This is a good read. I strongly believe the merging of PM and PMM is a good way to go, and they should not exactly have been separate functions in the first place. But I also believe the separation of the functions also comes from the scope of work and size of the company where it’s difficult to have one person handle all the range of functions/have a holistic view.
I think working and building a startup (non-tech) in the past has built me up in a way where I see everyone has a unified and collaborative whole, rather than isolated functions.
Chesky's comments are a good reminder for the industry that autonomy and broad team skills are critical to success. Obviously, that was falling apart at AirBnB. Good on them for straightening it out. Crises can be a good time for reflection.
The statement "PMs for me are a nuisance" could easily be repeated from the PMs perspective: "Engineers / Designers for me …". It just depends on what the org dysfunction looks like.
"The difference is that the PM applies the skills towards product development, while the PMM applies them towards market adoption. Many PMs don’t understand commercial impacts, nor do they know how to best position their products for maximum market penetration."
That's just a bad product manager. They probably need some more time in a junior role before you ask them to level up to leading a product.
"I have also written extensively on bringing PMs closer to revenue."
See above. Any commercial product PM that isn't close to revenue isn't doing product management.
"That is deeply worrisome because it reveals that most designers have sub-par experience working with PMs."
IME, most designers have a poor experience working with PMs because companies are more willing to invest in experienced PMs than designers. So you end up with senior PMs working with junior to mid-level designers. They want more control, but they often aren't ready for it.
"While the PM often measure business metrics and product adoption, designers are motivated by creating a great user experience. Beyond usability, the designer also focuses on the sleekness of the feature."
There's a little double-speak going on here when you say PMs "measure business metrics" but earlier you said they aren't close enough to revenue. But I suppose that just highlights the range of PMs in the wild.
The bottom line is that you need a product leadership team that focuses on achieving business objectives, each from their own unique angle: finance, market needs, usability, and technical architecture primarily. I'm probably forgetting something important.
If each collaborator focuses on their own metrics in isolation from the core objectives the result will be a guaranteed mess.
This is a good read. I strongly believe the merging of PM and PMM is a good way to go, and they should not exactly have been separate functions in the first place. But I also believe the separation of the functions also comes from the scope of work and size of the company where it’s difficult to have one person handle all the range of functions/have a holistic view.
I think working and building a startup (non-tech) in the past has built me up in a way where I see everyone has a unified and collaborative whole, rather than isolated functions.
Chesky's comments are a good reminder for the industry that autonomy and broad team skills are critical to success. Obviously, that was falling apart at AirBnB. Good on them for straightening it out. Crises can be a good time for reflection.
The statement "PMs for me are a nuisance" could easily be repeated from the PMs perspective: "Engineers / Designers for me …". It just depends on what the org dysfunction looks like.
"The difference is that the PM applies the skills towards product development, while the PMM applies them towards market adoption. Many PMs don’t understand commercial impacts, nor do they know how to best position their products for maximum market penetration."
That's just a bad product manager. They probably need some more time in a junior role before you ask them to level up to leading a product.
"I have also written extensively on bringing PMs closer to revenue."
See above. Any commercial product PM that isn't close to revenue isn't doing product management.
"That is deeply worrisome because it reveals that most designers have sub-par experience working with PMs."
IME, most designers have a poor experience working with PMs because companies are more willing to invest in experienced PMs than designers. So you end up with senior PMs working with junior to mid-level designers. They want more control, but they often aren't ready for it.
"While the PM often measure business metrics and product adoption, designers are motivated by creating a great user experience. Beyond usability, the designer also focuses on the sleekness of the feature."
There's a little double-speak going on here when you say PMs "measure business metrics" but earlier you said they aren't close enough to revenue. But I suppose that just highlights the range of PMs in the wild.
The bottom line is that you need a product leadership team that focuses on achieving business objectives, each from their own unique angle: finance, market needs, usability, and technical architecture primarily. I'm probably forgetting something important.
If each collaborator focuses on their own metrics in isolation from the core objectives the result will be a guaranteed mess.
Thank you for this detailed comment. Your last line is a perfect close.