participate in job, responsible for technical solutions, architecture and low-level implementation. The following developers will develop the BSA requirements and BSD scenarios until they are submitted for testing and final online.

In general, the responsibility for the new Egg product manager is shared by BSA and BSD two positions. The former is responsible for demand, the latter is responsible for implementation. While a small project is often subordinate to a larger project, the BSA will actually be more responsible. The control of Project progress is also jointly held by two roles. In general, BSD is responsible for pinching the development time, BSA is responsible for the overall progress.

Unlike other companies, there is another team called the "WM" that is specifically responsible for presenting and validating requirements, in addition to the BSA requirements, and to be executed by their chosen Bsa/bsd.

It is worth mentioning that the new eggs of BSA and BSD are quite professional. A few of the BSA I've contacted have been able to communicate with me in detail and answer the questions as often as possible. At that time, BSA usually chose to communicate the demand background directly on the phone, while in the document it described in detail each function point corresponding to the requirement. Each feature is equipped with a UI interface and an interactive process. Later, when I was in Ali, a colleague took his Axure to explain to me what is called "Gao Bao PRD", looking at his picture more words, the process of confusion documents, I can only smile.

BSD is not sympathizers. I met the BSD has a strong code base, they are often the project's technical architect, in the project is responsible for adjusting the technical plan, the coordination of technical resources and progress control and so on, similar to other company's Architect + PM.

It is to be noted that the BSA of the new egg does not seem to relate to operations related to the job. BSD will not be involved. This piece of work is usually referred to the Marketing department. And, of course, it's possible that the BSA will do operations related, but as a low-level developer, I don't know.

2. Alibaba product Manager: Big sweep

Then I came to Alibaba business-to-business. Here really 0 distance with the legendary "product manager", Ali called "PD" (product Director/designer) work together.

At Alibaba, a qualified PD must first be successful saler. Ali internal "dozen chicken blood" tradition, every time to do the project, kickoff are anxious to be able to do a party. As a project initiator of PD, must have a good "cheat" foundation. Of course, I say "cheat" is commendatory. Because in big companies, like Ali, a giant aircraft carrier, not every project is meaningful, do can see the actual results. How to motivate the project participants, so that they think their own project is the most force? This must require PD to say that sometimes you have to be good at painting the pie.

In addition, Ali's PD are closer to the user, more "grassroots." Because of the company's rotation system, most of PD has previously operated or even customer service, in these front-line positions after a few years, the company's user groups will have a more in-depth and straightforward understanding.

Second, Ali's PD must also be the CEO of the team. From generating ideas, demanding research, to PK project resources, communicate the needs and objectives to the project team, then to kickoff, progress tracking, at any time according to the situation iterative requirements, and then to arrange test case, acceptance function, product on-line, until the product operation promotion, data analysis, user feedback and version function iterations, etc., by PD One person is responsible. And PD also has the biggest KPI indicator for the product's performance. So good PD has to be a good CEO, bouncing, to do three things for the project: looking for directions, looking for someone, looking for resources.

Of course, it's hard to master a certain aspect if you do more. So the PD that I worked with, most of them met the following questions:

MRD, PRD not clear. Especially PRD, because the product demand often changes again, even to the development stage is still the situation. Plus project time is never enough (interestingly, I have never been involved in a time sufficient project, each project is called time tight resource constraints) so many times PRD become dead, PD will not continue to update, even if the writing is only a sketch painting. To the end the various demands turned into verbal communication.

The process progress control ability is weak. When I do the project, I often meet the situation that the deadline or the cutting function is caused by the need to change the middle. Often make UED/development team complain.

PD mostly does not understand (in a broad sense) the technology but is also self-supporting to understand the user. This is a big problem, and it often leads to what PD wants to do that developers don't really understand, and the problem of development is hard to really focus on PD. In the long run, PD and development have generated a variety of mistrust.

But even with all sorts of problems, it is fair to say that Ali's PD has a strong professional ability and professionalism. Especially in terms of data speaking, I've met too many powerful PD. But my image is that Ali's PD is always lacking some internet sense. Of course, opinion.

3. Entrepreneurial Team product Manager: Iron Man Burger

After leaving Ali, I joined a start-up company. Where my identity was transformed by a developer into a team management and product manager. When talking to the boss, I talked a lot about the ueder of the product design. So the boss put me in charge of this piece of stuff. So I started the product manager's career. Over a year or so ago, made a mobile end product. This hands-on experience gave me the opportunity to look at the product manager from another perspective.

In the entrepreneurial team, each member is required to "Multi-skill". If Ali's PD is the CEO, then the product manager of the start-up company is undoubtedly the Iron Man of the CEO. In every aspect of the matter, the product manager is required to think more clearly and deeply. Because at this time the product manager is no longer a KPI, but the direction of the company, and even the company so many brothers of the rice bowl (so it is not exaggerated. Although some companies have a strong boss, they need a bunch of product managers to help them achieve their ideas). At this time the psychological pressure and the environment and the big companies do project is not the same. Things become extremely trivial and need to be handled in a variety of ways (business, channel, media, etc.). As for guest HR hiring, cleaning staff cleaning is a potluck.

