How do you convey the importance of product management to engineering leaders who have never worked with product managers?

Rare is the engineering leader today who has never worked with product managers. The issue is that sometimes they misunderstand what modern product management looks like: it's not (primarily) about project management, it's not about prioritizing every single thing that engineering is working on, and it certainly isn't about being accountable for engineering's own delivery accuracy. These values and beliefs may be a surprise to some engineering leaders, and it's natural for them to push back if they have never encountered a product operating model (Marty Cagan's term).

How I convince them is that I appeal to what they care about as engineering leaders. If they want their teams to be more happy and connected to the direction and goals of the business, and if they want engineers to be able to execute well without being told exactly what to do every day --- constrained autonomy -- product management can help. Then I can explain how the product operating model works, how it can help improve engineering happiness, and finally end on how it creates higher operating velocity and innovation in a company.

I have never worked for a company that didn't have product managers. However, if I were in a position where I needed to convey the importance of product management to engineering leaders unfamiliar with the role, I would focus on a few key points.

First, I would explain the role of the product manager as the person responsible for the vision and roadmap of the product. While developer tools benefit greatly from the hands-on experience and insights of engineers, the product manager looks at the product from a broader perspective. They integrate feedback from developers, but they also ensure that the product aligns with the needs of all stakeholders, including users, business goals, and the market.

The product manager is also responsible for understanding and enhancing the user experience. They work to ensure that the product is not only functional but also intuitive and user-friendly. This holistic approach helps to create a product that not only meets technical requirements but also delights users.

Additionally, product managers keep a close eye on competitors and market trends. They analyze how similar products are evolving, identify gaps and opportunities in the market, and use this information to guide the product's strategic direction. This market awareness ensures that the product remains competitive and relevant.

Product managers act as a bridge between engineering, design, marketing, and sales, ensuring that all departments work towards a common goal. This cross-functional collaboration helps streamline development processes and reduces the risk of misalignment between different teams.

After explaining what the PM does, I would make it a priority to form strong relationships with the developers by establishing a regular cadence for meetings. This includes hearing their ideas, presenting the roadmap, and involving them in sprint planning and other ceremonies. Building trust through open communication and collaboration helps engineers understand and appreciate the value of product management. It also ensures that they feel their input is valued and that the product is in good hands.

PMs are able to help engineers with:

• talking to all different types of customers and prospects, so that we constantly have informed/holistic insights into most impactful problems we should be solving for our target customer

• taking the set of problems we have to solve, strategically sequencing them (roadmap), and pitching this to leaders internally to ensure buy-in + resources to fund this work

• take the lead on solutioning - working with engineering, product design, content design, user research, and data science - to ensure that we are building a feasible/impactful solution for the right problem

• evangelising the products that we are building and collaborating with GTM stakeholders (Customer Success, Account Executives, Solutions Consultations), pricing teams, business development, legal, product marketing - so that the product is not only built, but well-loved and highly adopted by our customers

• and so many more things

Engineering leaders could drive all of that, and they are capable to. But oftentimes they are focused on managing large organizations of engineering staff and driving technical/architectural vision.

And good PMs have years of experience and training on this work specifically, as opposed to having to focus on people management.

Product Manager position could be optional. A team building a software product will have someone fulfilling a product manager role either way.

• Who will take accountability for the market success of team’s work?

• Who will deeply understand the market, the customer and their pain worth solving?

• Who will fight for the team inside of the organization to acquire needed resources and to defend existing?

• Who will be a “PR manager” building team’s brand inside of the organization?

• Who will detect early learning and make a case for adjustments and improvements?

This list may go on and on.

Try to make the case not for the position of a PM (“I am a PM, you listen to me”), but for the inevitability of the work above for any successful team. Chances are, your engineering leader and their team do not find this type of work most exciting. Hopefully they are reasonable to agree it is required, or at least helpful for the eventual market success of your product. From there, if you established there is work to be done - demonstrate how you can take this work off the team’s plate and have them focus on what they do best and enjoy most - building great software (or hardware, if that’s your thing).

A great product manager starts not by convincing people of value, but by listening and exploring problems faced by their customers and team members. 

So, start with understanding what challenges your partners are facing - they can range from engineering-specific issues to business performance. Pick a few of these problems that seem approachable and explore them deeply, partnering closely with the people on the team responsible for them. 

Then deliver an improvement. It does not have to be a complete solution - but a measurable improvement that you were able to design and implement with your partners. Getting points on the board together and celebrating a shared win is the best way I see product managers that are new on the team quickly establish their value and build reputation as a strong team member.