Second, and maybe Steve Johnson can help with this, there used to be a version of the Pragmatic Marketing Framework (http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/pragmatic-marketing-framework) that highlighted the areas of the framework that were typically considered Program Management vs. Technical Product Management vs. Product Marketing. This version was useful at larger companies.

Whenever I see debate over the definition of Product Management, I usually point people to the Pragmatic Marketing Framework and then advise them to spend a little time figuring out who (or which role) drives each of the boxes. Every company is a little different…some require very technical PM’s while others are fine with high-level thinkers.

At every company I’ve worked since the Framework’s been created, I’ve devoted a little time mapping out who covers the various elements of the framework. I’ve done this at companies that varied in size between 10 people and 150,000 people. It’s pretty easy for small companies…and an interesting, and important, exercise in very large companies. For example, it can shed light on where the gaps are in the process/organization.

Hmmm….maybe I’ll write a post about this very topic.

I think the “30 minutes to open the laptop” was simply a bit of self-deprecating humour to underscore the point. Nowhere in the post — at least the free portion that I read — does it say he doesn’t know the product. Given that his product is Office, I’m pretty certain he knows the product well enough to talk about it, it’s benefits etc.

Given the size of a company like Microsoft and certainly the size and scope of a product like Office, I’m pretty sure there are several strata of people like Scott who have different levels of ownership of “the Product”.

Saeed

I don’t think that the Product (manager or marketing manager) needs to know all the technicalities of a certain product, just the high level stuff.

When a company splits the role in two (program and product management at Microsoft, product manager and product marketing virtually everywhere else), it is important for both roles to know the product. I have worked with great product marketing people but alas, I have also worked with product marketing people who don’t see the need to know the product. They talk campaigns and buzz and spin but can’t explain how the product solves problems for people.

Here’s a rule: If you have ‘product’ in your title, you have to know a product.