Gilbert and Sullivan present: The High-Tech Product Manager
I’ve always liked the Major General’s song from The Pirates of Penzance. If you are not familiar with the song, first watch the two videos at the bottom of this post and then “sing” the song below.
Here’s how Gilbert and Sullivan *may* have described high-tech Product Managers.
I am the very model of a high-tech product manager,
I’ve information customer, partner and competitor.
I know the product roadmap and I wrote the full requirements,
From strategic to tactical, all detailed in my documents.
I’m very well acquainted, too with matters very technical,
I understand development, agile, lean and waterfall.
On MRDs and PRDs I’m really eager to create
All the information that will make our products really great.
I am very good with customers and early stage prospects;
I listen to them carefully and track all of their change requests.
I then prioritize them into releases point and major;
I am the very model of a high-tech product manager.
I will answer all questions that will save an opportunity;
I really wish the reps would use a real sales methodology.
I always ask the prospects about the problems they need to solve;
And then present the current roadmap and show how it can evolve.
I bring this insight to HQ and deliver it accordingly;
I need the engineers to implement it all whole heartedly.
Then I can move along and start helping product marketing,
To understand the new solution and create new positioning.
I define new offerings and also write the business case;
Competitively speaking, I’m not satisfied with second place.
In short, in matters customer, partner and competitor,
I am the very model of a high-tech product manager.
I have worked in other jobs as a sales rep and a marketer;
I even spent two long years as a database developer.
But I would wonder constantly what kind of role was best for me;
I thought and thought and talk to others, then I found some clarity.
I really am a business person, with fondness for technology
I blend it all together to create great product strategy.
I think Product Management was the job that was meant for me.
Yet I wonder if others think I’m easy going or cranky?
I only hope the role will grow real soon into maturity.
But still in matters customer, partner and competitor
I am the very model of a high-tech Product Manager.
And here are two versions of the song. The original, and my favourite spoof of the original (other than my own!) 
.
Saeed
Related Posts
The Software Product Management Blues
Related posts:
- Worth Repeating: The High-Tech Product Manager
- Worth Repeating: Devil’s Dictionary for High Tech
- Devil's Dictionary for High Tech – Part 2
- Devil's Dictionary for High Tech – Part 1
- New Download – Lean Communications – Aligning Diverse Teams and Accelerating Revenue in High Tech Companies
Friday Fun: Product Manager a la Gilbert and Sullivan. http://tr.im/hitechpm #prodmgmt #fridayfun #pmv #parody
RT @onpm: Friday Fun: Product Manager a la Gilbert and Sullivan. http://tr.im/hitechpm #prodmgmt #fridayfun #pmv #parody
RT Friday Fun: Product Manager a la Gilbert and Sullivan. http://tr.im/hitechpm #prodmgmt #fridayfun #pmv #parody (via @onpm)
RT @onpm: Friday Fun: Product Manager a la Gilbert and Sullivan. http://tr.im/hitechpm -SR:: this is wildly creative, for a Friday.
RT @trevorrotzien: RT @onpm: Friday Fun: Product Manager a la Gilbert and Sullivan. http://tr.im/hitechpm [warning: geeky PM humor!]
This is brilliant Saeed!
Found an interesting Product Management blog — this post is great, I was able to relate to the song pretty well. http://bit.ly/oQtZU
Fantastic, I thought I could make up songs but this is way better than my efforts
[...] Gilbert and Sullivan Present: The High-Tech Product Manager [...]
http://tr.im/pA01 — The role of Product Manger to the tune of the Major General’s song… good stuff
RT @onpm: Gilbert and Sullivan present: The High-Tech Product Manager ##prodmgmt http://bit.ly/bfJW1X
RT @beseagle: RT @onpm: Gilbert and Sullivan present: The High-Tech Product Manager ##prodmgmt http://bit.ly/bfJW1X
RT @beseagle: RT @onpm: Gilbert and Sullivan present: The High-Tech Product Manager ##prodmgmt http://bit.ly/bfJW1X
#awesome gleeky for ya RT @onpm: Product Manager a la Gilbert and Sullivan. #prodmgmt #fridayfun #pmv #parody http://bit.ly/dGMnME
Hilarious! http://bit.ly/oQtZU Gilbert & Sullivan's The HIgh Tech Product Manager.
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Mark,
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it.