Starting with Product Management
I have written before about how a new startup integrator has joined our team. He will be learning all aspects of our business over the rest of the year. Our idea is to have him go deep on particular aspects of the business until he has great understanding of the business.
As I have been thinking carefully about how to bring him up to speed, I have determined that the product management role is a great place to begin mastery. Product management is central to so many areas of a business.
Product management really has two components: 1) outward focused and 2) inward focused.
Outward consists of developing a deep understanding of customer needs, market shifts, competitive landscapes, and the key players in the market. It involves developing a prioritized list of product requirements, new features, and critical bug fixes.
Inward consists of developing a deep understanding of the engineering constraints, timelines, and particular talents of team members. It involves an understanding of how difficult certain tasks might be to complete.
Ultimately, a product manager is able to merge outward and inward information to develop an engineering and product plan. The product manager is also best informed about how to position the product and which key features are the most important to highlight.
For these reasons, we are starting our emphasis in training this summer with product management.
What are your thoughts on starting with product management for training a new startup integrator?