My problem with Product
Just to be clear, this is my opinion, and my problem with product. It is my aggregated view of Product Management I have developed over the years from personal experience as well as many other Head of Products and Product Leaders in my circle of friends.
I love product but I hate product
Product is people, product is users, product is data, product is design, product is business value, product is growth, product is strategy, product is vision. Yet, product is also politics, product is also uncertainty, product is also trust, product is also assumptions, product is also guessing, product is also relying on others and product is also dependent.
However…
Product can be the b*tch of IT, it can be a misplaced “business development unit”, it can be the gatekeeper of “what to do next”, it can be the forefront of innovation, it could be the driver for the next big thing, but it can also be it can be the necessary evil to serve the superior marketing engine.
It can be boring, slow, tedious, an understaffed research driven mishap of good intentions. Smart people trying to create the world of tomorrow, yet bound by reality, costs, fear, risks, uncertainties, and misplaced visionary guidance.
Dreaming of a possible future, and translating this into day to day tasks. The best and worst job in the world. Many people in product are good at one of the previous two. Or you can talk, understand, listen, brainstorm, prototype, envision a better future, or you can handle day to day operations, revenue, churn, IT efficiency and communication. Very few people can do both, and even fewer organisations value, see, respect or understand the need and value of either, yet alone both simultaneously.
I don’t know if the problem is me, or if the problem is product.
For now ill say: “don’t worry, its not you, its me…”