In the early days of entrepreneurship, basically do not have their own rest time. Product development I followed the development of overtime, one consecutive hours at two or three o ' clock home. When the product was online, it was often called up at the weekend to look at the data. So at that time, I really became Iron Man.

At the same time, the product manager of the start-up company is "Hamburg". And why? Because product managers are often caught between the boss and the developer. The direction that the boss sees, wants to do, the product manager is responsible for transforming the product function. On the other hand, for UED, development and other teams, because information asymmetry often does not understand why to do such a function? So product managers need to constantly communicate with team members, share data, and explain problems. But the thing is, on the one hand, the product managers are not so much energy, on the other hand not all needs can be realized beforehand, things are always changing. So the idea of the product manager is often modified to be difficult to carry out. Over time, the product manager has become everyone's punching bag. The boss thinks the product manager is not strong, and the developers always think that the product manager does not think clearly, do not want to devote too much resources and energy. This is what I have seen in my business for more than a year.

Two. Is it true that everyone is a product manager?

Each post has several people to praise, called "must read" entry books. The front end has the O ' Reilly "xxx authoritative guide" animal book series, interactive with Alan's "Interactive Design Road" or "Don's Make Me". And for product managers, look to the most popular should be "Everyone is product manager" it. Unfortunately, the first few books have withstood the test of time, indeed a classic. The latter has recently been questioned.

Of course, first of all, I am not here to discuss this book. Because I did not complete reading it, just saw some fragments, in Ali intranet read some of the author's things. Here just to say its title: Everyone is a product manager.

Are you sure?

In fact, I quite understand the author's intention to take this name. But the name is like a box, and once opened it loses control. Especially to those who have not read the book as I have. It seems to be telling everyone that "product Manager" is nothing great and everyone can do it. It's like "Account Manager" and "Sales Manager" on the street. But the Product manager threshold is really so low, so good to do so that just graduated without any experience of college students dare to apply for this position?

In fact, the product managers I've seen through the above can find that, like any job, it's not easy to really do a good job as a product manager. Many times even pain.

"Everyone is a product manager" tells people what qualities can become product managers, and I want to list some points to tell you that lack of these can not be a product manager.

Lack of compressive strength.

As mentioned above, although product managers differ in their responsibilities across different corporate teams, they all carry a very important responsibility. For large companies, your vision and thinking determines whether the project team a vote Brother KPI clearance, we have been busy for a few months can see the actual effect of feedback, whether it makes people feel that doing things are meaningful.

For small companies or start-ups, product managers identify the direction is more likely to be related to the big meal problem, sloppy.

In addition to these duties, you have to be prepared to be called to the office at any time by the boss scold a good meal, or every day is designed, development colleagues to call, but also to the two sides with a smiley face, must not collapse off. In the early days of the need to discuss, please feel free to accept the people from different angles of the all-round "brick", until you think you do the Internet line is a mistake so far. Of course, not to say not to shoot bricks, I just put these real day-to-day will happen Changjing said, give no experience of the students a reference.

Another pressure comes from the "need" envisioned by the high level. Often these things are referred to as "administrative tasks", although not with their own ideas, but the struggle is ineffective or can only be imposed on the current version. This is tantamount to pushing the pressure to the following development students, do not cooperate with the development, the boss and constantly urged. can only let oneself in the middle, both sides suffer.

So, do product Manager, please be prepared to bear responsibility, be wronged, take the blame.

Cannot accept fragmentation of work time.

A friend who has just worked may not understand this one very well. But experienced friends know that when we focus on one thing seriously, not only the efficiency is very high, the mood will be very pleasant. But if you choose to be a product manager, please say bye bye.

The product manager's time is fragmented. Usually a day's working time is spent in different needs meetings, review meetings, brainstorming sessions, data analysis conferences, and so on. Really write PRD painting product prototype time, often only wait until after work oneself to fill up. Especially in the start-up company, not easy to sit down to clear ideas began to write document painting prototype, boss a phone call to the office, chatting for a few hours, came out and found not only the document not to write, the whole project may be suspended again.

So, be a product manager, be prepared to change/be changed, and "Focus" to say goodbye, multithreaded operation.

No front-line working experience.

Personally think this is the most taboo point. If you do not have any front-line work experience, please start from the grassroots, product Manager is not a shortcut. Some days ago I was always thinking about what kind of talent for product managers, there are a lot of sentiment. One of the most important, if a person does not accumulate a lot of grass-roots work experience, then can not be competent product manager position.

Because professionally, the product manager requires that horizontal skills be opened, for UED (user psychology/experience, interactive design, visual expression, etc.), development (where to achieve the boundary, how to arrange resources reasonably), Operation promotion (product external environment, channel, cost), content (product temperament, play, function), data ( indicators) and so on several major modules have to have a very deep understanding, and then form their own views.

