The role of the PM

At its very core, the role of the PM is to make sure that the team is solving the right problems and building the right products. Throughout this process, Product Managers will shepherd their product from an idea all the way through launch and partner with a wide variety of cross-functional teams to make the product real. Prioritization also plays an important role in this process, since no company has unlimited resources-- there will always be tradeoffs that need to be made.

So The PMs sit between business, design, and technology.

Differences in Product Management

The role of a PM can vary a lot based on the company and product. The size of a company has a big impact on the scope of a PM's work. At smaller companies, it's more likely that PMs will have more end-to-end responsibility and wear more hats. Whereas at larger companies oftentimes there will be larger supporting teams, which allow PMs to maintain a narrow focus and go super deep on that specific area.

A company’s philosophy of building products also shapes the role of a PM. The most common philosophies are:

• Product led
• Engineering led
• Product + Eng partnership