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Who is better suited for a TPM role compared to a PM role?

3 Answers
Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Amazon Head of Driver Products, Amazon RelayMay 31

To be clear, I don't believe a technical-PM is always a better PM. It comes down to what attributes, passion and curiosity you posess and the direction you want to go. A good technical PM is strongly curious about technology and how it's used to solve the problem. They think of the problem, as well as the soluton, in terms of technology. They are better able to understand abstractions of technology - tech stack, componentization, APIs - etc in the context of product development. Other non-technical PMs may similarly be more focused and passionate about product economics, pricing and positioning and how it manifests to the customer. It doesn't make them any less capable. 

If you're contemplating whether being a techncial PM is right for you, ask yourself what drives your curiosity, how you think about problems and solutions and what you're passionate about.

1229 Views
Devika Nair
Devika Nair
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Director of Product ManagementJuly 19

If you mean technical product manager vs product manager, that depends on your technical expertise and interest towards technical products.

If you mean program vs product, I don't have program manager experience. I'm only basing my response on my observations. I would say a PM cares more about ensuring the right product is being built while a program manager cares more about the execution and timelines. There are lot of other aspects (customer focus vs ability to stay organization and identify risks) but there are plenty of experts who have written about the differences between these roles, so won't go into all of them.

470 Views
Deepak Mukunthu
Deepak Mukunthu
Salesforce Senior Director of Product, Generative AI Platform (Einstein GPT)February 22

Both Technical Product Managers (TPMs) and Product Managers (PMs) have important roles to play in product development. The primary difference between the two is that TPMs typically have a stronger technical background and are more focused on the technical aspects of product development, while PMs tend to have a broader focus on the overall product strategy, market positioning, and customer needs.

Individuals who have a strong technical background and enjoy working closely with development teams may be better suited for a Technical Product Manager role. TPMs need to be able to understand complex technical issues, communicate effectively with developers, and have a good understanding of the development process.

Individuals who have a broader focus on the market and customer needs, and enjoy working closely with cross-functional teams such as marketing, sales, and customer support, may be better suited for a Product Manager role. PMs need to be able to identify customer needs, prioritize features based on market demand, and develop a product roadmap that aligns with the company's overall strategy.

1078 Views
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