Product managers are actually cannon fodder.

Some days ago there was a web article, advocating the importance of product managers, almost praised the days. Someone commented, "Is this about getting a raise?" .

Important yarn. In my opinion, they are cannon fodder.

How much success one can achieve depends on two points: 1, how much talent and enthusiasm he has, 2, whether these talents and passions can overcome the difficulties in the environment. Unfortunately, most of the obstacles in front of the product manager are invincible.

In this article, we only talk about the reliable Product manager, do not talk about the unreliable.

Whether PM is unreliable or not, it is divided into two categories, either working in large or medium-sized companies or working in small companies (entrepreneurial teams). Environmental barriers are different. First say the former. In large and medium-sized companies, PM what to do, and even how to plan how to structure, more than their own ideas, much depends on officers. Product Manager or Product manager is just a performer, far away from the decision-making level, and most of their boss does not understand product design operations, also do not understand product project management.

In most companies, a product plan from top to bottom, often do not have the experience of rigorous market user research, prudent internal resource analysis, often is the right to speak the big guy according to the magnificent vision, with the vision and slogan to drive products, and then touch the KPI Whip two. The direction may be wrong, or the goal is a fantasy, from the beginning of the doomed impossible! but you have to do-you, is you, that Product manager over there!

Internet products industry is too new and too new industry, from the more formally put forward the concept of "product manager" to now, even less than 5 years. Very few senior executives from the product post up, most of them are transferred to the Tube products. At the same time, product project management is an easy to learn difficult skills, who will use the product, with the use of the feel that they understand the product, and even "proficient in products", the past success of the accumulated ego are melted in, analogy, corners.

You may not be lucky, you are assigned to a project that is in the right direction and is a reasonable target.

One of the most important factors in the success of a product project is that the chain of business across a whole project is too long. In the design group there are PM, interactive designers, visual designers, development teams with front-end engineers, back-end engineers, QA,SA, as well as operations teams, promotion groups ... At least three departments. Any of these seven or eight links, the project will be variant, or even shut down. It is obvious that the cask effect occurs frequently. However, PM not only does not have the power of cross department jurisdiction, but also has no power to dispatch and popularize resource dispatching. Not only PM not, the manager of Product manager also may not have the right to go up to the VP level to be able to dispatch freely. In other words, a seemingly central character cannot be fully empowered, but is responsible for almost 100% of the failure.

Ideals and passions can only pay for your failures.

Situations like this can be avoided in the entrepreneurial team. First of all, entrepreneurial leaders are usually not too layman, and secondly, a few small team composition, one person and many can, just alleviate the efficiency of the bucket effect risk; Finally, the super small-scale management can achieve absolute flexibility. It looks like an aspiring PM should go to the entrepreneurial team to fight, but ...

But in order to ensure the implementation of the entrepreneurial team, the more inclined to technology-driven, the more likely to succeed. And the courage to start a business, and the ability of the programmer, often have very active product ideas. What's more, technical thinking and PM thinking differ greatly in the style of product design. Tough PM and strong engineers can form a tacit understanding, partner happy, this is not easy, there is always a person to dominate the product-at this time was excluded certainly not the unity of knowledge and work engineers.

If not cannon fodder, then you are a supporting role. In some proud product manager's eyes, this and cannon fodder in fact there is no difference. delusional what "Product manager changes the world" ... Actually, it's none of your business.

In large and medium-sized companies, Glory belongs to the project, can set the direction, can dispatch resources to truly understand the real power faction, in the entrepreneurial team, the glory belongs to Zuckerberg such planning and programming fit of the all-round engineers. So what is a product manager? A more pleasant noun than cannon fodder is "tools", often a product management tool that is not in control. No power, no executive power, often blind busy, with cavity romantic everywhere, still infatuated not change.

Don't ask me how to release, I do not know how to escape. I'm not an executive, I don't know how to write code ...

In this case, some of the mentally retarded peers will understand that I am complaining about the status quo (they always regard the global analysis as a personal vendetta). Unfortunately, you guessed wrong, I have experienced a variety of troubles, the status quo is not bad, but also powerful to make. Just to the entire product manager's living environment to ask yourself, I said a few PM has never encountered? And a few PM teeth to overcome and come up with a successful product? Over the years, the success rate of new products in China, especially the low rate of innovation, is obvious to all. Instead of PM, singing "We are cannon fodder, we are cannon fodder", jump up the little bee 8-word dance.

Product manager Torrent Yong into the era, but also in the unknown time the other side. Maybe it will never come. The impassioned only change tears.

I know, this article is a bit extreme. When you finish writing, you'll find that you can do better with a body-growling growl, but forget it.