AMA: GitLab Director of Product Management, Omar Eduardo Fernández on Developing your Product Management Career

One way I got promoted at a smaller startup of <200 people, and helped my colleagues do the same, was by smart teamwork and negotiation at a startup. My friend and I were working as Product Managers and felt we deserved to be Senior PMs based on what we were doing and how much we were getting paid. We compared our salaries with the market and found we should be earning $13k-15k more. So, we worked together to make a strong case for our promotion and pay raise. We prepared answers to questions we thought our managers and the product leader would ask, like why we thought we deserved more money and a higher position. Even though I had a bit more experience than my friend, working together helped us both. We ended up getting promoted to Senior PM, and so did another coworker who wasn't even asking for it at the time. My friend got a bigger raise than I did, since when we started negotiations I was earning more already, and I was really happy with what we achieved together. It showed that by joining forces and being well-prepared, we could convince a company that's usually tight with money to recognize our value and pay us more. To be honest, what we did is not unlike what unions do on behalf of their members. Joint negotiation when you see a flaw in the system.

In managing product backlogs and aligning with both executive expectations and customer needs, I've found a focused approach to be most effective. This involves two main strategies: 1. Ongoing Lightweight Impact Assessment: As new requests and initiatives come in, I evaluate their potential impact on the business. This involves considering how an initiative will enhance the product, benefit customers, and contribute to our business goals. It's similar to using a simplified version of the RICE methodology (considering Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort) to prioritize tasks based on their expected value. 2. Quarterly Planning with OKRs: Every quarter, I identify 3-5 key projects that are most important to our executives and customers. By setting these as our Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), we focus on what's truly important. It's crucial to choose projects that are ambitious yet achievable, given our resources. This also involves ensuring we can still meet our ongoing obligations, such as performance standards and service level agreements (SLAs). This approach helps keep the backlog organized and impact-focused. When it's time for quarterly planning, it's easier to select validated opportunities that align with our company's objectives and are likely to have a significant impact. By focusing on what really matters and ensuring alignment with broader goals, managing expectations at all levels becomes more straightforward.

To get better at framing and articulation as a product manager, focus on being clear about the business and user problems you're solving. This approach is similar to writing a good Product Requirements Document (PRD), where you detail the problem, the target users, and the desired outcomes. It's about breaking down complex ideas into understandable parts and connecting them to real needs. For more detailed steps and examples, refer to the article on writing a PRD at How to Write a PRD. Start by writing a good PRD, then use the output of that PRD to craft the narrative you'd tell executives, colleagues, etc. about "why does this matter to the company? why now? and how we are solving it."

Yes, advancing from Senior PM to a Principal or Group PM level indeed involves a steep learning curve. To prepare, it's crucial to understand what's expected at each level within your company. For instance, GitLab's PM career development framework provides a clear outline. Moving to higher levels means becoming a leader and expert in your area, impacting multiple teams, and mastering skills in coaching, industry knowledge, influencing, business case creation, and managing executives and stakeholders. For more detailed expectations, check the framework at GitLab's handbook: GitLab PM Career Development Framework.

To justify a pay raise effectively, it's essential to focus on three main factors: your current position and level within the company, how your salary compares to market benchmarks, and your placement within the company's pay band. Firstly, to argue for a higher level, compare your responsibilities with those outlined in job descriptions for higher levels both within your company and in the industry. Secondly, utilize platforms like Glassdoor to understand how salaries at comparable companies stack up against yours. Finally, if you're nearing a promotion, use this as leverage to argue for a salary that bridges the gap between your current level and the next, reflecting your contributions and potential for advancement.