Programmer's third professional channel: to the product

Thousands of programmers have been puzzled by questions such as "What is the future of a programmer," and "How long a programmer can work?" At present, the more common understanding is that there are two advanced routes for the programmer's career channel. A technical route is from programmers, senior programmers, system analysts, to architects. In this line, is based on the business model to the computer software model conversion, and strive to become high-end software technology workers. The other is the management of the line, that is, by the programmer, the development team leader, project manager, and finally to the enterprise middle and high-level managers. Therefore, programmers should strengthen their awareness of management training, and then stand in the organization point of view to analyze and solve problems, so as to become excellent managers, and even professional managers.

In recent years, product management has become a more and more important management issue under the situation of multi-product management in enterprises. Especially in the knowledge economy environment, such as Internet and software, creativity, media and other new modern industrial chain, its almost negligible cost of replication, competitive products and excellent product management has become the key to winning. Based on the commercial operation of products, the brand-new operating environment such as flat management, grass-roots aggregation, precision marketing and express train services has always created a winner-take-all and product-centric Gradually formed an independent enterprise management system of product management, by many companies concerned and adopted.

In software enterprises, with the rise of product management, it can be said that the product is the third professional channel for programmers outside of technology and management. More and more programmers are beginning to transition to product work, especially for those entrepreneurial programmers, and going to the product is a must. Tencent Ma Huateng and 360 Zhou Hongyi, they are all started by the programmer, and then create their own products and businesses.

The rise of product management, resulting in a product manager as the center of the product job career direction. Product career direction from the product line job and position to observe two dimensions. Positions, the chief product officer (CPO), product director, product manager, product specialist, product assistant, especially the most important position of product manager; positions, product competition analysis and user needs management, product innovation and planning, Product prototype design, product operation planning, product realization process tracking, product commercialization, product operation, product operation analysis and tracking, product upgrade and maintenance management, product management system and system construction, and product staff skills training. These product-based jobs are designed to effectively meet the needs of users and are different from other job creation divisions based on professional skills and functional efficiency.

Product management in recent years with the rapid rise of IT and the Internet by all companies attach importance to, and now the major colleges and universities do not have the product management-related professionals, all kinds of training institutions rarely have similar training courses, product work Most of the staff from different professions, different positions transition over. In comparison, programmers have marketing, testing, customer service and other positions to the product difficult to compare the advantages. Some companies even made the stipulation that they must have years of experience in software development if they want to engage in product work. Programmer transformation work in the product has the unique advantages include the following:

First, programmers can better understand the product implementation plan, the planned product is more feasible. Planning to do product work, perhaps missing is not ideas or ideas, but effective solution. Years of programmer work experience, software technology and software solutions to determine the case, you can avoid those abstract ideas, work more effective. For example, finishing the user needs, the programmer's effective judgments and feasibility of the early proposition, will greatly improve the quality of product planning and speed. Programmer-born product staff and R & D personnel to communicate seamlessly, with a more convenient R & D personnel to understand the language and ideas for product interpretation and follow-up program.

Second, the programmer's software development, not so much the preparation of the code, as it is the logic of the statement. Programmers generally have a rigorous logical thinking ability, which is the need to carry out numerous and messy needs analysis and product concept design the necessary advantages, more conducive to be divided into different categories to clarify the relationship between the veins, converted to product function planning, the product made of fine . For example, a file needs to be written to a USB flash drive, and product personnel may only think of normal operating logic. However, programmers may think of more abnormalities such as a USB flash drive damaged, unplugged during transmission, power off, damaged file transmission, and U Disk write protection, duplicate files, focus position, lack of space and more. Again, a good user experience of the product, in essence, is the logical display of product features, or user-oriented logic.

Thirdly, the programmer's direction toward the systematic analysis of technology is, in essence, interlinked with the direction of product planning and development, and all need to fully understand and grasp the essential relationship with the real world. It is entirely possible to be a good product planner with excellent programmers who are able to approach system analysts. The difference is that the results of the system analyst work for the programmer, for the computer, and product planning is user-oriented and market-oriented. Every programmer must also be a user of a software product development tool, have a deep experience of using the software product, and have the basis for expressing the problem from the user.

Fourthly, programmers generally have the ability to quickly learn and keep an eye on computer-related industry dynamics and technological innovations. This will to a certain extent foster insight into the industry and technology. Product planning and design work, the market finally won the success of the test is precisely this insight. Because product work is always around "what is the problem to be solved" to carry out, that is, always around the "right thing to do." Only people who have insight into the industry and technology can understand and experience from the perspective of user needs, stimulate creativity and make good products.

Of course, although programmers have these unique advantages, does not mean that programmers turn to product work, we will be able to succeed. To plan a good product, to become a good product manager, they also face a variety of challenges:

First, the conflict between innovation and structured thinking. Structured thinking can be said that the typical sign of the programmer, this mode of thinking is very important to do a good thing, but it often will be natural predators of innovative thinking. Innovation is the soul of product work, programmers need to constantly break the conventional inspiration to do product work, we must overcome the already formed mindset.

Second, the conflict between teamwork and heroism. Programmers are often accustomed to working alone, advocating technology, lack of teamwork awareness and communication skills. Product work requires a lot of communication and coordination, and even organizational leadership, emphasizing the team operations. In the spirit of cooperation, programmers who want to move to product work do need to be strengthened.

Third, lack of commercial awareness and market operation. In particular, under the concept of comprehensive product management, product personnel need strong knowledge of marketing and planning and analysis capabilities for commercial operation. It is not enough to simply make the product, and selling is the last word. Product planning aspects, facing the marketing model, target users, channel selection, competition strategy, such as the choice and design, which is placed in the technical background of the programmer before an important course.

Each enterprise will deploy different forms of product management mechanism according to the characteristics of its own industry and the resources of its own enterprise. Programmer for their personality traits and ability characteristics, to seize the product management in this ascendant career opportunities, to products, excellent product manager training ability model to plan learning path and career, is worth a professional direction.

(This article was published in CSDN (programmer base camp) and DR company April 16-17, 2011 held in Beijing, "China's software to overseas marketing," the magazine.)