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Navin Ganeshan

Navin Ganeshan

Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon

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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
What does a Technical Product Manager role mean at Amazon?
(Reposting this from a related question)  A technical product manager at Amazon is generally referred to as a Product-Manager-Technical (PM-T). A PMT can have ownership over a product, a functional area or even a program, but their primary focus is on formulating the vision, the strategy and r...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
What methodology do you utilize or recommend for organizing or prioritizing features?
This is definitely a popular topic of discussion amongst PMs, and probably a heated one at times. This is a good post that covers the most common including RICE, KANO and story-maps. https://roadmunk.com/guides/product-prioritization-techniques-product-managers/ Personally, I'm less dogmatic a...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
What technique/process do you follow to build the vision for a program?
The process of starting with a vision for any product/feature is conceptually simple, but also eludes many product managers who may be more accustomed to being able to chart a path to "somewhere" rather than have to contemplate where that somewhere is. It helps to demysify and de-romanticize the ...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
At Amazon, what are the differences between Product Manager (PM), Technical Product Manager (TPM), and Technical Program Manager?
A technical product manager at Amazon is generally referred to as a Product-Manager-Technical (PM-T). A PMT can have ownership over a product, a functional area or even a program, but their primary focus is on formulating the vision, the strategy and roadmap for that area. They are also ultimatel...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
How do technical product managers work at Amazon? What's the difference between a PMT and a TPM?
First of all, we need to address Amazon's terminology for these roles. A technical product manager at Amazon is generally referred to as a Product-Manager-Technical (PM-T). Whereas a Technical Program Manager (TPM) is a distinct role that sits at the intersection of product, engineering and progr...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
How can a TPM be helpful if they are not the most technically advanced person on the team?
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 fi...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
Who is better suited for a TPM role compared to a PM role?
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 we...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
What level of data and analytics competencies are needed for a Technical PM?
To be blunt, I think they are critical. Data is the currency for any decision-making, and analytical competencies are exactly what empower product managers, technical or otherwise. For technical PMs, there is also an expectation of data self-sufficiency where they are not as dependent on BI or ot...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
Sometimes roadmaps can get sidelined by emergent issues or new priorities. How does Amazon reconcile executing on strategic projects while reacting quickly to emerging opportunities?
This is a universal challenge for all product owners - how to ensure your roadmaps don't get derailed. I take the perspective that you should expect and accept a certain combination of planned vs opportunistic initiatives. Being overly dogmatic in your roadmap against evolving circumstances is ju...more
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Navin Ganeshan
Navin Ganeshan
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay, Amazon
How is the role of technical product manager different than other product managers?
A technical product manager has a more substantial role working with engineering teams on core architecture and component design related to a feature. If all product managers have allegiance to different dimensions - business/revenue, customer experience, product/tech strategy, marketing etc - th...more
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Credentials & Highlights
Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay at Amazon
Product Management AMA Contributor
Technical Product Management
Top 10 Product Management Contributor
Last 90 Days
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