From the product, only when the product manager of the above modules integrated organic absorption, can make a real fit user needs, even as Chowa the main generation of user needs. Can reasonably design product features and rules. Can know at what time should insist what, give up what.

And to do this, it takes a lot of time and effort to study each module. This is not simply read a few books, say a few professional nouns, or grilled a few other people's blog can be, which requires learning and accumulation, long learning and accumulation. But at the moment the whole industry is filled with noise, we are Chowa the main believers, while the wanton plagiarism. All kinds of extensive products are overwhelmed. Product managers live in their own world to consider a variety of user needs and scenarios, but forget to think about what users really want.

I see someone asking, "does a product manager (especially a start-up) need to know the technology?" To raise this question is the person who does not really know the product manager. To make products, it is like craftsmen to create jade, or farmers to cultivate land. If the "stone" or "land" do not understand, see more textbooks can not burn a moist jade products, ploughing a piece of wheat. Look at the people who created the Internet products that we really can call "success", who didn't do it from the bottom of the line? Ma Yun from the sales start, door-to-door to do promotion opened Alibaba; Robin Li, MA, Zhangxiaolong himself is the birth of technology; Now the "anti-Rogue king" 360 was not also from the rogue began to do it?

So, do product Manager, please be prepared to put a positive attitude, keep learning, first do the experts to be masters, avoid floating noise.

Don't know your own users.

This is followed by the above discussion. Lack of front-line work experience, not clear where their users (for development, technology is their "users"), do not understand how they are a group of people, have what kind of life habits, values and pursuits, often with virtual "with the main role" console. Or subconsciously think of themselves as a typical user. This design of the product is no wonder the surface good-looking, the actual use of the user's demand point.

There is another product manager who almost never used his own product. Come home from work and products off the festival. Such products are either too high-end, and basic necessities such as ordinary life does not hook, or product managers themselves are unwilling to be the product of heavy users. To do so is to find out what is wrong with the product, the second is the last one to understand the user's road to block the dead. I've gone a lot of detours on this point. Ali and startups made the mistake of using themselves as a typical user to design a product, rather than devote more effort to something they made. To the end found that I do not, and no one else will use.

So, be a product manager, be prepared to be your own product of the number one heavy user, in a different location time scene, use it.

Lack of necessary communication skills.

Communication skills are divided into verbal and written expressions. Verbal expression requires the product manager to articulate the intent and ideas of the product and to give the boss or development a clear picture of the relationship between the user's needs and the corresponding function points.

Written expression requires the Product manager to be able to map the product of the brain into documents, prototypes, flowcharts, etc. one by one.

In addition, as the project team "CEO", you have to keep an eye on the project members of the work status and mood, what dissatisfaction, must promptly communicate with him. In general, projects with a slightly longer span or a particularly stressful period of time will breed negative emotions as the years pass. It still needs your constant communication to inspire morale.

So, do product manager, please prepare to practice nanny mentality and three inch tongue, through communication constantly push everyone forward.

People who want to go to the product manager's path can stop and ask themselves if these five "preparations" are ready.

Three. Product Manager: My Reflection

Know that there was a god affixed: "Watercress Product Manager interview questions, can you make it?" "(now locked), I believe many people have seen. A lot of people are thinking about the position of Product manager in the reply. Some people ask, the Chinese Internet has developed to the need for professional product manager stage? You look at that year's QQ, Alibaba, Baidu, which is "product manager" made out?

Words are good, but the vision is slightly narrow, ignoring the current environmental differences. Regardless of the development phase of domestic interconnection, to see the reality, Product Manager position is indispensable.

Product managers play the role of turning the idea of an unprofessional or even a boss into a product (and questioning the role of overturning these unreasonable demands). So the bosses need him. With product managers, bosses can open their hands to do more professional things: looking for directions, looking for someone, and finding resources.

The product manager plays the role of "nanny". To the team dozen chicken blood talk about demand, to find members chat talk about painting the pie, for everyone to order food activities. At the same time, product managers have "freed" many technicians to keep them away from the disruption of fragmentation requirements.

But I have to admit, now the industry's product managers are problematic. Is it true that everyone is a product manager? The many things that are not good for product managers in the section are, in fact, showing up in myself or observing the problems of other product managers.

I think companies now seem to exaggerate the need for product managers. In fact, some work can be done by the operator or the technology. Taibaodalan led to the expansion of Product Manager position gap, so many inexperienced friends mistakenly think that product managers are "snake balm" career, is no technical requirements of the position, or even a piece of the ticket, turned into a product manager, to determine their users should use what function. But a lot of homogenization, extensive products tell us that this is a problem. Not everyone is a product manager, everyone is just a website.

Ideally, a product manager should not be a "target position" for a person, but rather a natural, spontaneous position. In other words, not to say "I want to be a product manager", but when all aspects accumulated to a certain extent, naturally turned into "product manager." It's hard to imagine a man who has accumulated enough to care less about the product itself.

I just wanted to write about the product manager I met, and I didn't expect to spend three days writing so much. Right as a summary of some of the ideas you've worked on for a few years. Welcome to discuss with me.