How can a TPM be helpful if they are not the most technically advanced person on the team?

Does the TPM need to theoretically be able to do/know how to do everything the engineers are doing (but they just aren't actually do it)? Some examples will be nice!

Answer

3 Answers

Technical Product Management

Navin Ganeshan

Amazon Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay • 4y

In a word, abstraction. A technical PM is usually NOT the most advanced technical person on a team. However, they are able to break through sufficient tech layers to be able to contextualize the tech in the overall product development. They are able to draw the bigger picture of how components fit together, what technology elements are critical. And how to think about investment in each technical area - sucvh as build/buy/partner. In this way, they're not competing with others on technical know- ...Read More

2,558 Views
Devika Nair

Oracle Director of Product Management • 3y

In my opinion, you can be successful in any role by not having the expertise if you recognize it and are willing to learn. The product manager is generally not the most technically advanced person on the team, but they bring in other expertise and experience to the team (e.g., customer data, market insights, etc). What has helped me is identifying key experts in the organization and leaning into them. I've usually not found a single technically "advanced" person on any of my teams. Different mem ...Read More

715 Views
Deepak Mukunthu

Salesforce Senior Director of Product, Agentforce AI Platform • 3y

Being the most technically advanced person on the team is not necessarily a prerequisite for a technical product manager to be helpful. While technical knowledge is certainly important, the role of a technical product manager involves more than just technical expertise. They are not expected to do everything a software engineer would do. Here are some ways in which a technical product manager can be helpful even if they are not the most technically advanced person on the team: Customer empathy: ...Read More

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